The campaign was jointly conducted by the State government, Vadodara Municipal Corporation, District Collectorate, Zilla Panchayat and AIDS Control Forum in association with the M S University and non-governmental organisations in the city.

At an inauguration ceremony held at the M S University Pavillion, girl students of the SSG Nurses Training School presented a `Mock-Antakshari' competition parodying popular Hindi film songs to spread the AIDS awareness message. This was followed by a skit on the same by male undergraduates of the medical college.

A rally was carried out from the venue with banners exhorting the masses to `Be positive but not HIV positive', `Use Condoms to prevent AIDS' and `Guard Against Professional Blood Donours'. The rally gathered at the government dispensary, Fatehgunj, where all participants lit candles and collectively took a pledge to fight and prevent AIDS. District Collector Anil Mukim, Mayor Bharti Vyas, Deputy Municipal Commissioner I B Peerzada and Dean, Faculty of Social Work, MSU, Anil Navle also participated in the programme.

``The idea behind the rally was to bring all administrative machinery and institutions in the voluntary sector on a common platform for a cause that holds great relevance in the present times. "As per the instructions issued by State Minister for Health Ashok Bhatt, at 6 pm sharp, candles were lit all over Gujarat and oaths taken to fight AIDS,'' VMC health officer Vibhooti Patel said.

Talking to Express Newsline, Mukim said, ``Elaborate plans to fight AIDS are continually being planned by various administrative bodies. However, mass reach programmes like these, though done at a small scale, are important considering their effectiveness in creating awareness about a cause''.

On December 3, earmarked as the World Disability Day, a large-scale rally will be carried out from the Nazar Baug Palace, Mandvi, upto the Gandhinagar Gruh, near Jubilee Garden advocating vaccination against Polio and prevention against AIDS.