one are the days when parents would switch off TV sets during family welfare ads or ads that talked about sexually transmitted diseases.

As HIV (human immuno deficiency virus) - which causes AIDS (acquired immuno deficiency syndrome) - spread in India, it became necessary to dispel the many myths surrounding the disease. Things started changing and the odd celebrity was pulled in to promote social welfare messages. There was Shabana Azmi blowing away fears about contracting HIV by touching the patient. With time, public figures like Amitabh Bachchan, Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Irfan Pathan and M S Dhoni did their bit. ... more