Aishwarya Rai Bachchan has been appointed the Goodwill Ambassador for UNAIDS
United Nations:
Actress Aishwarya RaiBachchan, the newly appointed Goodwill Ambassador for UNAIDS,says motherhood has kept her extremely busy for the past yearand she hasn't had much time to miss being in movies.
The 38-year-old actress said she feels "blessed" to haveher daughter, 10-month old Aaradhya in her life and feels thatshe will be "gushing for the rest of my life" over her.
Motherhood is "bliss like I have never experienced. Eachpassing day you feel blessed with such joys," Aishwarya toldPTI here.
She said children are a blessing from god and motherhoodis an experience which is tough to define. "It is wonderful,beautiful, glorious. I can't find the perfect adjective forit," she said.
Having been away from the movies for over two years now,Aishwarya said she has not had the time to miss her moviecareer as motherhood has kept her extremely busy.
"I have not even felt the time fly by. Any mother wouldknow that you have no concept of day or night. Time just fliesby, there is so much going on. I have no idea how the last 10months have flown by. I want to be with my daughter all thetime. That is the choice I have made. It is my personal choiceand I love being with her. She is my angel," Aishwarya said.
The former Miss World, who has been associated withvarious social causes ever since she won the Miss World titlein 1994, will now work as the UNAIDS Goodwill Ambassador andhelp the agency meet its goal of eliminating new HIVinfections among children by 2015.
She had a packed day in New York, appearing at the UnitedNations with UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibe,participating at a panel discussion with fellow GoodwillAmbassador actress Naomi Watts at the Yale Club here and thenmeeting India's Permanent Representative to the UN HardeepSingh Puri.
Aishwarya said she was approached by the UN ten years agoto work with it on select causes but she decided to put it onhold as she was busy with the movie projects then.
"I feel I can focus on the work of the UNAIDS today. As amother, I have taken time out from my career for the last 10months. I can now plan my time ahead," she said.
Aishwarya said she does not see her association withUNAIDS as a loss for the film industry and she will continueto be an actor and brand ambassador for products.
"I am in the public eye, I am actor and brand ambassadorfor products - that world will continue as and how I plan it.I have not become a saint overnight and I have not renouncedthe world. I intend to keeping my public work going on andthrough that be able to redirect some of the energy intopositive work."
Aishwarya, who had aspired to be a doctor, saidhealthcare has always been extremely important to her andfeels that a lot of work needs to be done in a country likeIndia in the area of healthcare for women and their children.
"Even though women in India are immensely empowered, theyare still socially shy and reluctant to go through basicmedical check ups. I fear that women in India would stillsomewhere believe that if you are infected with the HIV virus,that is a death sentence," she said.
There is a need to educate women that despite beinginfected with HIV, they can have healthy children and there ismedical help available for them.
"Women tend to put themselves last, health comes last ontheir agenda but we need to tell them that if they are nothealthy they cannot take care of their family.
"There is so much work to be done. Along with UNAIDS I amhoping that we can make the goal of having an entiregeneration born free of HIV, possible by 2015. It will behistoric. It is not the only goal, there is work that needsto be done for a long time to come," she said.
The 38-year-old actress said she feels "blessed" to haveher daughter, 10-month old Aaradhya in her life and feels thatshe will be "gushing for the rest of my life" over her.
Motherhood is "bliss like I have never experienced. Eachpassing day you feel blessed with such joys," Aishwarya toldPTI here.
She said children are a blessing from god and motherhoodis an experience which is tough to define. "It is wonderful,beautiful, glorious. I can't find the perfect adjective forit," she said.
Having been away from the movies for over two years now,Aishwarya said she has not had the time to miss her moviecareer as motherhood has kept her extremely busy.
"I have not even felt the time fly by. Any mother wouldknow that you have no concept of day or night. Time just fliesby, there is so much going on. I have no idea how the last 10months have flown by. I want to be with my daughter all thetime. That is the choice I have made. It is my personal choiceand I love being with her. She is my angel," Aishwarya said.
The former Miss World, who has been associated withvarious social causes ever since she won the Miss World titlein 1994, will now work as the UNAIDS Goodwill Ambassador andhelp the agency meet its goal of eliminating new HIVinfections among children by 2015.
She had a packed day in New York, appearing at the UnitedNations with UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibe,participating at a panel discussion with fellow GoodwillAmbassador actress Naomi Watts at the Yale Club here and thenmeeting India's Permanent Representative to the UN HardeepSingh Puri.
Aishwarya said she was approached by the UN ten years agoto work with it on select causes but she decided to put it onhold as she was busy with the movie projects then.
"I feel I can focus on the work of the UNAIDS today. As amother, I have taken time out from my career for the last 10months. I can now plan my time ahead," she said.
Aishwarya said she does not see her association withUNAIDS as a loss for the film industry and she will continueto be an actor and brand ambassador for products.
"I am in the public eye, I am actor and brand ambassadorfor products - that world will continue as and how I plan it.I have not become a saint overnight and I have not renouncedthe world. I intend to keeping my public work going on andthrough that be able to redirect some of the energy intopositive work."
Aishwarya, who had aspired to be a doctor, saidhealthcare has always been extremely important to her andfeels that a lot of work needs to be done in a country likeIndia in the area of healthcare for women and their children.
"Even though women in India are immensely empowered, theyare still socially shy and reluctant to go through basicmedical check ups. I fear that women in India would stillsomewhere believe that if you are infected with the HIV virus,that is a death sentence," she said.
There is a need to educate women that despite beinginfected with HIV, they can have healthy children and there ismedical help available for them.
"Women tend to put themselves last, health comes last ontheir agenda but we need to tell them that if they are nothealthy they cannot take care of their family.
"There is so much work to be done. Along with UNAIDS I amhoping that we can make the goal of having an entiregeneration born free of HIV, possible by 2015. It will behistoric. It is not the only goal, there is work that needsto be done for a long time to come," she said.
