primary research on hiv/aids in india has predominantly focused onknown risk groups such as sex workers, sti clinic attendees andlong-distance truck drivers, and has largely been undertaken inurban areas. there is evidence of hiv spreading to rural areas butvery little is known about the context of the infection or aboutissues relating to health and social impact on people living withhiv/aids. in-depth interviews with nineteen men and women infectedwith hiv who live in rural areas were used to collect experiences oftesting and treatment, the social impacts of living with hiv anddifferential impacts on women and men. eight focus group discussionswith groups drawn from the general population in the four villageswere used to provide an analysis of community level views abouthiv/aids. while men reported contracting hiv from sex workers in thecities, women considered their husbands to be the source of theirinfection. correct knowledge about hiv transmission co-existed withmisconceptions. men and women tested for hiv reported inadequatecounselling and sought treatment from traditional healers as well asprofessionals. owing to the general pattern of husbands being thefirst to contract hiv women faced a substantial burden, with fewresources remaining for their own or their children’s care aftermeeting the needs of sick husbands. stigma and social isolationfollowing widowhood were common, with an enforced return to thenatal home. implications for potential educational and serviceinterventions are discussed within the context of gender and socialrelations.