Those five days of unbearable pain every month, experienced by women, for the continued existence and survival of human race, are not to be regarded as a shame or a taboo. Yes, I am talking about the menstruation period, which is so very necessary for the perseverance of the world, yet considered as an embarrassment for women. There can be no logical answer to the question that why the women are thought to be impure during their menstruation. The reason depends only on the pitiful, narrow mentality of the society.
Menstruation is completely a scientific phenomenon that is nothing to be ashamed of. Menstruation or periods is normal vaginal bleeding that occurs as part of a woman’s monthly cycle. Every month, the body prepares for pregnancy. If no pregnancy occurs, the uterus or womb sheds its lining. The menstrual cycle occurs due to the rise and fall of hormones. Despite menses being a normal scientific process, the menstruating women are compelled to follow certain conservative traditions and survive under so many restrictions. During this time, women are not allowed to go to religious places or attend any religious rituals. Many times they are not permitted to go out of the house and even not admitted to enter the kitchen. Women are usually left isolated during these days and are treated in an abnormal way as if they have committed a serious offence.
Recently released movie ‘Padman’ actually reflects the Indian society in the context of this social issue. It firmly attacks the obstinate traditions that claim menstruating women to be impure and restrict them on various aspects. The movie is a biopic of Arunachalam Muruganantham, called as the menstrual man of India. The movie clearly depicts the prevailing unhygienic menstrual conditions, especially in the rural areas of the country and the immediate need for menstrual health awareness among the women. It mainly brought up the issue that since the sanitary napkins are not feasible to the majority of women in the country, they use various other non commercial materials like old rags, sand, ash, small hole in the Earth, whole leaf, leaf fibre, paper, etc. The use of such improvised substances may cause serious health problems and issues for women. That is why, there is an urgent need to familiarize women about the menstrual hygiene and make the commercial safety materials such as sanitary pads available to every woman in the country.
The people who believe menstruation to be vitiated should definitely kill themselves because they are born in this world, just because the continuation of this process, and if they don’t do so, they are the biggest hypocrites. For those parochial men who can never even think of the tremendous pain women bear and those who try to prove their manliness, just by calling menstruating women filthy, have you ever even imagined the situation? For once, just imagine, you are sleeping most comfortably in your bed and suddenly, you feel that something nostalgic is happening to your body. You wake up, switch on the lights and what do you see? A red stained lower back, a red stained bedsheet….what will be your reaction? Even fantasising is horrible, right? Now you need to be in a constant fear and you have to be careful every minute about getting your clothes stained blood red, especially when you are outside in public places. And now, something more scary…. One careless move and you get your clothes stained. People stare at you, teasing and making fun of you. The height of embarrassment.
Men will die straight away, even if they bleed continuously for half an hour. Its not easy to be a woman. Respect women in every way, in every condition.
“DearWomen, respect yourself for you bleed. You bleed for the persistence of the entire world. You bleed for you hold a life within yourself. Don’t let anyone embarrass you for you bleed. Be proud of being a woman and be proud to bleed.”