To,
Yogi Adityanath
Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh,
I would like to thank you for all the development and changes you have brought in society. I always felt proud that I am born in a country where Goddess is worshiped. Yet, I assume that it was an illusion because when I stepped into my adolescence, I faced the harsh reality of society.
I started feeling that periods are a curse and I will be infected for a lifetime. As I grew up, I understood that it is not a curse, in fact, it is a beautiful blessing that God has given to women. It also signifies that now we as adults can play our part in society.
But I don’t want the young girls to undergo the torture which other fellow females have gone through. I want them to be proud of the fact that they have got their periods and can celebrate their womanhood. We all are well aware of the fact that we still live in a society that is male dominant and women are still dependent on them. Females still have to look up to the man and they are the ones who have the authority to decide what is best for the ladies.
People pray and worship Goddess in public but abuse the same female in their houses. Our honorable PM Mr. Narendra Modi started a campaign “Beti Bachao! Beti Padhao!!! But I want to ask you this question, are we really following it? There are still so many places where girls are not allowed to attend schools.
We are in the 20th century but for females, it still seems like the 10th century. Even now the women are facing the judgmental face of society. Girls still have to think twice before going on road trips during their periods because there are still no washrooms for ladies. For boys, it is a privilege that they can go to the washroom anywhere they want, but girls don’t have that right.
Sorry to say, but we often compare our country to other countries. But we are far behind because of the discrimination based on sexes that we still have in our nation. Even though the women are given reservation in jobs, reservation in buses, metros. But why is it so that we still feel shy to discuss anything about periods to our father, brothers or friends. Why can’t we discuss all these things with them?
The reason is simple, from the day we attain puberty our grandmother and mother start teaching us that all these things should not be discussed with the male members of the family.
Also, there are restrictions that girls should not enter the temple or kitchen during their periods as they are not sacred during monthlies.
From our school days, we have been taught that our government is the democratic body that is elected by the people and for the people. “Desh ka Vikaas, sabke saath” is the prime motto of our PM, but are females not part of this progress?
As per my understanding, progress will only be achieved when women will feel comfortable in presenting their views in front of anyone without the fear of being judged.
To attain this comfort level, we need to educate young girls about the importance of good sanitary conditions and what is menstrual cycles and its importance in our lives.
There are a few NGOs that are working towards it being a part of the government you can promote them and give them more recognition, so they can achieve their goal of educating young girls.
Some NGOs are giving free pads to girls so that they understand the importance of hygiene. In our country, sanitary pads are quite expensive as compared to other good items which are not even a basic necessity.
I would really appreciate it if you can remove the extra taxes that we have to pay to buy a pad.
For girls, toilets can be constructed with proper hygiene and maintenance, so that while going on trips women will not feel shy or worried before leaving their houses during periods.
The Government can also consider installing pads dispensing machines, which will dispense pads when a girl inserts 1- or 2-rupees coins. Also, the washrooms should have mirrors so that girls can check if there are any stains on their dresses or not.
Every school should ensure that they have a sick room or a separate doctor room, where doctors would be available during school hours and they should be well equipped with medicines and sanitary pads.
Last but not the least, I understand that awareness starts from our homes and we have an equal responsibility to discuss each and everything about “Periods” with our daughters, mothers, sisters, and wives without any hitch or any inconvenience so they feel ashamed of it.
We all should come together and we should take a pledge to give better tomorrow to our young girls so that they will never feel ashamed of their periods and can proudly enjoy their womanhood.
Regards,
Aditi Sahai