The disgusting myth and belief I have ever heard and experienced about periods is “IT’S A SHAMEFUL SUBJECT TO BE DISCUSSED WITH BOYS”.
Few days back amidst this lockdown I was discussing the pain I went through at the time of “Happy Bday” (the term I use for my periods) with one of my male friend over a call. Somehow, my mother heard my conversation and started showing weird expressions. After I aborted the call, she started taunting and shouting on me (jyada badi hogai ho tum, yahi sab sikhti ho delhi me reh kr, yeh koi acchi baat nhi h us ladke se ye sb bolna and discuss krna) as if I have revealed some confidential business plan of her. Later, she started boasting of this simple conversation with my friend to my father and sister as if I have been part of some severe criminal offence.
But it did not stop me, in response to all what my mother said, I took a step forward and told her that you can’t stop me from discussing this beautiful process with boys. It’s just a biological process of which everyone is part of and hence they need to know about it. Listening to my strong response to my mother’s reaction my father replied, “limit me baat kro thoda“. I felt agitated over his statement and seriously failed to understand what limit he was talking about.
Then and there I told them that I don’t find anything shameful discussing it. I will continue with that, no matter what you people think about it. With this, I revealed them that yes, you people stop me from talking about periods, discussing periods in front of Nimish (my younger brother) but let me tell you, last night I have discussed periods with him to which she again reacted more or less the same.
That very moment, I felt like it’s really very crucial to make people aware that this subject of “PERIODS” is more of discussing with everyone irrespective of gender rather than signifying it as WOMEN’S ISSUE and hiding it.
I feel happy that my friend whom I was talking to is now familiar with the word “PERIODS”, he has enough understanding of it because till the time I discussed it with him he did not even know such a process exist.
“Shameful is, boys not knowing of Periods; Shameful is, we hiding it from them and not talking about it; Shameful is, not making each one of them understand this beautiful process which creates life”.
Hence, PERIODS are not at all Shameful to talk about and I pledge to make more boys aware of it.