Several taboos surrounding menstruation are prevalent in India, but a new height of taboo would be reached if there was a complete abandonment of an individual when they menstruate.
According to the Guardian, “The practice of banishing women and girls is most prevalent among the Gond and Madiya ethnic groups. The Gonds are the largest indigenous group in central India and hail from the states of Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh and Orissa.” When women of these groups menstruate every month, they are shunned from their homes and sent to unique huts called ‘gaokars‘ and ‘kurma ghars‘.
Overview Of Gaokars And Kurma Ghars
These period huts are considered as public property, and there is, therefore, no upkeep for the same. They do not contain kitchens, since menstruation and cooking are two words not to be uttered in the same sentence for a large amount of the country’s population, and the same idea is echoed here too. Located at the boundaries of the village, menstruating women stay in these huts for the entire duration of their period, since, even their entry in the village is considered impure, and polluting.
The NGO Sparsh (Society of People’s Action in Rural Services and Health) has made the existence of these period huts known to the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC). The NGO’s founder talks about how they visited 223 gaokars in tribal areas and based upon their research, 98% lack even a proper bed, forget electricity and other basic amenities. Most of the gaokars have temporary bathrooms made with bamboo.
The Problems Faced By Women
Having no contact with the outside world, the women living in these huts remain helpless and in pain. They only get to interact with a family member, and that too is menial interaction, since they only come by to drop a meal and leave afterwards. These small period shacks are havens of heat, dirt, discomfort and hardship for the inhabiting women.
Such women, with nowhere to go and nothing to do, aren’t even allowed to pray to their gods, with access to temples denied, and consumption of the temple prasad considered profane. Since the location of such huts is on the outskirts, wild animals commonly make an appearance there too. Reports of women dying due to snake bites while being isolated in the gaokar are frequent.
Government Callousness
Unfortunately, this is not a practice that has been propagated only by indigenous groups of the country. Even the government can be seen participating in the same.
In Uttarakhand’s Ghurchum village of Champawat district, a government-funded building was constructed. This would have been good news in any other case, but the building was constructed to send women there during their menstrual cycle to isolate them. Also, these government funds were meant to be used for some other purpose. The gram pradhan of the village called it a ‘jan milan kendra‘ (public meeting centre) and denied that any woman was forcefully banished there, claiming it to be false reportage.
Similarly, Koovalapuram village in Tamil Nadu’s Madurai district has within it a curious guesthouse or muttuthurai, a space meant for ‘polluted’ women, created by the village community itself. Women spend five days here while menstruating due to the strict community norms of the village. The situation is worse for girls attaining puberty, as they are supposed to stay in the guesthouse for a full month—even women who have just had a delivery stay here, that too with their newborn babies. The process is systematic, with women receiving sacks that have specific utensils to be used during menstruation for food. The village women have internalised the myth that they must stay at the guesthouse; otherwise, they shall be turned to dust.
Nepalese Chaupadis
The act of isolating them was criminalised in 2018, but it is still being practised today, which reflects the deeply ingrained societal mentality. Nonetheless, arrests are being made in Nepal for the violation, so a move towards breaking stigma can be seen. Still, the jail term is only three months with a fine of 3000 rupees, and the first arrest was only made 18 months after the legal intervention, so there is a long way to go until a substantive change can be brought about.
The act of banishing women to huts may be seen in villages and far-flung areas, but even in cosmopolitan surroundings, similar practices do exist. The concept of physically existing period huts is not formalised, but the pattern of isolation is still prevalent because there is always an underlying theme of impurity that is associated with menstruation, whatever the area may be.