India! A big nation of 1.33 billion people where about 48% of the population are women who bleed five days every month, out of which only around 57% use sanitary napkins. We all have to agree that menstruation is a taboo in India. People are still shy to talk about women’s menstrual health and it’s mostly ignored.
They believe whatever is ‘down there’ is dirty and not to be talked about. Our minds have been washed to believe what they installed into our minds since we were born and this app in our brain is hard to uninstall now when it’s been followed since centuries and it still continues to be living on its legacy.
In the modern era, where women talk about equal rights and society even pledges to provide them, the issue of menstrual hygiene is still hidden. This is because women themselves, no matter how modern we consider ourselves to be, still shy away to talk about something that is natural and happens to every woman every month. The red-coloured stain is still a stain that our women shame themselves over and loathe in self-pity and still like to hide in their den.
So many stigmas around what you can’t do when you are “impure”. Impure? We have a temple like Kamakhya in Guwahati, Assam, that commemorates womanhood, we have one of the 51 shakti pitches and also mythical Indian heritage which is where Goddess Sati’s yoni had fallen. It is worshipped by millions and every month, when she bleeds, it said to be holi and pure.
We, women, need to empower ourselves and break the chain of self-doubt and ask valid questions. We need to destigmatise the dos and don’ts of the pressure by society and above all, we need to learn to respect ourselves first.
Also, there is a need to not only provide sanitary pads for every woman but also teach safe ways of disposal of sanitary pads. Proper waste management of sanitary pads should also be our responsibility. Hence, both should go hand in hand.