HAPPY PERIOD!

Menstruation is a much talked about topic these days and that should encourage women to be bold and confident instead of shaming themselves due to the prevalent taboos in the society. I belong to Uttarakhand and in the interior parts, especially the rural areas women still hesitate to share their views regarding Menstruation.

Even to this day, girls and women in these rural areas use cloth and are ashamed of themselves when they have their periods. They are not allowed to enter temples, sleep on the bed, instead for seven days they are asked to sleep on the floor. They are not allowed to touch the pickles as it is believed to get spoilt or participate in any religious activities. They are not even allowed to cook food for those seven days. These taboos make them feel ashamed of themselves and makes them feel like untouchables.

This is really a matter of utmost concern. Why are girls not allowed to live freely while enjoying these stressful days? Every one in the family – the mother, father or brother should support them as it is the first step to make daughters bold and confident.

According to statistics, 55% young women in Uttarakhand use cloth during menstruation. With time, there has been some changes and the recent biggest revolution was brought up by Arunachalam Muruganantham who set up a sanitary pad manufacturing unit in  Udham Singh Nagar Singh Nagar with the intention of providing sanitary pads at reasonable and affordable price.

As for me, my mother made me learn all about periods when I was in 8th grade. She told me why it happens, what changes comes like mood swings, physical changes etc.. At the age of 15 years, my younger brother was aware of what Menstruation is and used to help me doing household chores during that time.

In my view, everyone should be aware of Menstruation and it is important to not only offer support in the form of a helping hand but also encourage our girls to life fully and freely and have a happy period!

 

The author, Urvashi Vats is from Dehradun, Uttarakhand. She was an Assistant Professor for Personality Development. Urvashi loves to write about any topic and maintains a diary. Although her focus is in the education sector, her true passion lies in writing about “the unsaid and unrealized”

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Wonder Women World.