A Bong Girl's Muse

When I was in seventh grade, I participated in many sports activities. I was not only doing well in my studies but also joined in many extra-curricular activities. My school was celebrating its annual sports day, and I was preparing for my upcoming relay race. I was sitting in the audience, and I could see my mother waving at me and asking me to come down hurriedly. She took me to the back of the stadium, where there was a toilet and asked me to open my shorts. I got so anxious and pissed off at her, and then she showed me that I got my period and the back of my sports shorts was drenched in blood. I begged her to leave me and not make me wear a pad, but she insisted. While in the middle of our conversation, one of my school teachers showed up, and asked what the matter was. I told her as well I didn’t want to wear the pad as I had a relay race coming up. But after seeing the seriousness of the matter, she insisted I wear the pad; otherwise, blood would be all over my shorts. I gave in and wore the pad, not fully able to comprehend the seriousness of the matter. She handed me another sports skirt, which I wore to my race. I could feel I didn’t have the energy to run, but since I had practised for so long for the sports day, I didn’t give in and stood 2nd in the race.

In India, when a girl enters her period days, she is treated more like an untouchable. Firstly I had no idea what period was until I got mine, secondly my family never openly talked about it till I read it in my biology book in grade 10, and thirdly since then, I have been bleeding for five days every month of my life (except when I was pregnant). It’s not just women who should be educated about their menstrual health but also men who need to be educated enough to understand the health of the women in their life. The first phase is when women are struck with periods; they get finally aware that this bloody thing is going to be their friend till they are hit with the second phase, which is perimenopause and then the final stage, which is menopause. We, girls, are not educated enough about menstruation, less alone menopause, which can significantly distress many women out there.

India is one of the countries where a period is heavily stigmatised, and activists are trying their best to educate the society, especially families with lower incomes, that it is a normal biological process. The fact that society still considers it a taboo is degrading to the empowerment of women in this modern day. My family was privileged enough to afford the costs of sanitary pads. However, there are still millions of women out in the world who use rags, old torn clothes, leaves, newspapers and other unhygienic means of preventing the period flow. The concept of sanitary napkins in India came in as early as the 80s, and until then, women have been using towels/used rags. I remember my mother and grandmother used to sneak into the bathrooms to change the rags quickly, wash the old ones and put them out to dry till their subsequent usage. When sanitary napkins were launched in the market, they were only afforded to middle and higher-income families. The poor people were left out with the choice either to buy the napkins or to buy food, and of course, they had to choose food to survive.

Unfortunately, menstruation is still considered a taboo topic in many parts of India. The stigma surrounding periods can lead to silence, shame and misinformation. A large number of women are often ostracised from social and cultural activities and are prohibited from entering religious shrines and temples. As a teenager, I was often stopped or reminded not to enter the temples and stay outside as we were considered impure. I have no idea who has bought up this ideology and, most important, what are the facts behind it. If I were still living in India now, I would still have to follow these societal rules during my periods. Someone needs to challenge these rules and break free from them. I am thankful to the activists and campaigners who have made significant efforts in recent years to challenge these taboos and promote menstrual health and hygiene.

We as a society should create a safe and supportive environment where girls can openly discuss menstruation without shame or embarrassment. By empowering young girls with knowledge, access to resources, and a positive attitude towards menstruation, we can help them confidently navigate this natural process and ensure their well-being. By continuing to have open conversations, breaking down barriers, and educating both girls and boys about menstruation, we can work towards normalising the topic and creating a more inclusive and supportive society for women and girls not only in India but also in most developing nations where period is considered a shame. A country which can make progress in building world-famous infrastructures must also equip young girls and women with free sanitary napkins so that they can freely go back to school and dream big.