Menstruation and taboo: a veil partially lifted

Indian society has always been a conglomeration of myths and beliefs rooted in the centuries old
system of traditions and one is supposed to follow them, no questions asked. What happens when
one tries to interrogate or change the sanskaari system, you are branded as too-open, vulgar
and westernized. What is ironical that this is a culture which stresses upon the importance of
progeny and family and at the same time, shuns the very biological system which enables one to
reproduce, as being shameful. Girls, from the very onset of their periods are conditioned to
accept menstruation as surreptitious and hidden, a mark of embarrassment and impurity.
Menstruating women are seen as ritually unclean, impure and polluting and are barred from
entering the religious places and make an offering to the Gods. The other important fact that
demands utmost attention is the health and hygiene of women, as only 12% of Indian women use
sanitary napkins and the rest substitute it with paper, cloth, tissues and even sand.
Social media has proved itself to be a boon in countering the age-old idea of taboo and hushhush associated with menstruation, as many individuals and groups have taken ardent initiatives
to bring about a positive and recurring change in the mindset of Indian intelligentsia, by stressing
upon the importance of female sexuality and fertility, opening them into accepting as something
natural and biological, not hideous.
In the aftermath of the recently banned, informative but partially amnesiac documentary on the
saddening Nirbhaya case, a campaign has been initiated by students from Jamia and DU, Pads
against Sexism, is stirring waves of appreciation from students across universities for have taken
a small but powerful step towards countering a culture of shame against women. Students have
placed sanitary napkins with powerful messages against the hypocrite social system which
blames a female for being raped and in some distressing cases try to justify it. They are putting
forth a message that if men are as disgusted with rape, as they are with menstruation, the society
would be more accommodating to the major half of its population. They are directly attacking
the mentality responsible for associating periods with impurity, in a way forcing people to realize
what is really wrong with our culture.
When Instagram, (a social-media platform for sharing pictures and videos) removed a picture of
a menstruating women, fully clothed, terming it as hurting the sentiments of the community and
disrespectful, social media almost went viral in supporting the cause against sexist and
misogynist reaction of authorities, and within days it was forced to bring it back because people
reacted, they used their democratic powers to question a action they deemed wrong, and it
proved to be a victory of change, of equality.
Menstrupedia, a website passionately devoted towards raising awareness about the importance of
a healthy and active period for women and shattering the myths and misunderstandings
associated with periods, has now become the ultimate go-to guide as an innovative and
informative source to understand puberty and physiology, in a media-friendly manner. Through

amazing use of genres like comic books and blogs, it has been very successful in delivering its
content and information regarding menstruation in a way which is easy to comprehend and is
user-friendly.
These efforts might be small, but they are proving to have far reaching impacts in altering the
rigid mindsets of the Indian social system. To say that we havent come a long way from the
times where girls were locked inside the rooms during their periods would be wrong, but not
everythings right with the society. The shame attached to the process needs to be replaced by
celebration of female sexuality and pride in being a woman. If this taboo vanishes, it would be a
dream come true to all the feminists around the world, a there comes a day when a young
daughter comes to know about menstruation as much from her father as from her mother.
Ambika Chopra