Health and Hygiene - Every Women’s Right

We all read about our rights and duties in school and the right I am talking about today is something very close to women. So close that we tend to keep it as a secret, which should not be disclosed. A secret which should not be discussed, but today I want to discuss about it here with everyone. We are talking about periods.

To some it may sound very normal, what’s big deal, it’s just the monthly menstruation. We women face it every month and we are so familiar and comfortable with it that we tend to take it very lightly. But do you know that this is that time of month when many women risk their health and life. In Urban India when we the fortunate one choose between hundreds of sanitary napkins based on colour and fragrance, there are many other women in same country who use unhealthy methods like dirty old cloths, ashes, plastic and what not. They do not use sanitary napkins because mostly they cannot afford it. In a family where every expense is calculated and is made based on importance, buying sanitary napkins are never considered important. Old women will preach the young one’s about how they used to wash and use the same cloth many times, how buying napkins will add extra burden on monthly budget.

Women are very sacrificing by nature; they prefer buying milk for their family then buying a packet of sanitary pads for themselves. And the men of house are mostly kept away from such topics or are least bothered about it. Because of which they are always unable to see the health risk women of family is facing by using unhygienic methods to control menstruation flow. However all men are not this ignorant, there are some men like Arunachalam Muruganatham. The man who invented a machine to create low cost sanitary napkins, which are less than one third of the price of other napkins available in market. He was not very rich neither from big city, but he had a big dream to bring change. He was concerned about the health of his wife and sisters and that is want moved him towards this invention. He started a business not to make money but to improve the quality of living of women in India by providing them the basic necessity of hygiene during those days.

Today because of the monopoly of big brands such basic necessities are sold on such high prise that low earning families are not able to afford them. We need to help others by letting them know about the cheaper alternative Mr. Muruganatham had came up with. We should educate the women and make them more aware about importance of hygiene. Stop treating menstruation cycle as taboo and talk openly about it. let’s spared the word so that more and more women get to utilize this benefit (hygienic and cheaper sanitary  pads). Let’s start this from our home by talking to our maids and house helps first, they too work equally hard as we do for our family and they too have equal right of living a healthier life. When a man can think for us and then why can’t we women think of each other’s well being J

PS: This post id written for The Idea Caravan contest by Franklin Templeton Investments on indiblogger.

Franklin Templeton Investments partnered the TEDxGateway Mumbai in December 2012.