As soon as the topic of menstruation is mentioned, many among the 300-odd girls in the age group of 10 to 14 years begin giggling and exchanging shy, secret glances.
Unperturbed, Sarika Gupta asks them, “Do you feel ashamed of the blood stains or do you hide yourself?” There is pin drop silence in the class. Gupta knows she has nailed it.
Gupta (41), founder of the ‘Safe-N-Happy Periods’ campaign, has been working diligently for the past year towards educating adolescent girls who have attained or are yet to attain puberty, about healthy menstruation. She presents information about menstruation in a way that is not only easy to understand but is also sensitive to the taboos associated with the subject. “We ensure that the information is given in a simple, lucid language which is easier to comprehend. We also teach simple yoga asanas that help in relieving menstruation pains. For older women, we spread awareness on menopause and other hormone- related issues,” she says.
Ms. Gupta’s aim to spread awareness about menstruation began last year, when she returned from the US, and witnessed a completely different picture of menstrual practices in that country. She was amazed to see how girls there took much better care of their health, especially during menstruation. “During my stay in the US, I was pleasantly surprised to see young girls and women talking openly and freely about menstruation. They were practising yoga asanas to relieve their pain and discomfort, while the older women practised yoga for a smooth menopause. While in India, there is still not much awareness and girls suffering from menstrual diseases due to ignorance, myths and taboos. All this motivated me to spread awareness about menstruation in India and that’s how ‘Safe-N-Happy Periods’ came into being.”
The path to educate the girls was not easy, though, as menstruation has been associated with embarrassment and shame in India. “Remember those advertisements where menstrual periods were referred to as “those days ( un dino mein )”? We have come a long way, but this is still a topic that is not discussed openly at home or school,” she says.
Nevertheless, Ms. Gupta took up the initiative and started her first campaign at her hometown in Kota, Rajasthan. “The aim of ‘Safe-N-Happy Periods’ is to create pain-free, healthy, happy and sustainable menstruation. The current environment presents challenges to young girls and we believe that spreading awareness through open discussions, lectures and workshops will help create a healthier lifestyle for girls and society.”
She has interacted closely with more than 8,000 young girls and 1,000 women across India so far. She recently conducted menstruation workshops at all 24 Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation schools and is running workshops for women employees at the eight municipal ward offices.
Safe-N-Happy Periods has also been distributing free sanitary pads and specially designed disposable paper bags to inculcate the habit of correct disposal of used pads etc. to underprivileged girls in rural and urban areas.
The writer is a freelance journalist
