Let's celebrate, period!

Back in 2012, the young founder of the non-government organisation Muse, Nishant Bangera, experienced a Pad Man moment. While working in an advertising agency, a colleague informed him that a charity school in Nareshwadi in Dahanu village was unable to provide enough sanitary napkins to its students. To counter the problem, the then -20-year-old graduate started collecting funds to distribute sanitary pads among girls. Since then he has come a long way and today, the youth’s team and he are all set to celebrate ‘Maasika Mahotsav’ (menstrual festival).

Talking about the purpose of the festival, the young professional says, “The concept is to celebrate menstruation. If we can celebrate birthdays with so much aplomb, why can’t we celebrate the very reason for our birth, i.e. periods?” Nishant also hopes to promote a conversation around menstruation through this festival. “Women are ashamed of talking about periods so we decided to create a seamless platform conducive to dialogue. We want to break the silence around the subject so that women come out and speak,” he says. The event will take place at Manorama Nagar in Thane, and will treat visitors to cultural events like street plays on menstruation, dance and singing programmes, and talks by gynaecologists.

One of the key topics that will be highlighted during the festival is sustainable menstruation. Shedding light on the term, he says, “People think sanitary napkins are hygienic, but we want to educate them about the harm these can do to the environment if they aren’t disposed of properly. So, we want women to practice sustainable menstruation. We also want then to understand menstrual hygiene, as the vagina is very sensitive.” The founder also wants to draw attention towards vending machines and what not to use them for. “Ve-ry oft-en used sanitary napkins are disposed off in incinerators attached to vending machines. This is a terrible way to dispose of a pad,” says Nishant.

Co-founder Amritha Mohan isn’t blind to the magnitude of the problem. She acknowledges the deep-seated biases that exist in women’s minds and the problems they create. “Trying to tell them to stop something that they have been doing for ages is very difficult. Their facts about menstruation are warped, and straightening out these facts can be challenging,” she says. The only way forward, she feels, is conversation. “There are many questions in the minds of young girls, and they need to be asked and answered,” says Amritha. The NGO is trying to do its bit to facilitate conversation by making Maasika Mahotsav a national event. “We want to reach out to every corner and have people celebrate menstruation,” says Nishant. The event will simultaneously take place in Pune, Kolkata, Darjeeling, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh.