Menstruation, menses, or periods… we are all aware of these words. Different sounding words but with the same meaning. Women go through it every month and men know about it. However, nobody likes to talk about it in the open. It is still considered a taboo and many superstitions are associated with it. In many parts of India, women undergoing menstruation cycle are considered inauspicious and are forbidden from carrying out some activities like praying, cooking and watering plants.
However, there is an officer who is fighting the social stigmas associated with menstruation and has become the Padwoman for lakhs of women in our country. She is Ms. Aman Preet, an IRS officer of 2012 batch. Speaking to Indian Masterminds, Ms. Kaur said that it is high time we normalised menstruation as it is something to be celebrated, not shunned.
DIDI TO THE RESCUE
Popularly addressed as didi by the women she has reached out to, Ms. Aman Preet was able to distribute 12 lakhs packets of sanitary napkins in about 18 states during the height of the pandemic. Various NGOs like Ek Prayas Womenite, Sangini Saheli, Anything Will Do, Helping Hands, Patiala Youth Club, Janman Organisation, Atulya Foundation, Sant Nirankari Trust, Smile Foundation came forward to support her in this endeavour.
NOT A TABOO
According to Ms. Kaur, menstruation relates to motherhood and procreation. Hence, it is a gift as it ensures human existence. “Yet, it is considered taboo. Even woman feel shameful while talking about it. This should not be the case. Menstruation should be celebrated like it is done in some parts of our country. It is high time that we normalized it,” she said.
PROPER AWARENESS NECESSARY
She also emphasized that it is the duty of parents and schools to make the youth comfortable and vocal about these things. She narrated an incident from her childhood when she was in the 8th standard and one of her classmates got her periods.
“It was a Saturday. So, everyone was wearing white skirt and the blood spot was visible in hers. She started crying and many of us tried using chalks to rub it. We didn’t succeed, so we formed a circle around her and escorted her outside after the school got over. Now, when I think about it, I feel how traumatized she was. If we were properly aware about menstruation and accepted it as a natural thing, we wouldn’t have dealt it in the manner we did.”
PAD DISTRIBUTION DURING PANDEMIC
With the help of her batchmates, fellow officers, NGOs and several individuals who came forward to help, Ms. Kaur distributed around 12 lakhs packets of pads during the time when the pandemic was raging. This idea, however, didn’t come to her suddenly. It was there in her mind, having seen firsthand the difficulties women faced over menstrual hygiene and the availability of sanitary pads.
During her childhood days, she accompanied her mother, who was the Superintendent of Jail, Ludhiana, every now and then the jail premises. There she learnt that it was very difficult for women inmates to get pads inside the jail. Only few options were available to them. She heard her mother talk to them about all the issues related to menstrual health. At the same time, her mother created a very comfortable environment at home for her when she got her periods. This built a lasting impression on Ms. Aman Preet.
“During the Covid 19 waves and the lockdowns, I read so many stories about women who walked miles during periods or after giving birth. Everyone was providing them with food and medicine but very few were focusing on sanitary napkins. One day my house help called and told me that she is not able to find pads. It was then that I thought of doing something about it.”
She coordinated with Sangeni Saheli Trust to gather donations and then started distribution of pads. Firstly, they reached the migrants who were travelling in trains. With the help of the Railway Police Force, the distribution was done. Slowly, with word-of-mouth publicity and through WhatsApp messages, Ms. Aman Preet was able to connect to various other NGOs for her noble initiative. Now, she is working in collaboration with a total of 88 NGOs in 18 states of the country.
CAMPS ON MENSTRUAL HEALTH
Nowadays the officer is also organizing awareness camps on menstrual health. “There were many areas where women received sanitary napkins for the first time. I saw a video in which one of our volunteers was showing how to use pads to the village ladies. After watching it, I realized that just distributing pads is not enough. So, we are now also focusing on awareness generation.”
ENVIRONMENT FRIENDLY MISSION
The disposal of pads is also an issue for women, especially for those who live in villages or are in institutions like jail. So, Ms. Aman Preet and volunteers have started introducing eco-friendly, reusable pads and menstruation cups in many areas. However, the officer believes that they have a long way to go.
“Women are not even comfortable buying sanitary pads. How can we expect them to dry the reusable pads in the open? Also, some of them are not comfortable using the cups. All these problems will end only when periods become as normal as our existence. No woman should feel that it is shameful to have them. It is our pride and power, and we should treat it that way.”
The officer is firm on destroying all superstitions around periods and is hopeful that the change will come if we keep talking about it.
