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Breaking the M-word taboo in Kerala -Aabha Raveendran
-The Hindu

Several youth collectives in the State are campaigning to make menstruation a hygienic and normal experience for women

Her eyes welled over with pain.

A victim in her own body,

She crawled into a corner, bleeding.

‘Don’t talk about it’, she was told.

Haiku #40 by Saurav Harigovind, MES Medical College

Don’t. Don’t is the first lesson that a girl newly inducted to womanhood learns. Do not let anyone know that you bleed, especially men. Do not stay for long in public spaces. Do not jump, do not dance, do not have fun and do not go to places of worship or even kitchens. Do not talk about it. Do not.

Why not, asks a group of youth spread across Kerala. With names like ‘The Red Cycle’ and ‘Haiku’, based in Kozhikode, to ‘Code Red’ in Ernakulam to ‘Sustainable Menstruation Kerala Collective’ (SMK), they have formed active groups, breaking gender barriers. They have not just dared to talk about it in public, but have succeeded in breaking taboos.

One of them is Arjun Unnikrishnan, who started ‘The Red Cycle’ two years ago. Fresh out of higher secondary school, the most prominent question he faced was, “What does a boy have to do with menstruation?” In a world where women shy away from discussions on the topic, a boy talking about it was a bigger taboo. His lecturing on menstrual hygiene to a mixed audience of high school students was not appreciated for its novelty, but frowned upon. Now a law student in Mysore, Mr. Unnikrishnan, with The Red Cycle, has managed to overcome the criticism. He had help from a lot of like-minded youngsters, though.

His first lectures to students were disastrous. “Forcing the boys and girls to sit together in the same row was one of the first hurdles. They whispered among themselves. They were too embarrassed to talk about the topic. One girl cried when I asked her a question about periods,” he said.

This is where ‘Haiku’ stepped into the picture. Led by Sreya Salim, the Students Union vice-chairperson of the Government Medical College, Kozhikode, ‘Haiku’ was initially a micro-tale competition for students in February 2016 in support of the ‘Happy to Bleed’ campaign, started by Nikita Azad in Ludhiana, Punjab. Hundreds of entries poured in from students across the country and abroad. Suddenly comprehending the weight of what they were doing, the organisers compiled the competition entries into posters and then a book, and decided to take the campaign to the next level.

Menstruation products

The involvement of medical students strengthened the awareness campaign of ‘The Red Cycle’. Every now and then, they talked to a hall full of boys and girls in schools and colleges. While ‘The Red Cycle’ and ‘Haiku’ are campaigning for healthy menstrual habits and cleanliness in North Kerala, ‘Code Red’ in Kochi looks at a different problem.

With the increased health literacy level and consumerist social structure, access to menstruation products is not a big problem for women in Kerala. Three young students of the National University of Advanced Legal Studies (NUALS) in Kochi — Preethishree Dash, Ayushi Dangre and Sara Fathima — found that a large number of girls in a nearby orphanage were left out. With no funds to purchase quality sanitary napkins, they were still using old rags, causing health issues.

The trio raised it with their hostel mates, who responded enthusiastically. Most girls in the hostel purchased an additional packet of napkins to be donated to the girls in the orphanage. Help poured in from boys too, and ‘Code Red’ was formed.

With its presence marked online, ‘Code Red’ is now receiving contributions from outside the campus too. The group is supplying napkins every month to four orphanages in the city.

Health concern

Modern sanitary napkins are very good at helping users pursue normal activities during their periods. But many are concerned about their impact on health.

“With odour neutralisers and super absorbent polymers, besides dioxins, the modern sanitary napkins can be a health hazard.” The body being exposed to polyethylene, polypropylene and propylene glycol for hours “can lead to hormonal imbalance and infertility or even cancer”, says Shradha Sreejaya, an ecologist, who started the ‘Sustainable Menstruation Kerala Collective’, a platform for all organisations.

With years of experience working on ‘Period of Change’, a similar project in Tamil Nadu and then with ‘Thanal’, a group that works for zero waste and eco-strengthening in Thiru-vananthapuram, Shradha is also concerned about the environmental problem caused by the disposal of sanitary napkins. “A woman bleeds for 2,000 days and uses around 6,000 sanitary napkins in her lifetime. Disposal of these napkins is a major hurdle in waste management,” she said.

There is no way these napkins can be recycled. Burning causes toxic fumes. Flushing them down is not an option as they bloat when in contact with water, due to the presence of super-absorbent polymers. They block toilet pipes most of the time. In Western countries, it is mandatory that the sanitary napkin manufacturers take responsibility for the waste and create awareness among the users.

Green options

The Collective, along with other organisations, has started advocating environment-friendly alternatives. Reusable menstrual cups is one. Though not yet popular in Kerala, many women have started purchasing them online. “I have been using a menstrual cup for over a year and it is most convenient. Since it is made of medical-grade silicon and lasts for around 10 years, there is no possibility of pollution. They are cost-effective and are also safe,” Ms. Sreejaya said.

Then there are cloth pads and organic cotton pads, which are not easily available. Eco Femme, which is carrying out a menstrual hygiene campaign in Tamil Nadu, Kanika and Namaskruthi in Thrissur produce them on order.

Signature campaign

The groups are part of an online signature campaign requesting Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley to provide tax exemptions only to reusable menstrual hygiene products. As for awareness, they are definitely finding the right audience. Girls have started answering questions in classes conducted by ‘The Red Cycle’ and ‘Haiku’. Supporters have come forward to take over ‘Code Red’ activities when the founders graduate. SMK has also succeeded in taking the topic to the attention of the law makers.
 
The Hindu, 25 March, 2017, please click here to access