Mom, I got my period today. Shhh! Don’t say it out that loud; Otherwise, your brother, father, or uncle will listen to it. From “The Red Alert” to “That time of the month” people have many ways to avoid saying the word “period”. Don’t bring sanitary pads in such polythene from which they are easily visible. Bring it in black polythene or a paper bag as if you are carrying a bomb or supplying drugs.

Talking about periods has always been a taboo subject. The first menstrual period which is called menarche sometimes haunts girls as in some cases they don’t know what is happening to them because no one told them what a period basically is and, in some cases, they are considered impure and unclean. Let me share a personal incident here, In 7th class, we had a session about menstruation and all the girls were called to a separate room and the boys were curious enough about what is happening in the other room. It was quite obvious to all of us then that we can’t share anything about this session with the boys. Not having much knowledge at that time none of the girls shared anything with any of the boys. All the girls were given a sanitary pad too and were told to keep the same in their pocket and after that in their bag without any boy noticing it. I wish I had much knowledge at that time and could freely go and tell my guy friends what all happened in the session. After going back home I showed my mother the same pad and asked curiously what is to be done with it and why should we use it? She gave a weird reaction and said just keep it in my almirah and it’s of no use for you right now. I don’t blame her for this reaction because this is what society has been teaching us since the start. Parents are not comfortable talking about periods or giving sex education to their children.

In Biology, we are taught that menstruation is biological but still our teachers never paid much attention to this topic and that’s why we also used to make faces whenever this topic use to come up because we were always taught that we cannot talk about menstruation freely. Boys used to sit with an expression of disgust on their faces and laugh later about the topic discussed in class. Many girls have no idea of this natural phenomenon because mothers do not dare to talk about it and these issues are not addressed in school. If the teachers and our parents would have given us deep and better knowledge about menstruation, 8 out of 10 girls would have been ready for the changes they are going to see in their bodies and might be able to handle their menarche in a better way. A PERIOD IS A NATURAL AND HEALTHY PART OF A WOMAN’S REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH. Everyone should get this statement right in their heads.

In India, a woman on her period is not allowed to enter the kitchen, the temple, or touch a jar of pickles and whatnot. In fact, not only in India Period is a Taboo in many countries around the world, and women are considered impure and unclean during menstruation. Girls in Bolivia are told that period blood can cause serious illnesses, such as cancer, in other people. A woman is forced to consider herself a sign of impurity during menstruation because of the surroundings and the mindset of people around her. If a woman is having a red stain on her pants/skirt/shorts people around her should help her in that case instead of giving her weird looks and start getting away from her. The red stain on her uniform or the spare pad she carries in her bag, shouldn’t diminish her confidence but society forces her for the same. What’s the use of worshiping her as maa Durga or Kali during Navratri when you can’t accept her physiology too?

At any given point of time, 800 million women worldwide are menstruating. Still, people don’t consider it a normal thing and it would always remain a taboo subject. If a woman is taking an off from school/college/work because of the uneasiness, cramps, dizziness, heavy flow of blood, or any other problem due to menstruation then why does she have to give some other reason for taking an off? Like, I was out of station or I had a headache or anything else. She can’t say out loud “I was on my periods” because of all the judgmental looks she would have to face after that.

If she is at a pool party with her friends and got her periods in between why does she have to say that I won’t enter the pool now because I am not feeling well or I am going to the washroom to fix my makeup, why she can’t say that “I just got my Periods”? I think we all know the answer for the same. What if a girl is alone at home with her brother or father and her menstruation cycle start and she is out of pads/tampons/menstrual cup? She won’t be able to tell anyone about this because since starting we are taught we can’t talk about periods with our male friends or relatives.

The movie “Pad Man” which was released in 2018 shed some light on this topic. The movie’s main agenda was to reach out to a wide audience to create awareness and eradicate prevalent superstitions in India surrounding menstruation and sanitary pads. But still whenever the movie is being shown on one of the channels on our TV someone switches the channel definitely.

The uncomfortableness around the word periods or menstruation isn’t just limited to the silence, it also reflects how a lot of women still have little or no knowledge about maintaining period hygiene, because there is simply no one nearby to educate them. In Uganda, poor women have used banana peels, old newspapers, and leaves during menstruation. In some communities, a girl’s first period is seen as a signal that she is ready for marriage and childbearing. While menstruation does indicate the beginning of a transition into womanhood, no girl is ready for

marriage or childbearing when she has her first period. Girls can begin menstruating as young as 7 or 8 years old or as late as 16 or 17 years old. Either way, child marriage is a human rights abuse that often prevents girls from marrying the person of their choice. Also, It’s high time that people should accept the fact that “Periods are not easy”. There are so many problems that a woman faces while she is menstruating and the cherry on top is that she can’t even talk to anyone around her comfortably about what she is going through.

Conclusion

We should accept the fact that, in reality, menstrual blood is the same as any other body fluid and it is an important part of every woman’s life. So, the next time you hear the word menstruation or periods, don’t feel alarmed or uncomfortable, talk about it openly, and teach young girls and boys to do the same. Menstruation shouldn’t be a taboo subject around the world and everyone should be comfortable enough to talk about it. I’ll end this by saying out loud that “YES I AM ON MY PERIODS WHILE WRITING THIS” and it is quite a normal and natural thing.

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