What goes through your mind when we tell you that only 18% of the Women in India use Sanitary Pads during their periods? Well, yes, the other 82% use unsafe and unhealthy cloth, hay, sand or ash. Entrenched taboos around menstruation make the five days of a woman’s period even worse. In a country like India, where people are ashamed talking of a biological process like menstruation, where do women look up to? Looking at the issue on a wider scale, most women don’t have access to pads, other lack proper toilet facilities and then there is period pain. While we are struggling with new issues every day, there are days like Menstrual Hygiene Day that aim to create awareness about menstrual hygiene and break taboos around menstruation.

For the fourth year, Niine Movement celebrate Women Menstrual Hygiene Day today (May 2018). The day was initiated in the year 2014 by NGO WASH United, which is a German-based organization. In this short span, the initiative has somewhere managed to normalize menstruation to some extent. Also, the act has helped in raising awareness on the importance of menstrual hygiene through these four years.

We are glad that more and more people are coming forward in this journey to normalize menstruation for women in India. With Akshay Kumar’s movie Padman that aimed to break taboos around menstruation has broken many barriers and has made people actually come out and talk about sanitary pads. Many individuals of the nation have come forth with plans and movements that aim to create awareness amongst both men and women of the country.

One such movement that was officially launched today is The Niine Movement, which is an ambitious five-year plan aimed at raising awareness on the importance of menstrual hygiene and tackling the taboos associated with menstruation. The movement was launched at the inaugural Menstrual Awareness Conclave in Delhi in the presence of chief guests like Akshay Kumar and Shabana Azmi. Several other activists including Avinash Kumar (Water Aid India), Meenakshi Lekhi (Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha) and Nishtha Satyam (UN Women India) participated in a panel discussion made around menstruation and menstrual hygiene.

Menstrual Awareness Conclave (Niine Movements): Akshay Kumar Addressing Period Taboos

India’s Padman Akshay Kumar spoke about supporting the Menstrual Awareness Conclave, “The Niine Menstrual Awareness Conclave is a crucial assembly of minds, influencers and menstrual awareness champions – convening under one roof with the common goal of tackling the urgent issues, taboos and stigmas associated with menstrual health and hygiene. We, as a collective society, can only implement change once we initiate discussion, and the conclave on International Menstrual Hygiene Day is a fitting platform for us to truly empower a nation of women. Together we can ensure that every woman and girl has the right to manage her period safely and with dignity.”

Akshay Kumar, at the conclave, made an entry with a song titled “Let’s talk about periods”. Well, it is because of a mainstream actor like Akshay Kumar who picked the story of the real Padman Arunachalam Muruganantham, that today we have managed to walk a few steps away from the taboos around menstruation. The movie has made a positive move in normalizing menstruation as a natural function in a woman’s body.

We still have a long way to go when it comes to making resources available to women across the country and also creating awareness about menstrual hygiene. But with more initiatives in the field, we are soon going to make it a happy and taboo free space for women!