The girl child in India faces many challenges and when they grow into young adults, views on Menstruation and a lack of knowledge creates an additional burden. Sarika Gupta, Founder of ‘Safe-N-Happy Periods’firmly believes that if the girl child is well informed about the basics of Menstruation and Menstrual Hygiene at the right age, and if, through various measures, the society manages to remove misconceptions from her mind as well as from the minds of all those around her, she will not only be able to handle the emotional trauma and a stigma of shamefulness as she begins her journey as a young woman, but she will also face the hormonal changes in her body with awareness and confidence.
An MBA Graduate, Sarika, has worked in Indian Express newspaper, Indian Institute of Management (IIM Indore) and is presently Trustee at Aegis School of Business Mumbai. The idea of spreading awareness on menstruation began last year, while on a trip to USA. She noticed the ease with which girls there talked about their periods. Not only that, the female population had awareness on basic menstrual hygiene which saved them from diseases arising out of ignorance, wrong information and malpractices, which are so evident in developing nations including India.
Her own experiences of menstruation, seeing the dire situation of menstrual diseases, and alarming statistics on it, particularly in India compelled her to do something.
According to statistics In India 10% of girls think that Menstruation is a disease (UKAID); 66% girls do not know anything about Periods before their first period (Unicef MHM); 87% girls & women do not know the importance of Menstruation or the biological process behind it (Unicef MHM) while 14% girls suffer from menstrual infection of some kind (Wateraid).
“During my stay in USA, I was pleasantly surprised to see young girls taking extra care of themselves during Menstruation. They practice Yoga Asanas to relieve their pain and discomfort, while the older women practice yoga for a smooth menopause. All this motivated me to spread awareness on Menstruation in India and help in creating a Shy-free, Pain-free, Healthy, Happy & Sustainable menstruation time for young girls. That’s how ‘Safe-N-Happy Periods’ came into being,” informs Sarika.
“As a founder of this initiative, it has always been my desire to give back to the society and this particular challenge faced by many young girl adults in India is something I am very truly passionate about solving,” she says with a confidence.
However, the path to educate the girls was not easy as Menstruation has been associated with embarrassment and shame in India. “Remember those ads when menstrual periods were referred as “those days” (un dino mein)”? We have come a long way since then, but still, this is a topic that is not discussed openly at home or school,” says Sarika, who first started her campaign with her home town in Kota (Rajasthan).
Nevertheless, Sarika was determined to achieve her goal and continued with her tryst. Today she has succeeded in changing the views of more than 3,500 young girls from different parts of India through her unique awareness program on menstruation in various schools.
‘Safe-N-Happy Periods’ is trying to spread awareness through open discussions, lectures and workshops in schools and colleges to adolescent girls and women. “We create awareness on different aspects of Menstruation like: What is Menstruation and why it is important; the need to discard superstitions, myths, taboos around it, Importance of following the correct use of sanitary pads, etc. and correct disposal; the growing pollution & diseases to waste pickers caused by used sanitary pads; why Menstruation needs to be respected; Importance of right Menstrual Hygiene & steps towards it; ways of reducing fatigue and pain during periods through Yoga Asanas etc.,” says Sarika.
It is rightly said that an aware and empowered women will pave the way for building a healthier society and Sarika Gupta’s ‘Safe-N-Happy Periods’ is a humble step in that direction.