“I’ve seen poverty from very close quarters. Coming from a rural background in Cuttack, I’ve observed people around me avoid going to doctors during sickness, and perform poojas and ceremonies instead. Why? A lack of education and money. My family always measured success by money, and fortunately or not, I topped in school. Going into a creative stream wasn’t easy for me. There were a lot of arguments, discussions and disagreements but I persevered and studied design. I got a job in Hyderabad, but quit soon after. Everybody goes through this period of confusion- what am I supposed to be doing with my life? Is this the right path that I’ve chosen? Unaware of what to do in this new city, I began working with an NGO that educated the labour community about addiction. I realized that despite working a full day, I was never too tired to go back the next. THAT is passion. I’d never felt that drive before- that innate need to go back every single day and work on the same thing. There’s a quote from Harry Potter that drove me to make the decision to shift to social work- “It is our choices, Harry, that show us what we truly are, far more than our abilities.”
During my study of social work in a slum, I saw huge piles of garbage- used pads, diapers, condoms just strewn about everywhere. There were women cooking right next to them, and children using the garbage as seats to sit on and eat. It shocked me that nobody addressed it. Hygiene has nothing to do with money, it is about awareness and education. It took us months to get accepted into the community. It started off with us having chai with the families there, eating lunch with them, and showing movies to their kids. Soon, I went from being this outsider to ‘anna’; they trusted me and my motive to help. One day as we ate lunch there, I noticed a frayed cloth lying around and asked what it was, to which I was immediately hushed. I was told it was a private feminine matter and never to address it. I went from peers to doctors to researchers, gathering more and more information and data about how such an integral part of a woman’s life was still hushed by society.
It began with one small workshop, after which our group of 6 began garnering more and more support. We began Good Universe in 2015 to educate and raise awareness on menstrual hygiene, sexual reproductive hygiene and climate change- they are all very closely linked together if you think about it. If you look at the statistics, a woman uses about 240 pads a year, each of which takes roughly 500 years to decompose. Multiply that with the number of menstruating women and you’ve created an enormous footprint on the planet.
Today, we run several workshops to promote cloth pads and menstrual cups. We’ve worked on eradicating gender taboos by involving the men and children in our conversations, and it has proven to be extremely useful. We’ve begun conversations about PCOD, PMS, menopause- all critical aspects to menstrual hygiene that nobody seems to be talking about. In fact, we had a menstrual festival last year where we spoke about sexual reproductive health very publicly, and had about 9600 attendees. We’re organizing a project now targeting sex workers to educate them about sexual and menstrual health as well, which should be launched by March once we’ve attained our funding and support.
On a more personal note, my mother called me a while ago asking why I chose something like this over enjoying my youth like everybody else- traveling, partying, making money. I had no answer until I hosted a program at Symbiosis University. There I was, standing in front of 200 intelligent youngsters, and when I asked them if they knew what a menstrual pad was made of, there was not one person that knew. There was my answer. There was a need for someone like me to create a change in people, and I have absolutely no regrets in the path I’ve chosen. I really hope more people join our cause to truly make this a good universe.”
#GoodUniverse #Education #GenderEquality #MenstrualHealth #People #Service #Empower #menstrualcup #Society #Hope #Inspire #Hyderabad #HumansofHyderabad