Let's solve this bloody problem!

This is a brand of sanitary napkins that provides 8 pieces at Rs. 25 (as is visible in the picture). That's about Rs. 3 per napkin. From my (little) experience, I think a packet of 8 napkins can be expected to last a woman through one period. Let's remember this while we engage in a conversation that can be slightly distasteful to some. Men, stick around. You don't get a period if you read about it.

I am a PhD student at IIT Kanpur. Our hostels provide us with free cleaning services, a maid is allotted to each block. I met Sunita didi several months ago and I'm ashamed that I had a meaningful conversation with her only a few weeks ago. I asked her how she dealt with her periods. She said she used cloth. With all the acumen of a city girl with a fancy education, I decided to tell her about the disadvantages of using cloth. After all, information is the privilege of the educated and I felt highly noble while sharing it.

It turns out that a woman who has been using cloth her whole life can tell you far more about the disadvantages of using it to manage a period.

Sunita didi told me it's usual to get infected due to this practice, it seemed surreal, like stories that should only remain the stuff of textbooks. But she also told me that she had three girls, that she was supporting her family by herself and there was no way she could afford sanitary napkins.

My first reaction was to offer to buy her some. My next thought was, for how long? "Regular" sanitary napkins (established brands that have secured customer loyalty) sell sanitary napkins at about Rs. 10 per pad. I could easily help the family, it would take Rs. 320 and that's less than what I spend on a pizza usually.

But there's another life story we should all know.

Arunachalam Muruganantham is an Indian entrepreneur who invented a low cost sanitary pad maker. His venture Jayaashree Industries sells these machines to women's self help groups who then use it manufacture cheaper options. I would sincerely encourage you to go through this post by BBC and this TED video featurning Muruganantham.

I don't think Paree is a product of Muruganantham's innovation (please correct me if I'm wrong), but it does not matter. What matters is that it is affordable. What matters is that if I could help a family instead of just one single pizza a month, I can now help three.

There are several other affordable brands out there which do not get much notice.

Source

Would you buy these napkins? I highly doubt it. When I discussed this with my mother, she told me of her days before the 1980s when sanitary napkins were uncommon and everyone used cloth. (It's been over 30 years since then. Sunita didi was probably a toddler.) But now, since we could afford it, we obviously only wanted to use the best. Menstrual hygiene is a very critical issue after all.

It's obvious that Sunita didi can not afford the best pads. Whisper sells at about Rs. 9 per pad. Stayfree and She sell one at Rs. 10. Sofy sells one at Rs. 8 but that is still not good enough for the majority of the population. Please remember, if you're viewing this on a personal laptop, tablet or a smartphone, you have no clue what poverty feels like.

Don't Worry sells a pad at a bit over Rs. 4. That sounds better, right? Kotex sells one at Rs. 3. And from what I've read about Muruganantham, this only sounds like the beginning.

Are these pads good enough?

The reason I began this post by mentioning Paree is that I have used it myself and have found it a satisfactory alternative. I bought it online at a website that required me to shop for at least Rs. 500 if I wanted free shipping. That is 5 months worth of Sunita didi's family requirements. I think it sounds very good. It feels very good too.

I intend to research about more napkins and post reviews as and when I find them satisfactory. I am not an expert and I do not inspect the factories to see what conditions these pads are manufactured in. I am going to go about this exactly as I've judged pads my whole life: by using them.

You can be a part of this.

Would you help a family? I promise you it will feel good. If you raise one generation of one family out of the despair of using cloth, that family will be introduced to something so wonderful that I'm sure they will pass this on to the next generation. No one will give you a medal, but that family will thank you every bloody day of every month till you keep helping them. My personal goal is to stick around till one of Sunita didi's daughters gets a job (they all go to school, they learn English too, I know because they write me letters).

A 2011 survey found that only 12% women use sanitary napkins in India. I know that sanitary napkins are not the only way to deal with periods, maybe not even the best way. But for now, they do much better than cloth, rags, leaves, sawdust, ash. (Yes, even ash.) That's what the other 88% of Indian women use right now.

Enough of theory. Some practical ways you can help at an individual scale:

1. If you have access to a woman from a marginalised section of society, talk to her about menstrual hygiene. It can get awkward talking to someone about such a personal matter, however, this awkwardness should be secondary to the larger issue here. If even one woman stops using unsanitary alternatives, one life has changed, thanks to you.
2. If that woman requires financial help to buy napkins, buy some for her. The idea is to at least introduce this wonderful product to her.
3. If you do not find any such women, spread the word. Talk to your friends and family about this issue, raise it at any platform you like. If even one person hears your voice, that's better than nothing. 
4. It is likely that women who do not know about menstrual hygiene would also be awkward talking to men about this. Ask a female friend or relative to do this on your behalf. Get her to talk to your maid and maybe it'll be okay if you just hand her a packet wrapped in paper the next time. Only you will know if this will be okay or not, but it's worth trying.
5. If doing all of the above is difficult, I'm still glad that you read this and I hope you will be okay discussing menstruation with women in the future. It is a biological mechanism and there is no shame in knowing about it or being concerned for women who are on their period.

Muruganantham laid out a brilliant example for the rest of us, and I am very happy to know that he was awarded the Padma Shri in 2016.

We've already found a General for this battle, we still need an army.

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