Is "Menstruation" a Problem?

When you read this Headline for the first time, maybe you will not understand the meaning of it. But after reading this article, you will realize what exactly I meant. Many times we make decisions on the basis of what we see with our eyes. We often say the same thing which we heard from the senior person in our house, or the person around us.

It means at a very early age when we don't have maturity (childhood), we usually call something "So and So" and then that name gets fixed for it in future. And this conventional name does not pass through our mind, thoughts, it remains the same, forever...

This is all a preface, now let's get down to the basics. Your body has a structure and some natural processes. Some natural processes seem very "good" to you, but some don't. Whether it's because of a misunderstanding or because you've heard it from a person close to you since childhood, some of you may find the process "wrong" or sometimes "disgusting." I have been working in different remote areas since 2016-17. The girls in this area look at the subject of "menstruation" with an "ugly" look. Many misconceptions about menstruation have been ingrained in their minds since childhood. Often they hear this from adults in their home or by looking around, drawing conclusions from someone.

Before conducting a Mentoring Workshop on "Menstruation" through Project MAHA, We have to deal with the misconceptions first, various superstitions and the "ugly" feelings that are ingrained in their minds. Before we talk about menstruation it is important to win their trust first. The subject on which the girls are unwilling to talk to anyone, But now we are discussing such a subject in the workshop which these girls are reluctant to also speak about in their friends circle. The skeptical faces of the girls, the gesture shows too much confusion in their minds. But then these same girls slowly start enjoying the workshop and start talking, asking their doubts. These girls slowly open up like a bud processes. During the workshop all of a sudden i heard word, "Problem". They were saying they had a "Problem" etc. (they are using word problem for their periods, menstrual cycle) but that word "Problem" started bothering me, may be because I know that menstruation is not a "Problem". But why is menstruation called a "problem"? Then I noticed that teachers often called menstruation a "problem." Now I realized that if your aunt, mother, teachers were calling it a problem, then these girls would also call it a problem. So, during the workshop it was required to tell them that menstruation is not a problem. And we explained them with the help of various examples, PPTs.

That's why at the end of Workshop when I again interacted with these girls and I realized that, at first these girls were very embarrassed, but now they were interacting with me by calling me Madam or Taai (elder sister in Marathi), sharing their problems, issues with me. We did our job perfectly and most important is they promised us that they will not call, 'Menstruation' as a 'Problem' in future.

Change does not happen overnight. It happens slowly through our behaviour. So when we stop calling or considering menstruation as a problem then only shall it change our views towards menstruation

I am waiting for that day when menstruation is not shameful anymore but a welcoming change...❤️

We have started taking actions to bring about this change, and you can join us in this movement...