Standing up for period rights

Women of Maharashtra's Madia tribe take steps to root out superstitions about menstruation, end the practice of living in isolation

- DAKSHIANI PALICHA

AS LONG as I am here, I have to observe kurma," says Sarita Kumre, a resident of Sitatola village in Maharashtra's Gadchiroli district. The practice she refers to is followed by the Madia tribal community of the district, as per which girls and women stay isolated in a hut, away from their houses, during the menstruation cycle. "The belief is that by staying at home during periods, we would bring bad luck like poor agricultural yield," she says. This hut, where the menstruating women stay, is referred to as