As Padman, the actor is helping make menstruation part of the mainstream discourse
When my eldest daughter first got her period, I told my son (then seven) exactly what was happening, as matter-of-factly as possible. I must have explained things very badly, however, because later I overheard him authoritatively telling his friends that girls have to wear a pad between their legs to ‘catch the egg’ that drops out of them every month. He managed to give the whole thing a very sporty, wicket-keeping feel. I got the distinct impression that he was going to be following his sister around, hoping to catch the egg when it dropped, and stash it in his Crazy Balls collection.
Still, compared to the stuff most Indian men believe about women’s periods, his version wasn’t too bizarre at all. There are some crazy stories out there—of black magic, and witchcraft, of temples being desecrated by unclean menstrual blood, of the rotting of crops that are standing ready in the field, of the curdling of milk and the souring of pickles. And, these weirdo tales are taken so seriously, that even in these ‘modern’ times, girls cannot enter temples and kitchens and engage in social activity, like offering refreshments to guests, simply because they’re on their period. Which is confusing, because if the point is to not let anybody know that this ‘shameful’ thing happens to you every month, then why does tradition dictate that you so obviously set yourself apart when it happens—shunning the kitchen, the temple and the common utensils—practically walking around with a neon sign on your forehead advertising that your period is on?
To me, it seems like the patriarchy just wants to poke its self-righteous nose into my chaddis, in a proprietorial, voyeuristic, control-freaky sort of way, as well as blame me for everything that happens to go wrong in the universe.
This story is from the February 18, 2018 edition of THE WEEK.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the February 18, 2018 edition of THE WEEK.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Divides And Dividends
Contrasting narratives on the scrapping of Article 370 define the elections in Jammu and Kashmir
Playing it cool
Everybody knows what 420 means in the Indian context. But in American parlance it is something very different: four-twenty or 4/20 or April 20 denotes cannabis celebration; its cultural references are rooted in the hippie culture of the 1960s and 1970s.
The heroine's new clothes
Who else but Sanjay Leela Bhansali could bring on a wardrobe reset like the one in his just-dropped period piece—an eight-part Netflix series called Heeramandi?
AI & I
Through her book Code Dependent—shortlisted for the Women’s Prize for Non-Fiction—Madhumita Murgia gives voice to the voiceless multitudes impacted by artificial intelligence
Untold tales from war
Camouflaged is a collection of 10 deeply researched stories, ranging from the world wars to the 26/11 terror attacks
Hair force
Sheetal Mallar, in her photobook Braided, uses hair as a metaphor to tell a story that is personal yet universal
THE WHITE TIGER GAVE ME CONFIDENCE IN MY ABILITIES
The first time Adarsh Gourav made an impression was in Ramin Bahrani's 2021 film The White Tiger, a gripping adaptation of Aravind Adiga's Booker-winning novel.
The art of political protest
The past doesn’t always remain in the past. Sometimes, it emerges in the present, reminding us about the universality and repetitiveness of the human experience. Berlin’s George Grosz Museum, a tiny gem, is a startling reminder that modern political and social ills are not modern. Grosz lived through World Wars I and II, shining a torch into the heart of darkness in high-ranking men and women—who were complicit in the collapse of the world as they knew it.
REFUELLING DYING SATELLITES
A Chennai company is making waves in the world of space tech startups
DIVERSITY IN UNITY
THE SOUTH ASIAN COMMUNITY IN THE US HAS SEVERAL THINGS IN COMMON, BUT WHEN IT COMES TO THE UPCOMING ELECTIONS, THERE ARE WIDELY DIFFERING OPINIONS AND FEELINGS