Disposing Of A Sanitary Fad?

Indian women are warming towards a movement that seeks the return of traditional menstrual car.

- Arushi Bedi

RITUJA Deshpanday recently chose to make quite a surprise change to her routine around what comes as a monthly ritual lasting five-odd days: she switched from sanitary napkins to cloth pads. the factory- made absorbent had been integral to the Delhiite’s personal hygiene since adolescence, but today the thirty something is dismissive of the not ion that folded cotton fabric isn’t an advisable option during periods. Far from that, Rituja no wavers that using cloth isn’t bad at all. “Yeah, it’s almost a radical step for someone who has always used disposables,” she shrugs. “I used those napkins because we grew up believing they are the only method for sanitation.”

Apparently, a growing set of women in urban India no longer believe so—and are looking for alternatives. Quite a few among them have become more open to different kinds of reusables: loose cloth, cloth pads, menstrual cups. While clean habits still remain the fundamental pri­nciple, this change in mindset is driven by a growing green consciousness.

This trend of moving away from sani­tary pads is shaping up as a movement, partly buoyed by parallel efforts to spr­ead public awareness around alternative forms of sanitation. For instance, the workshops run by Delhi­based entrepre­neur Priyanka Jain, besides a clutch of YouTube channels, to sensitise women on the subject, while also throwing light on pertinent ecological issues. “Sanitary waste accounts for about 3 per cent of all waste in our country. The pads are not being disposed of as biochemical waste as they should ideally be,” she says.