{"id":446,"date":"2019-11-10T07:55:02","date_gmt":"2019-11-10T07:55:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/breaking-the-silence.online\/index.php\/2019\/11\/10\/understanding-menstrual-taboos-in-india\/"},"modified":"2024-09-14T06:25:04","modified_gmt":"2024-09-14T06:25:04","slug":"understanding-menstrual-taboos-in-india","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/amaliafoka.com\/breaking-the-silence\/index.php\/2019\/11\/10\/understanding-menstrual-taboos-in-india\/","title":{"rendered":"Understanding Menstrual Taboos in India."},"content":{"rendered":"
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However, in a country<\/strong> like India<\/a>, wherein contraceptive pills are considered a taboo<\/strong><\/span><\/strong>, and condoms are avoided, along with the lack<\/strong> of men<\/strong>\u2019s responsibility in family<\/strong> planning, women<\/strong> are only left with the option of sterilisations.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Also <\/span>read: Why Reproductive Rights Must Be Taken More Seriously In India<\/a> These camps are set up by the government, making it easy for the women<\/strong> to trust its need, and efficiency. in a country<\/strong> like India<\/a>, wherein contraceptive pills are considered a taboo<\/strong><\/span><\/strong>, and condoms are avoided, along with the lack<\/strong> of men<\/strong>\u2019s responsibility in family<\/strong> planning, women<\/strong> are only left with the option of sterilisations.<\/p>\n

The word period<\/strong> was such a taboo<\/strong><\/span><\/strong> that coaches called it “ladies\u2019 problem” \u2014 the term itself is so negative.<\/p>\n

Although queer Bollywood still lacks the support of the mainstream audience, it is constantly striving to normalise and question the taboos<\/span><\/strong> around the Indian LGBTQ scene.<\/p>\n

A film<\/strong> by Shonali Bhosle, Margarita with a straw touches issues<\/strong> that are still a taboo<\/strong><\/span><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Sparkle co-founders Chirag and Hetal Virani Surat-based couple Chirag and Hetal Virani are on a mission \u2013 to break one of the biggest taboos<\/span><\/strong> in India<\/a> by spreading awareness<\/strong> on menstruation, and improve menstrual-care through eco-friendly pads.<\/p>\n

Niine decided to break the taboo<\/strong><\/span><\/strong> surrounding menstruation and go international with its #letstalkperiods message by registering a strong presence at New Zealand<\/a> grounds, T-20 match series, where we saw a pad print right on cricket grounds after supporting West Indies Cricket tour in 2019.<\/p>\n

Such attitudes are derived at least partly from an old taboo<\/strong><\/span><\/strong> that still has a menses police in operation in some parts of India<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The persistence of this primitive taboo<\/strong><\/span><\/strong> on mingling during menstruation puts India<\/a>\u2019s progress at risk.<\/p>\n

Bhaduria clarified that the air strike had dispelled taboo<\/strong><\/span><\/strong> on the use<\/strong> of air power.<\/p>\n

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Bringing an end to this taboo<\/strong><\/span><\/strong> in a unique initiative – ‘Mann Mela’ by Sangath, a Goa-based Non-Government Organisation that focuses on mental health, among other things.<\/p>\n

Their past travails and optimism moved me to write \u2018Taboo. \u2019 What kind of background work<\/strong> and research has gone into the project? Freedom Firm and other anti-sex trafficking organisations conduct rescues in Nagpur<\/a> and various Tier 1 and Tier 2 towns across Maharashtra, Central India<\/a> and North Karnataka where it\u2019s more obvious.<\/p>\n

Just last month, Freedom Firm conducted a rescue in Bangalore. \u2018Taboo\u2019 is a stream of consciousness, emotional response to the trade.<\/p>\n

Why did you choose to call it \u2018Taboo\u2019?<\/p>\n

It is ironic that in a country<\/strong> with over 1.3 billion people, sex and sexuality are still a taboo<\/strong><\/span><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

The kiss<\/strong>, long taboo<\/strong><\/span><\/strong> in Hindi movies, is now becoming taboo<\/strong><\/span><\/strong> across the world; in times of Covid-19 the kiss<\/strong> could become the kiss<\/strong> of death.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The paper which was written by researcher Garima Bhatt under the supervision of Dr Sonu Goel from PGIMER, presents case studies of tobacco users in Punjab to reveal how de-addiction programs can work<\/strong> more effectively if the cultural context and social vitals and taboos<\/span><\/strong> around tobacco use<\/strong> are addressed along with providing clinical care.<\/p>\n

In her paper, Bhatt has particularly analysed how Sikhism as a religious institute structures the stigma and taboo<\/strong><\/span><\/strong> around tobacco users in Punjab; since 57.6 per cent of the state\u2019s population profess Sikh faith.<\/p>\n

To mark Menstrual Hygiene Day , Nobel Hygiene worked alongside Rio Agency to address these issues<\/strong> through a series of visuals and analogies, which showcase the realities of dealing with heavy periods practically, as well as tackling some of the taboos<\/span><\/strong> still prevalent in attitudes towards menstruation.<\/p>\n

The taboo<\/strong><\/span><\/strong> associated with alcohol seems to have faded as states go out of their way to allow home delivery of liquor, and launch special apps and websites to make its access easier.<\/p>\n

Menstrual taboo<\/strong><\/span><\/strong> is nothing but a temporary defilement that dominant castes suffer.<\/p>\n

In fact, observing menstrual taboo<\/strong><\/span><\/strong> is an expression of this Brahminical superiority\/ritual purity and a way of distinguishing oneself from the perpetual untouchables, namely Dalits.<\/p>\n

The-three-day taboo<\/strong><\/span><\/strong> neither takes away Savarna women<\/strong>\u2019s privileges of caste such as economic and social capital nor make them equal to Dalits.<\/p>\n

By and large, the contemporary debates on menstrual taboo<\/strong><\/span><\/strong> are centred upon dominant castes.<\/p>\n

The origin of such taboo<\/strong><\/span><\/strong> is rooted in the cultural, historical and religious myths circumventing menstruation.<\/p>\n

Indian religions, with regards to menstruation, are an example of paradoxes- where in some parts menstruation taboos<\/span><\/strong> are practised.<\/p>\n

Even though Islamic principles do not recognize menstruation as a topic of stigma, there is a possibility of Indian Muslim women<\/strong> being subjected to the menstruation taboos<\/span><\/strong>, which is a result of being proximate to Indian cultures.<\/p>\n

When Oprah asked Aishwarya if kissing is taboo<\/strong><\/span><\/strong> in public in India<\/a>, she said, “It\u2019s not really a familiar sight.<\/p>\n

Gayathri Mani By Express News Service NEW DELHI: The AAP government is going to install sanitary napkin<\/strong> incinerators in 3,204 toilet blocks of 553 girls<\/strong> and co-ed schools under the Directorate of Education and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi<\/a> to combat the taboo<\/strong><\/span><\/strong> on menstrual hygiene<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Village community health workers such as Accredited Social Health Activists and Anganwadi workers are important players in mobilizing social support against the practice of menstruation-related taboos<\/span><\/strong> and stigma.<\/p>\n

Mental illness in India<\/a> is still a taboo<\/strong><\/span><\/strong>.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Treat mental health problems just as your physical problem and stop creating a taboo<\/strong><\/span><\/strong> around mental illness.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, India<\/a> is a country<\/strong> where conversations about Erectile dysfunction are often a taboo<\/strong><\/span><\/strong> and left unspoken.<\/p>\n

Just like Mahie, Meghna and Samanvi, my family<\/strong> is from India<\/a>, and there, menstrual health is often considered a taboo<\/strong><\/span><\/strong> topic.
\n\"\"<\/p>\n

Of course, India<\/a> isn\u2019t the only country<\/strong> that stigmatizes menstrual health, and Mahie said it\u2019s important to remember that the taboos<\/span><\/strong> surrounding menstruation differ from place to place.<\/p>\n

In 2017, the digital media company<\/strong> Culture Machine, which has offices in five cities in India<\/a>, put in place a menstrual leave policy independent of vacation and sick days. \u2014 Yatharth Arora August 15, 2020 Thanks @narendramodi for speaking about sanitary pads from the ramparts of red fort and hope the taboo<\/strong><\/span><\/strong> is erased from today and also men<\/strong> know how to respect women<\/strong> @PMOIndia #HappyIndependenceDay \u2014 Meera Mitun August 15, 2020 PM @narendramodi talking about #SanitaryNapkins from the red fort on #IndependenceDay2020 is an example of how leaders can use<\/strong> the national forum to break the taboos<\/span><\/strong>, set new norms & bring about an attitudinal shift in how the society perceives periods, pads and menstrual health! #IndependenceDayIndia \u2014 Ronit Bhardwaj August 15, 2020 Talking about the taboo<\/strong><\/span><\/strong> topic of sanitary pads from red fort on the #IndependenceDay speech<\/strong> is something really huge, historical and praiseworthy. \u2014 saroj kumar jha August 15, 2020 During his speech<\/strong>, PM Modi also said that his government will soon reconsider and determine the right age of marriage for women<\/strong> in India<\/a>.<\/p>\n

A sponsorship deal by Indian Premier League team the Rajasthan Royals with sanitary pad brand Niine is aiming to break taboos<\/span><\/strong> in India<\/a> around menstruation.<\/p>\n

Menstruation is a taboo<\/strong><\/span><\/strong> and stigmatised subject in many parts of India<\/a>.<\/p>\n

And in a country<\/strong> where discussion of periods is considered taboo<\/strong><\/span><\/strong>, even within homes, and where menstrual stigma is an entrenched cause of gender inequality, the collaboration between a championship cricket team and a sanitary towel company<\/strong> has already caused ripples across India<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Aditi Gupta, who started Menstrupedia, did so after experiencing her own series of taboos<\/span><\/strong> growing up.<\/p>\n

Now with all the talk<\/strong> around period<\/strong> leaves and taboos<\/span><\/strong> going on recently, this was surely the highlight of his speech<\/strong> and netizens are applauding PM Modi for shattering centuries-old stereotypes.<\/p>\n

Akshay Kumar<\/a> August 15, 2020 If in 2014 he broke some Red Fort speech<\/strong> traditions & spoke about open defecation in India<\/a> being a matter of shame, today Modi spoke about sanitary napkins, a taboo<\/strong><\/span><\/strong> topics even in middle class family<\/strong> drawing rooms. Arun Kumar G August 15, 2020 Breaking taboos<\/span><\/strong> from the ramparts of Red Fort: From speaking about open defecation in 2014 to the importance of sanitary napkins in 2020. Nupur J Sharma August 15, 2020 Modi is the first Indian PM to talk<\/strong> from Red Fort about sanitary napkins.<\/p>\n

In 2018, WASH started Breaking The Bloody Taboo campaign where, as the name suggests, the Anurag and his team strive to strip women<\/strong> of the age-old taboos<\/span><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

The Niine Period Tracker is the solution for girls<\/strong> and women<\/strong> across India<\/a> who want to move past the taboo<\/strong><\/span><\/strong> and become more aware of their body\u2019s functions and their natural menstrual cycle.<\/p>\n

R. Balki\u2019s 2018 film<\/strong> “Pad Man,” with Akshay Kumar<\/a>, shows how this age-old taboo<\/strong><\/span><\/strong> has created a culture of discrimination and resulted in serious health issues<\/strong> for women<\/strong> and girls<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

School of Cinematic Arts alumnae Rayka Zehtabchi and Melissa Berton and graduate student Helen Yenser aimed to depict the struggle of menstruation in the face of cultural taboos<\/span><\/strong> in their film<\/strong>.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

According to Zehtabchi, the filmmakers wanted to highlight women<\/strong>\u2019s struggles to survive in a culture where menstruation is a taboo<\/strong><\/span><\/strong> subject.<\/p>\n

While many organizations in India<\/a> like \u2018Eco Femme\u2019 and \u2018Mukti Project\u2019 are working upon various taboo<\/strong><\/span><\/strong> related issues<\/strong> at the grassroot level.<\/p>\n

Historically, in many Indian cultures, menstruation was considered auspicious, and menstrual blood was even served up as an offering to goddesses, according to historian Narendra Nath Bhattacharya, as quoted by scholar Janet Chawla in “Mythic Origins of Menstrual Taboo in Rig Veda.” The menstruating woman was treated like a goddess, as if society was amazed at how women<\/strong> could bleed out of their bodies and not die, like it\u2019s no big deal.
\n\"\"<\/p>\n

More than 30 percent of girls<\/strong> living in north India<\/a> drop out of school when they start menstruating, according to “Exploration of the Foundation of Menstrual Taboos Along the Lines of Culture and Religion and Its Implication on the Development of Women.” Period products are inaccessible and unreliable for many women<\/strong> from low-income communities, as a result of a lack<\/strong> of innovation influenced by the menstrual taboo<\/strong><\/span><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

4 mins read I was recently watching an episode of Jane the Virgin with my mother, yes I know what the popular opinion is but it has amazing Latinx representation, is unapologetically sex-positive and also does not shy away from talking about taboo<\/strong><\/span><\/strong> topics like sexuality and mental health issues<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

International Women’s Day serves as a fitting day for Run4Niine, where EVERYONE can come together in solidarity to tackle menstrual taboos<\/span><\/strong>.” Run4Niine is an initiative by Niine Sanitary Napkins, a challenger brand in the menstrual hygiene<\/strong> sector of India<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Menstruation, which is considered a taboo<\/strong><\/span><\/strong>, should be included in the education system, and students should also be taught menstrual hygiene<\/strong> management in order to increase awareness<\/strong> Maya Vishwakarma, ‘Pad Woman’ of India<\/a> During awareness<\/strong> workshops, Alakshi often gets asked if the use<\/strong> of cup will increase the vagina size.<\/p>\n

The movie focused on the subject of menstruation taboos<\/span><\/strong> in India<\/a> and the story of a group of poor women<\/strong> who banded together to manufacture inexpensive menstrual pads.<\/p>\n

“Consider this,” said Prakash Mallya from Intel<\/a>, “In this room, we have a company<\/strong> that has changed networks in India<\/a> , a company<\/strong> that has changed the way we shop , a company<\/strong> that is changing media Kerala Schools Give Free Sanitary Pads This is another path-breaking initiative which aims to eradicate the taboos<\/span><\/strong> around menstruation and promote menstrual hygiene<\/strong> among school girls<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

“Do you masturbate?”, “When did you first have sexual intercourse?”, “Did you ask for consent?” These are just some of the taboo<\/strong><\/span><\/strong>-breaking questions I asked convicted rapists in a Delhi<\/a> prison during interviews for my research.<\/p>\n

Yet sex and sexuality still remain taboo<\/strong><\/span><\/strong> subjects in India<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Pakistan<\/a> avoided an escalation in a nuclear-tinged crisis because its ruling elite believes in nuclear taboo<\/strong><\/span><\/strong>, i.e., an all-out nuclear conflagration is unthinkable.<\/p>\n

These are just a few taboos<\/span><\/strong> people have across the world which are holding women<\/strong> back, thus excluding girls<\/strong> and women<\/strong> from many aspects of life and pose as a hurdle for their advancement.<\/p>\n

The four clans with their totems are: Name of the clan Totem Kamei \u2013 Ahuina Gangmei \u2013 Kamang Longmei \u2013 Pongma There are myths and legend which explain how totemic species or food taboos<\/span><\/strong> are adopted.<\/p>\n

The text of this article was generated by the Breaking The Silence<\/a> system that collected 129<\/strong> news articles posted on the web from January 2019 to September 2020 and clustered for the taboo subjects related to India<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

However, in a country like India, wherein contraceptive pills are considered a taboo, and condoms are avoided, along with the lack of men\u2019s responsibility in family planning, women are only left with the option of sterilisations. Also read: Why Reproductive Rights Must Be Taken More Seriously In India These camps are set up by the government, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":393,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[44,46,43,580],"tags":[608,93,638,456,147,444,158,47,73,70,589,640,639,91,601,637,95,94,69,96,641,642,59,207,171,92,84,598],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/amaliafoka.com\/breaking-the-silence\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/446"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/amaliafoka.com\/breaking-the-silence\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/amaliafoka.com\/breaking-the-silence\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/amaliafoka.com\/breaking-the-silence\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/amaliafoka.com\/breaking-the-silence\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=446"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/amaliafoka.com\/breaking-the-silence\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/446\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1376,"href":"https:\/\/amaliafoka.com\/breaking-the-silence\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/446\/revisions\/1376"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/amaliafoka.com\/breaking-the-silence\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/393"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/amaliafoka.com\/breaking-the-silence\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=446"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/amaliafoka.com\/breaking-the-silence\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=446"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/amaliafoka.com\/breaking-the-silence\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=446"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}