Daag Achhe Hain!

Despite being the most natural of processes, why is menstruation still taboo? While there is conversation around things like period leave, how close are we to normalising periods?

Bleeding- a taboo

“Don’t talk about it in front of your brother or father”, “Don’t enter the temple”, “Don’t touch the pickle, it will get spoiled”, “Don’t wear light color clothes for now”, “Why are you pissed, is it that time of the month?”….

These are a few common lines, we girls are used to hear from someone or the other when we are bleeding, aka, periods. But ever asked anyone, why should we hear all these and face such discrimination during “that” period of the month. Did we choose to bleed? Then why do we bleed anyways? How the heck do we become impure that time?

Putting it simply- it’s natural

The answer to all this is, we bleed because the egg that was supposed to fertilize into a baby, did not and the cells and tissues shed off as menstrual bleeding. But that’s biology stuff.

We bleed because only we, have been given the power to bring a new life into this earth. We didn’t choose this, nature chose us. By the way, the society still continues to consider us impure and there is no answer to this, because these stupid people can worship a Goddess who bleeds, but can’t let us enter the temple at that time. Such an irony.

In short, who bleeds, we bleed. Who bears all the stabbing cramps, we do. Who gets unexplainable mood swings, we do. So, when the suffering is ours, rules should be ours too.

Pledging to normalise menstruation

On this National menstrual hygiene day, let’s take a pledge, We will talk openly about periods without any shame. We will be free of the stupid rules set by the society and make our own rules or not any of them at all. We will raise such boys who would not shame a girl when her clothes get stained, rather will make her feel comfortable in her own world. So accept it, periods are Normal.

Let’s break the chain of shame. Let’s break the silence.

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A Painting made by me to break the chain of shame against Menstrual Hygiene.

Kyuki Daag Acche Hai!

First published here.

Header image credit- Gabrielle Rocha Rios

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