hygiene

In many communities, women are socially ostracised in the days of their period, their mobility is restricted, they are considered impure, and are not allowed to worship or enter the kitchen.

As I left the giant Himalayan foothills of Kumaon behind me, I couldn't help but be grateful and feel blessed for the opportunity to interact with and learn from the Kumaoni girls.

“The stigma that menstrual health and hygiene carries in India is something that I am unable to understand."

Released in June last year, Phullu tells the tale of an uneducated man of the same name who realises the inconveniences that women go through during menstruation and then sets out to create awareness about the issue.

Millions of girls around the world drop out of school or miss classes every month for not being able to afford menstrual products.

Indian Women Blog and Seema Pardeshi-Khandale also distributed Winter Care Packages and menstrual cups to the women.

They produce and distribute eco-friendly and affordable sanitary napkins

On November 19, which is World Toilet Day, the campaign activists will approach Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and raise issues of open defecation.

The brainchild of Electrofoodies, a group of final-year engineering students from Manipal Institute of Technology (MIT) of Manipal University, Karnataka, the innovation has bagged the first prize at the national finale of Ink Makers held at T-Hub in Hyderabad.

"I was shocked to hear some women say they use leaves, old ragged dupattas, and dirty discarded napkins even. This was not just an eye-opener for me - but was extremely disturbing.”