NEW DELHI: When we started distributing sanitary napkins in the rural areas on the outskirts of Delhi a year and a half ago, a woman came up and asked a male volunteer ‘you don’t menstruate? We thought men also menstruate’. Such is the gravity of unawareness about menstrual hygiene among rural women,” says Meeta Gutgutia, Founder of the women-centric media platform Sipping Thoughts.
To create awareness, the platform is organising a fundraiser, Stree — The Woman. On the panel is Comedian Ssumier Pasricha (Pummy Aunty), Fashion Designer Malini Ramani, Hairstylist Ambika Pillai, Acid-attack Survivor Lakshmi Agarwal among others. But persuading women is an uphill task. Gutgutia says, “For them, it’s shameful to come in public and take the packets. We have to allure their kids
with food.”
Are these sessions are enough to empower women? “No, it’s just the beginning. Moreover, the scope of problems related to women is wide. So, we have chosen only menstrual hygiene because it’s not possible to address every issue at once,” she says.
ON: August 5, At: Pavilion, Chattarpur Road, New Delhi