This NGO Smashed The Stigma Around Periods By Organising A Feast Cooked By Women Who Were Menstruating. We Love This So Much

This NGO Smashed The Stigma Around Periods By Organising A Feast Cooked By Women Who Were Menstruating. We Love This So Much

Every day I am so thankful that I didn’t grow up with people that forced me to see my periods in a negative light. I was always taught to fight through the pain and appreciate my periods because it is, after all a part of me too. But over the years I have seen that not everyone belongs to such a liberal environment and it makes me genuinely sad to see other women being punished for something that is no more than a simple bodily function.

The thing is a lot of people believe that while women are menstruating, they are “impure” (it’s the biggest, steamiest load of BS). This is the reason we aren’t allowed to enter temples or the kitchen while we are chumming. I have seen my friend’s mothers tell them to stay out of the kitchen for the first four days of their period. I’ve just never understood the logic behind it and the best part? If you counter-question, you will only get yelled at.

Perpetuating this superstition forward in the most ridiculous sense, recently 68 female students from the Shri Sahjanand Girls’ Institute (SSGI) in Bhuj were asked to prove they were not menstruating. They were taken to the washroom and asked to strip in front of four female teachers and the principal. Yep, it is a whole new year but old habits, no matter how illogical and baseless, seem to die hard. This happened after the hostel warden complained that two girls who were menstruating had entered the kitchen. I am amazed the room didn’t burst into flames after that happened. This is the kind of mindset our colleges are inculcating; we should be really proud.

Also Read: In Gujarat, Female Students Of A College Were Asked To Strip For A ‘Period Check’. It’s 2020 And People Are Still Offended By Periods

The reason this college is so particular about women who are menstruating is that it is operated by the followers of Swami Krushnaswarup Dasji. This is the dude who claims that spiritual texts say that, “A menstruating woman who cooks food for her husband will certainly be reborn as a ‘kutri’ (bitch).” I really wonder what he is tripping on.

Anyway, this is not the story of why and how that incident took place. This is the story of the brilliant thing that happened as a clap back to this particular incident. A Delhi-based NGO ‘Sachhi Saheli’ organised a ‘Period Feast’ or ‘Mahavari Mahabhoj’ on 23rd February where 28 menstruating women cooked and served food to over 300 attendees.

Also Read: A 14-Year-Old Kenyan Girl Committed Suicide After Being ‘Period Shamed’. Why Is This Even A Thing?

The women wore aprons that read, “I am a proud menstruating woman”. They also performed a street play that aimed at doing away with the superstitions that are associated with periods. This really makes me so happy because they completely shattered the stigma that said menstruating women are “impure” and should not enter a kitchen.

I am so proud of these 28 women and the NGO who organized this whole thing. Every woman should be grateful to them for at least attempting to make people understand why it is incredibly wrong to shun menstruating women.

I genuinely wish I could’ve been a part of this feast.

https://thehauterfly.com/lifestyle/in-gujarat-female-trainees-were-asked-to-strip-to-check-if-they-were-pregnant-why-does-no-one-care-about-our-dignity/

Mitali Shah

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