Watching the film Period was very emotional to me because this is something I have witnessed growing up in Nepal. I think the practice has now been criminalized, but women in rural parts of Nepal practiced “Chhaupadi” which basically meant they were exiled to a shed away from their homes for 3-4 days when they were menstruating. Even in the cities, it was common practice to not go the kitchen, the worship area where we put the idols of our Gods and to not participate in any religious festivities when we were on our periods. I was fortunate enough to grow up with parents who didn’t enforce any such rules in our home. However, when I was staying with my mom’s side of the family for a year, it was a completely different story. I remember the first time I was told I couldn’t sit at the dining table with my uncles because I was on my periods. Instead, I had to sit alone in a corner, served from inches away because I wasn’t supposed to touch any of the utensils we cooked

Periods is still such a taboo in most South Asian countries, and awareness about female reproductive health is almost non-existent. Most women still rely on cloths as an alternative to sanitary napkins because they do not know any better and the prices are well beyond their means. Furthermore, there’s shame attached to periods, belief that women are somehow “impure” when they’re on their periods. Little girls are forced to leave their schools and women are at risk for many infections due to the inaccessibility to sanitary pads. Yet, there is very little done to bring about a change because the men in power are not affected by menstruation, and as such don’t give two shits.

P.S. There’s a Bollywood movie called ‘Padman’ based on the man shown in Period, Mr. Muruganantham Arunachalam.