Drowning when down

No, I’m not talking about Down by Marian Hill. 

I wanna discuss something that’s abnormally common. It’s something which has been made a big big taboo. Taboo which still has firm roots in the Indian society. 

Yes, it’s that time of the month I‘m talking about. It’s a topic about a simple biological process that you, me and everyone who has reached puberty regardless of females/males know, but hesitate to talk about. 

Actually it’s not your fault, it’s not anybody’s fault, rather it’s the fault of the kind of society we live in. From day 1 of getting periods girls are given a list of rules and regulations that must be followed during those days….the most common one being.. 

Caution🚫: Don’t enter holy places when you’re on your periods.

Okay, so they are telling or rather instructing us to not go inside a place known as holy because the place will lose its holiness if a girl bleeding, suffering from all the painful cramps and aches enters it. But, at the same time a person who has just murdered his own wife (an example) is let inside the place because he needs to confess for the sin he has committed. He doesn’t dwindle the holiness of that place. 

Let me give an example of my own girly life, I have an 8 year old younger brother who seems to be very curious of my actions when I’m on my periods….

whenever I’m down, I have to very carefully search for a sanitary napkin from my drawer akin to a robber whose about to rob all the jewelry from the locker so as to prevent all the male members of the family to sense my /the robber’s presence. I know they know, they know I know but we pretend to not know anything at all. Againnn, we belong to the same family, culture and society which have made menstruation a giant sized taboo, something to be felt ashamed of (added pun).

Do you ever ponder why Delhi has become the rape capital of our country?

It’s because of the lack of awareness amongst the teenagers who after becoming adults tend to satisfy their curiosity. 

It’s our duty to clear all the doubts when they’re adolescents. As elder sisters/brothers we should take every step to give proper information to our younger siblings (by that I don’t mean explaining a 5 year old why her/his elder sister has to use sanitary napkins which they think are an improvised version of diapers O____O) once they reach puberty. 

We dream to overcome deep entrenched social issues and inequalities when we can’t even try to solve trivial matters such as normalising a basic biological process like menstruation. 

Such is our society…

I feel glad that at least some parts of India like, Kerala has taken the initiative to break this taboo by making vending machines for sanitary napkins mandatory in all the schools!!!

I feel even more happier to say that my own School too is taking part in this. My Principal announced that we will be having vending machines for sanitary napkins.

Alas! It has to begin from somewhere. 

Finally, I want to give a big Shout out to all you girls out there!!

We almost feel like drowning when down!

We know what we go through but we cannot afford to lag behind!!!

More power to usssss💪💪💪💪💪
PS: This blog does not intend to hurt anyone’s sentiments. Every one have their own views and opinions and this was mine. 

Thank you for reading!😃

Love what you write. Write what you love.

Love,

Shonessa❤