ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Arunachalam Muruganantham - Inventor
Arunachalam Muruganantham created a system of simple machines to make modern sanitary napkins -- giving millions of women in his home country and around the world access to hygiene.

Why you should listen

Arunachalam Muruganantham of Jayaashree Industries designed, created, tested and implemented a sanitary napkin-making machine that operates on a small scale.

Contrary to a large-scale production model which requires Rs.3.5 Crores as initial investment, Jayaashree Industries sanitary napkin-making machine can be made available to a buyer for approximately Rs.65,000. This allows smaller players to adopt the business model propagated by him, and thus generates more employment and wealth in the most neglected sections of society. More specifically, an empowerment forum – such as a Self Help Group or a women’s group – can invest in a sanitary napkin-making unit to create a business that employs up to ten women. The new invention is capable of making 120 napkins per hour.

The Jayaashree Industries model helps offer livelihood, hygiene, dignity and empowerment to underprivileged women all over the world. And it does so using a sustainable business framework.

More profile about the speaker
Arunachalam Muruganantham | Speaker | TED.com
TED@Bangalore

Arunachalam Muruganantham: How I started a sanitary napkin revolution!

Arunachalam Muruganantham: 我是怎样开始一个卫生护垫的革命!

Filmed:
1,692,692 views

当他了解到他妻子不得不在食品和卫生巾中做出取舍时候,Arunachalam Muruganantham 发誓要为她解决卫生护垫的问题。他看问题的眼光非常独到,这使得他最终成就一种强有力的商业模式。(TED全球才智项目,在Bangalore录制)
- Inventor
Arunachalam Muruganantham created a system of simple machines to make modern sanitary napkins -- giving millions of women in his home country and around the world access to hygiene. Full bio

Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.

00:17
So I tried试着 to do a small good thing for my wife妻子.
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我打算为我妻子做点小事
00:21
It makes品牌 me to stand here,
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而那件事使我站在这里
00:23
the fame名誉, the money I got out of it.
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那件事也使我取得了荣誉和财富
00:26
So what I did, I'd gone走了 back to my early marriage婚姻 days.
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这个故事要从我刚结婚的时候说起
00:29
What you did in the early marriage婚姻 days,
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你刚结婚时候都干些什么?
00:31
you tried试着 to impress your wife妻子. I did the same相同.
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要想给妻子留个好印象,对吧,我也是一样。
00:34
On that occasion场合, I found发现 my wife妻子
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偶然,我发现我妻子
00:37
carrying携带 something like this.
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这样子拿着一样东西
00:39
I saw. "What is that?" I asked.
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我问:“那是什么呀?”
00:41
My wife妻子 replied回答, "None没有 of your business商业."
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我妻子回答:“不关你的事。”
00:45
Then, being存在 her husband丈夫, I ran behind背后 her
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但是,我是她丈夫呀,我悄悄跟着她
00:47
and saw she had a nasty讨厌 rag抹布 cloth.
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看见她好像有块脏抹布
00:48
I don't even use that cloth to clean清洁 my two-wheeler两轮车.
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脏得我甚至不想用它来擦屁股
00:51
Then I understood了解 this -- adapting适应 that unhygienic不卫生 method方法
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我很快明白了她拿着这个不卫生的东西的原因
00:54
to manage管理 her period days.
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她来月经了
00:56
Then I immediately立即 asked her, why are you [using运用] that unhygienic不卫生 method方法?
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我当时就问她,你怎么用这种不卫生的东西?
00:58
She replied回答, I also know about [sanitary卫浴 pads],
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她回答说,我也知道有卫生巾
01:02
but myself and my sisters姐妹, if they start开始 using运用 that,
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但我和姐妹们如果用卫生巾的话
01:05
we have to cut our family家庭 milk牛奶 budget预算.
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我们就没有那么多钱买牛奶了
01:07
Then I was shocked吃惊. What is the connection连接 between之间
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我被她的话震惊了
01:09
using运用 a sanitary卫浴 pad and a milk牛奶 budget预算?
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用卫生巾和买牛奶有什么联系?
01:10
And it's called affordability承受能力.
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通常人们称之为:经济负担能力
01:13
I tried试着 to impress my new wife妻子 by offering her a packet of sanitary卫浴 pads.
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于是我打算给我的新婚妻子买了一大盒卫生巾来博取她对我的好印象
01:17
I went to a local本地 shop, I tried试着 to buy购买 her a sanitary卫浴 pad packet.
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我走进一家小店买了一盒卫生巾
01:20
That fellow同伴 looks容貌 left and right,
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卖东西的伙计左右看看
01:22
and spreads利差 a newspaper报纸, rolls劳斯莱斯 it into the newspaper报纸,
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铺开一张报纸,裹着它
01:24
gives it to me like a banned取缔 item项目, something like that.
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递给我,像是在做贼一样
01:28
I don't know why. I did not ask for a condom避孕套.
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我想:他在干嘛呢?我又不是要买避孕套
01:32
Then I took that pad. I want to see that. What is inside it?
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然后我就打量着那个盒子,我想看看里面有什么
01:36
The very first time, at the age年龄 of 29,
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那时候我29岁
01:40
that day I am touching接触 the sanitary卫浴 pad, first ever.
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第一次接触到卫生巾
01:42
I must必须 know: How many许多 of the guys here have touched感动 a sanitary卫浴 pad?
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我很想知道,在座有多少男士碰过卫生巾?
01:47
They are not going to touch触摸 that, because it's not your matter.
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这不管我们男士的事?对吗?
01:52
Then I thought to myself, white白色 substance物质, made制作 of cotton --
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我琢磨开了,白色的,不就是棉花吗
01:55
oh my God, that guy is just using运用 a penny一分钱 value of raw生的 material材料 --
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天哪,成本才几分钱而已
01:58
inside they are selling销售 for pounds英镑, dollars美元.
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他们竟然卖好几美元
02:01
Why not make a local本地 sanitary卫浴 pad for my new wife妻子?
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我为什么不为我的新妻子做一点卫生巾呢?
02:05
That's how all this started开始, but after making制造 a sanitary卫浴 pad,
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这就是故事的起因。可是做好之后
02:08
where can I check it?
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我到哪儿去检验一下呢?
02:10
It's not like I can just check it in the lab实验室.
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实验室好像不干这个
02:13
I need a woman女人 volunteer志愿者. Where can I get one in India印度?
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我需要一个女性志愿者,可是在印度
02:16
Even in Bangalore班加罗尔 you won't惯于 get [one], in India印度.
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甚至在班加罗尔(印度南部城市),没有
02:20
So only problem问题: the only available可得到 victim受害者 is my wife妻子.
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所以唯一的受害者就只能是我妻子了
02:25
Then I made制作 a sanitary卫浴 pad and handed it to Shanti香提 -- my wife's妻子 name名称 is Shanti香提.
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我拿着做好的卫生巾对 Shanti 说,对了,她的名字
02:30
"Close your eyes眼睛. Whatever随你 I give,
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“闭上眼,猜猜是什么
02:31
it will be not a diamond钻石 pendant垂饰
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很可惜不是个钻石项链
02:33
not a diamond钻石 ring, even a chocolate巧克力,
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也不是钻石戒指,甚至不是巧克力
02:34
I will give you a surprise with a lot of tinsel paper rolled热轧 up with it.
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这个东西是用纸做的
02:38
Close your eyes眼睛."
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请闭上眼睛吧“
02:40
Because I tried试着 to make it intimate亲密.
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我想要把事情搞得亲密一些
02:43
Because it's an arranged安排 marriage婚姻, not a love marriage婚姻.
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因为这是父母安排的婚姻,不是恋爱婚姻
02:46
(Laughter笑声)
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(笑)
02:48
So one day she said, openly公然, I'm not going to support支持 this research研究.
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终于有一天,她坦白的告诉我,她不再支持我的研究了
02:52
Then other victims受害者, they got into my sisters姐妹.
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后来也就来了别的牺牲者,我的姐妹
02:55
But even sisters姐妹, wives妻子, they're not ready准备 to support支持 in the research研究.
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即使是姐妹和妻子,她们也不支持我
02:58
That's why I am always jealous with the saints圣人 in India印度.
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这就是我为什么妒忌印度的圣人
03:01
They are having a lot of women妇女 volunteers志愿者 around them.
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他们总是有那么多女性志愿者围着他们
03:05
Why I am not getting得到 [any]?
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为什么我就没有?
03:07
You know, without them even calling调用, they'll他们会 get a lot of women妇女 volunteers志愿者.
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你知道,那些圣人不用开口,就有许多女性志愿者过来了
03:15
Then I used, tried试着 to use the medical college学院 girls女孩.
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我去找那些医学院的女孩
03:18
They also refused拒绝. Finally最后, I decide决定,
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她们也拒绝了我。最终,我决定
03:21
use sanitary卫浴 pad myself.
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我自己用
03:23
Now I am having a title标题 like
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我感觉我真像那个
03:26
the first man to set foot脚丫子 on the moon月亮.
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第一次在月球上留下脚印的 Armstrong
03:30
Armstrong阿姆斯特朗. Then Tenzing丹增 [and] Hillary希拉里, in Everest珠峰,
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或者是登上珠穆朗玛峰的 Tenzing 和 Hillary
03:33
like that MurugananthamMuruganantham is the first man
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我,Muruganantham 是全世界第一个
03:35
wore穿着 a sanitary卫浴 pad across横过 the globe地球.
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穿着卫生巾的男人
03:39
I wore穿着 a sanitary卫浴 pad. I filled填充 animal动物 blood血液 in a football足球 bottle瓶子,
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我穿着卫生巾,还弄些动物血在瓶子里
03:42
I tied it up here, there is a tube going into my panties,
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我把瓶子绑在这儿,再插一根管子通到我的内裤里
03:45
while I'm walking步行, while I'm cycling循环, I made制作 a press,
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当我走路骑车的时候,我按一下那个瓶子
03:47
doses剂量 of blood血液 will go there.
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血就会流到“那儿”
03:50
That makes品牌 me bow down to any woman女人 in front面前 of me
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这件事让我对女人非常敬佩
03:54
to give full充分 respect尊重. That five days I'll never forget忘记 --
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那五天的实验我一辈子也忘不掉
03:57
the messy days, the lousy糟糕 days, that wetness湿.
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五个混乱,肮脏,潮湿的日子
03:59
My God, it's unbelievable难以置信的.
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天哪,真是难以置信
04:05
But here the problem问题 is, one company公司 is making制造 napkin餐巾
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问题是,工厂可以用棉花
04:10
out of cotton. It is working加工 well.
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做出很好的餐巾纸
04:12
But I am also trying to make sanitary卫浴 pad with the good cotton. It's not working加工.
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我同样用好棉花,就做不出好用的卫生巾
04:15
That makes品牌 me to want to refuse垃圾 to continue继续 this research研究 and research研究 and research研究.
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这让我很沮丧,甚至不再想继续试验
04:19
You need first funds资金.
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而且实验也是需要资金的
04:20
Not only financial金融 crises危机, but because of the sanitary卫浴 pad research研究,
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还并不只是资金
04:24
I come through通过 all sorts排序 of problems问题, including包含
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这些研究还给我带来了一系列的麻烦, 比如:
04:27
a divorce离婚 notice注意 from my wife妻子.
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一封来自妻子的离婚申请书
04:30
Why is this? I used medical college学院 girls女孩.
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为什么?就因为那些医学院的女孩
04:33
She suspects犯罪嫌疑人 I am using运用 as a trump王牌 card
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她怀疑我做实验只是个借口
04:36
to run behind背后 medical college学院 girls女孩.
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从而可以去追那些女孩
04:38
Finally最后, I came来了 to know it is a special特别 cellulose纤维素
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最终,我终于了解到了一种特别的纤维素
04:41
derived派生 from a pinewood松林, but even after that,
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从松树中获得,但即使这样
04:44
you need a multimillion-dollar百万美元 plant like this
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照样也需要价值上百万的机器
04:46
to process处理 that material材料. Again, a stop-up停了.
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来处理这些原料。所以,工作又停顿下来
04:49
Then I spend another另一个 four years年份 to create创建 my own拥有
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接着,我又用了四年时间开发我自己的机器
04:53
machine tools工具, a simple简单 machine tool工具 like this.
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一个简单的机器,看起来像这样
04:56
In this machine, any rural乡村 woman女人 can apply应用 the same相同
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这个机器使得任何乡下的妇女都能处理原材料
04:59
raw生的 materials物料 that they are processing处理 in the multinational跨国 plant,
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和那些跨国公司处理的过程一样
05:02
anyone任何人 can make a world-class世界级 napkin餐巾 at your dining用餐 hall大厅.
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卫生巾人人都可以在餐厅里就做出来,还是世界级的
05:05
That is my invention发明.
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这就是我的发明
05:09
So after that, what I did,
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发明这台机器之后,我干了什么呢
05:11
usually平时 if anyone任何人 got a patent专利 or an invention发明,
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通常如果有人得到了个专利或者发明了一样东西
05:15
immediately立即 you want to make, convert兑换 into this.
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他想做的第一件事就是把它变成这个(钱)
05:18
I never did this. I dropped下降 it just like this,
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我没有这么做,我就这样放下了(钱)
05:21
because you do this, if anyone任何人 runs运行 after money,
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因为我想,任何只追逐金钱的人
05:25
their life will not [have] any beauty美女. It is boredom无聊.
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生命并不会快乐,只会空虚。
05:29
A lot of people making制造 a lot of money, billion十亿,
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很多赚大钱的人
05:31
billions数十亿 of dollars美元 accumulating积累.
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积累了几十亿
05:33
Why are they coming未来 for, finally最后, for philanthropy慈善事业?
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最后都干什么去了呢?做慈善了
05:35
Why the need for accumulating积累 money, then doing philanthropy慈善事业?
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那为什么要有钱了再去做慈善呢?
05:39
What if one decided决定 to start开始 philanthropy慈善事业 from the day one?
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从现在就开始呗
05:42
That's why I am giving this machine
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所以我把这台机器送给
05:45
only in rural乡村 India印度, for rural乡村 women妇女, because in India印度,
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所有印度乡下的女性,因为在印度
05:49
[you'll你会 be] surprised诧异, only two percent百分 of women妇女
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只有百分之二的女性买得起卫生巾
05:52
are using运用 sanitary卫浴 pads. The rest休息, they're using运用 a rag抹布 cloth,
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其余的,都用脏布
05:55
a leaf, husk, [saw] dust灰尘, everything except sanitary卫浴 pads.
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甚至是树叶,泥土,就是没有卫生巾
05:59
It is the same相同 in the 21stST century世纪. That's why I am going
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同样是21世纪(怎么差别那么大咧)。我决定
06:01
to decide决定 to give this machine only for poor较差的 women妇女 across横过 India印度.
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无偿把机器贡献给贫穷的印度农村
06:05
So far, 630 installations安装 happened发生 in 23 states状态
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至今,已经有630套这样的设备安置在
06:08
in six other countries国家.
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不同国家的不同地方 (他不是说只给印度吗……)
06:11
Now I'm on my seventh第七 year sustaining维持 against反对
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现在,已经是我和那些商业巨头们较量
06:16
multinational跨国, transnational跨国 giants豪门 -- makes品牌 all MBAMBA students学生们 a question mark标记.
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的第七个年头——这让所有的MBA学生纳闷
06:21
A school学校 dropout退出 from Coimbatore哥印拜陀, how he is able能够 to sustaining维持?
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一个从 Coimbatore 辍学的家伙,怎么能干这么久?
06:24
That makes品牌 me a visiting访问 professor教授 and guest客人 lecturer讲师 in all IIMs的IIM.
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因此他们邀请我去所有的印度管理学院做演讲
06:30
(Applause掌声)
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(掌声)
06:35
Play video视频 one.
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播一段视频
06:38
(Video视频) ArunachalamArunachalam MurugananthamMuruganantham: The thing I saw in my wife's妻子 hand, "Why are you using运用 that nasty讨厌 cloth?"
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(视频)Arunachalam Muruganantham:
我问我妻子:“你怎么能用那么脏的布头?”
06:43
She replied回答 immediately立即, "I know about napkins餐巾, but if I start开始
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她立刻回答:“如果我用卫生巾
06:47
using运用 napkins餐巾, then we have to cut our family家庭 milk牛奶 budget预算."
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我们就不得不少喝牛奶”
06:51
Why not make myself a low-cost低成本 napkin餐巾?
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为什么不为自己做一种低成本的卫生巾呢?
06:56
So I decided决定 I'm going to sell this new machine
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因此我决定把这种机器卖给(您不是说好了要送的吗?)
06:59
only for Women妇女 Self Help Groups.
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自助小组(贫困地区的人们组成的,互相帮助的小团体)
07:05
That is my idea理念.
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这是我的主意
07:10
AM: And previously先前, you need a multimillion百万 investment投资
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以前,你需要几百万投资
07:15
for machine and all. Now, any rural乡村 woman女人 can.
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去买设备。现在,任何乡下的妇女都可以
07:18
They are performing执行 puja法会.
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这个视频是她们在礼拜(印度教)
07:20
(Video视频): (Singing唱歌)
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(视频)(演唱)
07:37
You just think, competing竞争 giants豪门,
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你想一下,要和商业巨头对抗
07:42
even from Harvard哈佛, Oxford牛津, is difficult.
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就算你是哈佛,牛津来的也很困难
07:43
I make a rural乡村 woman女人 to compete竞争 with multinationals跨国公司.
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但我让一个乡下女人能够对抗跨国公司
07:46
I'm sustaining维持 on seventh第七 year.
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而且坚持了七年
07:48
Already已经 600 installations安装. What is my mission任务?
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已经600套了。我接下来的任务是什么?
07:50
I'm going to make India印度
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我要让印度的女性,在我的有生之年
07:52
[into] a 100-percent-sanitary-napkin-using-Percent-卫生 - 卫生巾-使用 country国家 in my lifetime一生.
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全部用上卫生巾
07:56
In this way I'm going to provide提供 not less than a million百万
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还有,我要在印度农村提供
07:58
rural乡村 employment雇用 that I'm going to create创建.
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不少于100万个就业机会,靠这台机器
08:00
That's why I'm not running赛跑 after this bloody血腥 money.
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这就是为什么我不急于追求血钱
08:04
I'm doing something serious严重.
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我要做些大事
08:05
If you chase a girl女孩, the girl女孩 won't惯于 like you.
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如果你只是去追女孩,女孩不一定喜欢你
08:09
Do your job工作 simply只是, the girl女孩 will chase you.
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如果你埋头干你的事,女孩会主动来追你
08:12
Like that, I never chased Mahalakshmi玛哈拉卡斯.
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真的,我从来没追过 Mahalakshmi.
08:14
Mahalakshmi玛哈拉卡斯 is chasing me, I am keeping保持 in the back pocket口袋.
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是 Mahalakshmi (第二个老婆?)追的我
08:19
Not in front面前 pocket口袋. I'm a back pocket口袋 man.
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我没上心,我无所谓
08:24
That's all. A school学校 dropout退出 saw your problem问题 in the society社会
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就这样,我从一个不用卫生巾的社会里
08:27
of not using运用 sanitary卫浴 pad.
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看到了问题
08:29
I am becoming变得 a solution provider提供商. I'm very happy快乐.
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我提供了解决方案,我非常快乐
08:31
I don't want to make this as a corporate企业 entity实体.
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我不想去办什么大企业
08:34
I want to make this as a local本地 sanitary卫浴 pad movement运动
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我就想让那些当地用不起卫生巾的女性们用上卫生巾
08:38
across横过 the globe地球. That's why I put all the details细节
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全球也一样。这就是为什么我公开全部资料
08:41
on public上市 domain like an open打开 software软件.
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就像一个公共开放的软件
08:44
Now 110 countries国家 are accessing访问 it. Okay?
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现在有110个国家开始引进它了,很好?
08:49
So I classify分类 the people into three:
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我把人们分成三种情况
08:53
uneducated没有受过教育, little educated博学, surplus剩余 educated博学.
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没受过教育,受过少许教育和受过很好教育
09:00
Little educated博学, doneDONE this. Surplus剩余 educated博学,
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受过少许教育的人,做了这个
09:04
what are you going to do for the society社会?
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而受高等教育的人,你们都为社会做了些什么呢?
09:05
Thank you very much. Bye再见!
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非常感谢,再见!
09:09
(Applause掌声)
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(鼓掌)
Translated by Wu Fan
Reviewed by Eric Cheng

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ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Arunachalam Muruganantham - Inventor
Arunachalam Muruganantham created a system of simple machines to make modern sanitary napkins -- giving millions of women in his home country and around the world access to hygiene.

Why you should listen

Arunachalam Muruganantham of Jayaashree Industries designed, created, tested and implemented a sanitary napkin-making machine that operates on a small scale.

Contrary to a large-scale production model which requires Rs.3.5 Crores as initial investment, Jayaashree Industries sanitary napkin-making machine can be made available to a buyer for approximately Rs.65,000. This allows smaller players to adopt the business model propagated by him, and thus generates more employment and wealth in the most neglected sections of society. More specifically, an empowerment forum – such as a Self Help Group or a women’s group – can invest in a sanitary napkin-making unit to create a business that employs up to ten women. The new invention is capable of making 120 napkins per hour.

The Jayaashree Industries model helps offer livelihood, hygiene, dignity and empowerment to underprivileged women all over the world. And it does so using a sustainable business framework.

More profile about the speaker
Arunachalam Muruganantham | Speaker | TED.com