TEDxGatewayWomen
Aditi Gupta: A taboo-free way to talk about periods
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It's true: talking about menstruation makes many people uncomfortable. And that taboo has consequences: in India, three out of every 10 girls don't even know what menstruation is at the time of their first period, and restrictive customs related to periods inflict psychological damage on young girls. Growing up with this taboo herself, Aditi Gupta knew she wanted to help girls, parents and teachers talk about periods comfortably and without shame. She shares how she did it.
Aditi Gupta - Social entrepreneur, co-founder of Menstrupedia
Aditi Gupta uses storytelling and art to educate young girls about menstruation. Full bio
Aditi Gupta uses storytelling and art to educate young girls about menstruation. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
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Periods.
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Blood.
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Menstruation.
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Gross.
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Secret.
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Hidden.
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Why?
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A natural biological process
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that every girl and woman
goes through every month
goes through every month
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for about half of her life.
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A phenomenon that is so significant
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that the survival and propagation
of our species depends on it.
of our species depends on it.
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Yet we consider it a taboo.
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We feel awkward
and shameful talking about it.
and shameful talking about it.
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When I got my first periods,
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I was told to keep it
a secret from others --
a secret from others --
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even from my father and brother.
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Later when this chapter
appeared in our textbooks,
appeared in our textbooks,
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our biology teacher skipped the subject.
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(Laughter)
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You know what I learned from it?
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I learned that it is really
shameful to talk about it.
shameful to talk about it.
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I learned to be ashamed of my body.
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I learned to stay unaware of periods
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in order to stay decent.
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Research in various parts of India
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shows that three out of every 10 girls
are not aware of menstruation
are not aware of menstruation
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at the time of their first periods.
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And in some parts of Rajasthan
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this number is as high as nine
out of 10 girls being unaware of it.
out of 10 girls being unaware of it.
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You'd be surprised to know
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that most of the girls
that I have spoken to,
that I have spoken to,
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who did not know about periods
at the time of their first menstruation
at the time of their first menstruation
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thought that they have got blood cancer
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and they're going to die soon.
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Menstrual hygiene
is a very important risk factor
is a very important risk factor
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for reproductive tract infections.
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But in India, only 12 percent
of girls and women
of girls and women
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have access to hygienic ways
of managing their periods.
of managing their periods.
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If you do the math,
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88 percent of girls and women use
unhygienic ways to manage their periods.
unhygienic ways to manage their periods.
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I was one of them.
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I grew up in a small town
called Garhwa, in Jharkhand,
called Garhwa, in Jharkhand,
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where even buying a sanitary napkin
is considered shameful.
is considered shameful.
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So when I started getting my periods,
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I began with using rags.
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After every use
I would wash and reuse them.
I would wash and reuse them.
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But to store them,
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I would hide and keep it
in a dark, damp place
in a dark, damp place
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so that nobody finds out
that I'm menstruating.
that I'm menstruating.
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Due to repeated washing
the rags would become coarse,
the rags would become coarse,
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and I would often get rashes
and infections using them.
and infections using them.
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I wore these already for five years
until I moved out of that town.
until I moved out of that town.
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Another issue
that periods brought in my life
that periods brought in my life
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those of the social restrictions
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that are imposed upon our girls
and women when they're on their periods.
and women when they're on their periods.
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I think you all must be aware of it,
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but I'll still list it
for the few who don't.
for the few who don't.
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I was not allowed to touch or eat pickles.
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I was not allowed to sit on the sofa
or some other family member's bed.
or some other family member's bed.
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I had to wash my bed sheet
after every period,
after every period,
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even if it was not stained.
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I was considered impure
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and forbidden from worshipping or touching
any object of religious importance.
any object of religious importance.
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You'll find signposts outside temples
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denying the entry
of menstruating girls and women.
of menstruating girls and women.
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Ironically,
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most of the time it is the older woman
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who imposes such restrictions
on younger girls in a family.
on younger girls in a family.
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After all, they have grown up
accepting such restrictions as norms.
accepting such restrictions as norms.
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And in the absence of any intervention,
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it is the myth and misconception
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that propagate
from generation to generation.
from generation to generation.
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During my years of work in this field,
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I have even come across stories
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where girls have to eat
and wash their dishes separately.
and wash their dishes separately.
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They're not allowed
to take baths during periods,
to take baths during periods,
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and in some households they are even
secluded from other family members.
secluded from other family members.
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About 85 percent of girls
and women in India
and women in India
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would follow one or more restrictive
customs on their periods every month.
customs on their periods every month.
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Can you imagine what this does
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to the self-esteem
and self-confidence of a young girl?
and self-confidence of a young girl?
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The psychological trauma
that this inflicts,
that this inflicts,
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affecting her personality,
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her academic performance
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and every single aspect of growing up
during her early formative years?
during her early formative years?
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I religiously followed all these
restrictive customs for 13 years,
restrictive customs for 13 years,
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until a discussion with my partner, Tuhin,
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changed my perception
about menstruation forever.
about menstruation forever.
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In 2009, Tuhin and I were pursuing
our postgraduation in design.
our postgraduation in design.
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We fell in love with each other
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and I was at ease
discussing periods with him.
discussing periods with him.
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Tuhin knew little about periods.
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(Laughter)
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He was astonished to know
that girls get painful cramps
that girls get painful cramps
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and we bleed every month.
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(Laughter)
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Yeah.
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He was completely shocked to know
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about the restrictions that are imposed
upon menstruating girls and women
upon menstruating girls and women
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by their own families and their society.
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In order to help me with my cramps,
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he would go on the Internet
and learn more about menstruation.
and learn more about menstruation.
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When he shared his findings with me,
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I realized how little I knew
about menstruation myself.
about menstruation myself.
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And many of my beliefs
actually turned out to be myths.
actually turned out to be myths.
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That's when we wondered:
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if we, being so well educated,
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were so ill-informed about menstruation,
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there would be millions of girls out there
who would be ill-informed, too.
who would be ill-informed, too.
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To study --
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to understand the problem better,
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I undertook a year-long research to study
the lack of awareness about menstruation
the lack of awareness about menstruation
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and the root cause behind it.
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While it is generally believed
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that menstrual unawareness
and misconception is a rural phenomenon,
and misconception is a rural phenomenon,
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during my research,
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I found that it is as much
an urban phenomenon as well.
an urban phenomenon as well.
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And it exists with the educated
urban class, also.
urban class, also.
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While talking to many
parents and teachers,
parents and teachers,
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I found that many of them actually
wanted to educate girls about periods
wanted to educate girls about periods
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before they have started
getting their menstrual cycle.
getting their menstrual cycle.
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And --
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but they lacked
the proper means themselves.
the proper means themselves.
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And since it is a taboo,
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they feel inhibition
and shameful in talking about it.
and shameful in talking about it.
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Girls nowadays get their periods
in classes six and seven,
in classes six and seven,
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but our educational curriculum
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teaches girls about periods
only in standard eight and nine.
only in standard eight and nine.
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And since it is a taboo,
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teachers still
skip the subject altogether.
skip the subject altogether.
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So school does not
teach girls about periods,
teach girls about periods,
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parents don't talk about it.
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Where do the girls go?
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Two decades ago and now --
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nothing has changed.
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I shared these finding with Tuhin
and we wondered:
and we wondered:
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What if we could create something
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that would help girls understand
about menstruation on their own --
about menstruation on their own --
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something that would help
parents and teachers
parents and teachers
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talk about periods
comfortably to young girls?
comfortably to young girls?
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During my research,
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I was collecting a lot of stories.
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These were stories of experiences
of girls during their periods.
of girls during their periods.
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These stories would make girls
curious and interested
curious and interested
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in talking about menstruation
in their close circle.
in their close circle.
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That's what we wanted.
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We wanted something
that would make the girls curious
that would make the girls curious
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and drive them to learn about it.
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We wanted to use these stories
to teach girls about periods.
to teach girls about periods.
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So we decided to create a comic book,
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where the cartoon characters
would enact these stories
would enact these stories
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and educate girls about menstruation
in a fun and engaging way.
in a fun and engaging way.
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To represent girls
in their different phases of puberty,
in their different phases of puberty,
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we have three characters.
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Pinki, who has not gotten her period yet,
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Jiya who gets her period
during the narrative of the book
during the narrative of the book
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and Mira who has already
been getting her period.
been getting her period.
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There is a fourth character, Priya Didi.
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Through her, girls come to know
about the various aspects of growing up
about the various aspects of growing up
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and menstrual hygiene management.
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While making the book, we took great care
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that none of the illustrations
were objectionable in any way
were objectionable in any way
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and that it is culturally sensitive.
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During our prototype testing,
we found that the girls loved the book.
we found that the girls loved the book.
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They were keen on reading it
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and knowing more and more
about periods on their own.
about periods on their own.
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Parents and teachers were
comfortable in talking about periods
comfortable in talking about periods
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to young girls using the book,
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and sometimes even boys
were interested in reading it.
were interested in reading it.
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(Laughter)
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(Applause)
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The comic book helped
in creating an environment
in creating an environment
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where menstruation ceased to be a taboo.
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Many of the volunteers took this prototype
themselves to educate girls
themselves to educate girls
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and take menstrual awareness workshops
in five different states in India.
in five different states in India.
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And one of the volunteers
took this prototype to educate young monks
took this prototype to educate young monks
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and took it to this monastery in Ladakh.
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We made the final version of the book,
called "Menstrupedia Comic"
called "Menstrupedia Comic"
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and launched in September last year.
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And so far,
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more than 4,000 girls have been
educated by using the book in India and --
educated by using the book in India and --
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(Applause)
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Thank you.
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(Applause)
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And 10 different countries.
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We are constantly translating the book
into different languages
into different languages
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and collaborating with local organizations
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to make this book available
in different countries.
in different countries.
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15 schools in different parts of India
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have made this book
a part of their school curriculum
a part of their school curriculum
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to teach girls about menstruation.
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(Applause)
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I am amazed to see how volunteers,
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individuals, parents,
teachers, school principals,
teachers, school principals,
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have come together
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and taken this menstrual awareness
drive to their own communities,
drive to their own communities,
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have made sure that the girls
learn about periods at the right age
learn about periods at the right age
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and helped in breaking this taboo.
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I dream of a future
where menstruation is not a curse,
where menstruation is not a curse,
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not a disease,
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but a welcoming change in a girl's life.
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And I would --
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(Applause)
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And I would like to end this
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with a small request
to all the parents here.
to all the parents here.
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Dear parents,
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if you would be ashamed of periods,
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your daughters would be, too.
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So please be period positive.
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(Laughter)
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Thank you.
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(Applause)
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ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Aditi Gupta - Social entrepreneur, co-founder of MenstrupediaAditi Gupta uses storytelling and art to educate young girls about menstruation.
Why you should listen
Aditi Gupta is a social entrepreneur and co-founder of Menstrupedia, working towards spreading awareness about menstruation. While studying at the National Institute of Design as a Ford Foundation research scholar, she has conducted extensive research in understanding the scenario of menstrual unawareness in India and its impact on a girl's life. She has designed effective educational tools for girls and schools using storytelling and sequential art for educating young girls about periods in a society where the subject is a major taboo.
Menstrupedia Comic is a complete guide on periods designed by Menstrupedia team being used by more than 30 schools across India. The books are being distributed in other countries like Nepal, South America and Nigeria.
Gupta is a World Economic Forum Global Shaper and made it to the achiever's list of Forbes India 30 under 30 in 2014 for her work towards breaking the taboo around menstruation. She is a International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) alumni. Her work has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, Reuters, CNBC and BBC. She aspires to create a future where menstruation is not a taboo but a welcoming change in a girl's life.
Aditi Gupta | Speaker | TED.com