Known As Assam's Pad Woman, This Reformer Is Breaking Taboos Around Menstruation For Good

In 2017, an 18-year-old girl from Assam's Baram area lost her life after complaining of severe stomach pain soon after an abnormal swelling. The reason was found to be a parasite that was quite literally eating her up from the inside.

The parasite was able to enter her body through the unhygienic cotton cloth that she was using during her periods. Her mother instructed her not to dry the cotton cloth on the rod outside since people would see it and it would look indecent. Hence, she took to drying it in the shade. This served as a breeding ground for the parasite that ultimately killed her.

The shame about menstruation and the taboo surrounding it- a common thread seen across India - infuriates Aimoni Tumung.

Aimoni, known as the Pad Woman of Assam, says, "Such instances happen because people are unaware about menstrual hygiene. Why is menstruation such a taboo topic? Why do we need to hide it from others? Why do we neglect our menstrual health?," speaking to IndiaTimes.

To counter such taboos, today, Aimoni makes it a point to raise awareness about menstrual health and hygiene, speaking about the issue whenever given an opportunity to be heard.

Aimoni Tumung, known as the Pad Woman of Assam

She also makes reusable sanitary pads with cotton cloth stitched by women from underprivileged backgrounds at her Parijat Academy.

A reusable, washable pad stitched by local women

It all began with an NGO named Days for Girls, which focuses on menstrual equity, health, dignity and opportunity for all.

In July 2017, a few volunteers from Florida working with Days for Girls visited Parijat Academy, a school and residential centre for underprivileged children in Pamohi, run by Aimoni and her husband, Teron.

The Days for Girls NGO stitches cotton pads and distributes them to needy women worldwide. Their idea was initially to involve the local village women in making pads.

Parijat Academy, which has been functional since 2003, is not just a school cum residential centre but also a training centre where women are taught tailoring and making handicraft items.

Women of Parijat Academy involved in tailoring

On visiting Parijat Academy and seeing the women involved in tailoring, the volunteers from the NGO had a unique idea to teach them how to sew cotton pads.

The women, well-versed in tailoring, picked up the skill in a day. And thus started the journey of making reusable sanitary pads using cotton cloth.

The pads have two parts ¨C a shield and a liner, besides a leak-proof polyurethane laminate fabric tucked inside.

Making of reusable and washable sanitary pads at Parijat Academy

These are sold to NGOs which then distribute them further. Parijat Academy too distributes these pads for free to underprivileged women.

A hygienic method of menstrual protection is crucial for women's health

In India, 50% of women still use cloth during their period, according to the National Family Health Survey-5 (2019-21). This number is even higher in Assam, where 69.1% of women use cloth.

Further, as compared to 90 per cent of urban women who use a hygienic method of menstrual protection, only 73% do so in rural areas.

The report states that using a hygienic method of menstrual protection is crucial for women's health and personal hygiene.

Aimoni says that in backward areas like Garbhanga village of Guwahati, women did not even own panties till a while back - Parijat Academy had to hold drives to procure enough panties to distribute among them.

"So, in such villages, where women don't even own undergarments, a pad is unheard of!" says Aimoni.

Even if they are aware of pads, the cost is such that they are unaffordable for women from poor backgrounds. Such rural women from underprivileged backgrounds are the focus of the reusable sanitary pads initiative pioneered by Assam's Pad Woman.

An attempt to challenge menstrual taboos

These pads are cheap, biodegradable and last for 3 years. So, they are not only saving women but also saving our environment.

A natural right which every woman should have

Aimoni believes in the power of education to bring awareness.

Through Parijat Academy, along with her husband, she has been focusing on educating children from these villages so that they can aspire to have a better livelihood.

Government data have also pointed out the relevance of education. The NFHS-5 states that women with 12 or more years of schooling are more than twice as likely to use a hygienic method as women without education (90% versus 44%).

Today, Aimoni holds awareness programmes and speaks openly about menstruation.

A Pad Revolution led by Aimoni Tumung

She says, "People do not talk openly about menstruation, which leads to a number of misconceptions. There is so much taboo around it that even today, shopkeepers wrap a packet of sanitary napkins in a black plastic packet in order to hide it, lest anyone know that the woman is on her period."

"Without menstruation, there would be no human race. It is something that happens to a woman every month, and yet we hide it; we neglect it. This is a natural right that every woman should have. We need to be able to talk about it without any shame," she tells IndiaTimes.

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