The topic of menstruation has always been a taboo talk in our society. If anyone finds out that the girl is on her menses; she is made to feel embarrassed and treated like an untouchable. They are refrained from entering the temple, eating in separate utensils, staying in separate rooms, etc.
But now times are changing and women are putting up strong protests against these issues. The society should understand that menstruation is just a normal biological process taking place inside a female body. One growing girl also faced the same issue like many other million girls in India but later she decided to change things to make people aware about menstruation.
We as society believe in many myths and people like Menstrupedia founder Aditi Gupta , creating awareness and it is one of the creative approaches for women’s health . The most important thing is that this comic book contains medically correct information.
About Menstrupedia
Menstrupedia came into existence because Aditi Gupta herself faced some issues regarding menstruation. The idea to teach young girls about menstrual cycle through comic books while keeping the cultural and society sentiments in mind was the idea of Aditi Gupta. Menstrupedia was co-founded by Tuhin Pal and Rajat Mittal as well.
The message regarding menstruation is portrayed through light conversations between characters such as Priya , Pinki , Jiya and Mira. Moreover, the stories written in comic style is adapted from real life experiences. The colourful illustrative attracts the young minds for a better and easy understanding of such a sensitive topic.
The comic books are available in 14 different languages and many NGOs use it to educate the young minds about menstruation. The website also has options for donation and question – answer forums as well.
If you have any child aged around 8 to 12 years you can checkout below the links and maybe you want to share these links with your child or maybe you want to purchase a Menstrupedia comic book for your child. As mentioned earlier this comic book contains medically correct information and so if you are a parent , you need not have to worry about the comic content.
- English Comic – https://www.menstrupedia.com/comic/english
- Hindi Comic – https://www.menstrupedia.com/comic/hindi
- Hello Periods (English) – The Complete Guide to Periods for Girls – https://youtu.be/qUNTtn1WPEw
- Hello Periods (Hindi) – The Complete Guide to Periods for Girls – https://youtu.be/QiqWmLBXoz8
Aditi Gupta – The woman who started Menstrupedia
Like most of us, Aditi also faced problems during her menstrual days. She was born in Garhwa, in Jharkhand, India. She completed her graduation in engineering and post-graduation in New Media Design from National Institute of Design.
She founded the Menstrupedia Comic in 2012 , along with her husband Tuhin Pal. Both Aditi and Tuhin were notable alumni from National Institute of Design and decided to work together on a project to bring awareness among the young girls regarding the topic of menstruation.
- https://youtu.be/qm0isl11BfY – A taboo-free way to talk about periods | Aditi Gupta | TEDxGatewayWomen
- https://youtu.be/CHuQt7cIhEQ – Tejasvini: Interaction with Aditi Gupta
- https://youtu.be/bpROqmb5I8k – Can a comic book overcome India’s menstruation taboo?
- https://youtu.be/OcJ6KTF7nmc – Shattering Menstrual Taboos with a Wonderful Comic Book
How did Menstrupedia come into existence?
When Aditi started menstruating then she had particularly no idea about it. Belonging to a conservative family , she was not allowed to buy sanitary napkins and used rags instead. She was not allowed to buy sanitary napkins and used rags instead. She bought her first sanitary napkin at the age of fifteen.
But as she grew up , she realised how this biological process is being treated like a catastrophe happening with girls. She became very determined to bring positive changes regarding it and make sure every girl spends tension free days during this time. She took up the topic of menstruation as her research subject and along with the help of her husband and co- founder of Menstrupedia Tuhin Paul , visited many schools and NGOs to know how things are dealt with there.
She realised that a reliable and accessible source of information was required so that menstrual awareness could be spread among all young girls. Her research topic on menstruation became the building blocks for Menstrupedia.
Conducting Workshops
“Hello Periods” is an education video that is used to train people on how to conduct menstrual awareness workshops among young girls. It is essential that a Menstrupedia comic book is available for every girl throughout the workshop for better grasping of the subject.
During this workshop , all the important information regarding periods is covered along with fun , engaging activities , interactive sessions and all questions are answered on spot.
Gulu – An essential guide to puberty for boys
Not only girls have to face certain changes when they hit puberty , but boys also have to go through different kinds of feelings during their early teen years. Gulu covers all the sensitive topics regarding masturbation, physical attraction, addiction to bad habits which young boys may find hesitant to discuss with others.
Just like young girls need to be guided in a proper manner regarding reproductive health and other issues, so do young boys need some awareness regarding this topic.
This comic book explains the common issues faced by young boys during puberty in a healthy and fun-loving manner.
You can check out "Gulu" Comic on Menstrupedia Website: https://www.menstrupedia.com/gulu
Conclusion
Women like Aditi Gupta need special recognition in our society. She never gave up on tough situations and in spite of facing many critical and negative reviews , she continued to work for the betterment of society. Inspite of facing criticism ,this digital comic book has been appreciated by everyone across the globe and is the best guide for young girls.
The website hits lakhs of visitors every month.She is an inspiration to millions of girls all across the world. She is really an inspiration and mentor to million girls all across the world.
