I was playing with my friends in the field in front of my house when I felt a sudden uneasiness in me accompanied by a pain in my lower abdomen. I went to the washroom to see my panty strained with blood. I thought I had a minor cut due to excessive playing and applied borolin (Bengali households all round champ for minor cuts and wounds).
A desperate child for whom a minute loss from her evening play time meant a lot. So, I decided to get back to the field without telling anyone anything. After a while the uneasiness continued so I rushed to the Washroom again. This time ,I have more blood , rolling almost down my thigh . I rushed to my mother who gave me a rather surprised look because I never came home uncalled, rather always had the tendency of over staying. I told her of what just happened to me. She just smiled and handed me carefree, called my auntie and asked her to teach me how to use them.
Now every four days a month I was not allowed to clean the prayer room and sometimes I used it as an excuse because I did not want to clean the room. In case we visited any temple I would wait outside while others would gather all the blessings that you get only by entering the temple inside. :P. Every month I asked my mother to ask Dad (BABA) to buy me pads, but never myself because I was taught discussing periods with males even my father was a disrespect to him.
My mother's life is a constant battle between modern ideas from the innumerable books she reads and her traditional upbringing. Thanks to my mother I did not have to follow or undergo any other strange procedure that children in many parts of my county had to.
I never took the logic of " being impure" during periods. So, I often asked my mother do you think we are impure when we menstruate? My mom promptly replied "NO". The oblivious question followed: Why do you practice the ritual then? She never answered and sometimes said because that's how it is suppose to be.
Years later today when I am thirty, I found out a logical answer after reading a couple of books:
In the early days women used to help their husband in the fields, lived in joint families and had many children which resulted in a lot of work. Also in that time there wasn't sanitary napkin available. So, probably by barring her from entering the kitchen or visiting the temples was a way of giving her rest which today transformed into one of the evil practices In the society.
It surprises me to think that though we have reached Mars, travel around the world in few hours instead of days, see each other no matter which part of the world we are but our thoughts have not changed.
It is a humble request to everyone : Please talk to the little girls about periods if possible to boys too so that they are used to the biological phenomenon and don't find them wired or something that draws extra interest. Let the girls know about it and prepare them mentally to embrace it when it happens.
PERIODS are okay to be discussed over dinner and it has got nothing to do with impurity. It is a natural biological process that empowers women with the power to create life.
Watch this video from utube:
If you have a story of your own about this Societal Taboo please mention. Let us discuss and spread our discussion till people accepts it to be a normal biological process.
I am glad that I have finally taken one step ahead by writing and discussing about PERIODS openly in public form. I wouldn't have done this probably a year back.
So, cheers to me for overcoming my fear of being judged!
