A taboo-free way to talk about periods | Aditi Gupta

Translator: Heli Paudel Reviewer: Guhanath Paudel गुहनाथ पौडेल

Periods.

महिनावारी

रगतका टाटा

Blood.

Menstruation.

मासिकश्राव

Gross.

बढाइचढाइ

Secret.

गोप्य

Hidden.

गोपनीय

Why?

आखिर के कारण ?

A natural biological process

एउटा प्राकृतिक जैविक प्रक्रिया

that every girl and woman goes through every month

जसलाई हरेक युवती अथवा महिलाले हरेक महीना यसै गरेर

for about half of her life.

आफ्नो आधाजस्तो उमेर पार गर्नुपर्छ,

A phenomenon that is so significant

एउटा सार्थक अनि शाश्वत प्रक्रिया

that the survival and propagation of our species depends on it.

जसमा हामी र हाम्रा प्रजातिको

अस्तित्व निर्भर गर्दछ ।

Yet we consider it a taboo.

तैपनि यसलाई लाजको रुपमा हेरिन्छ

We feel awkward and shameful talking about it.

यस विषयमा कुरा गर्न अप्ठ्यारो र

सरम महशूस हुन्छ

When I got my first periods,

म पहिलोपटक रजस्वला हुँदा ,

I was told to keep it a secret from others --

यो कुरालाइ गोप्य राख्न लगाइयो,

even from my father and brother.

आफ्नै बुबा र दाजुभाइबाट समेत

Later when this chapter appeared in our textbooks,

पछि स्कूलमा यो विषय आउँदा

our biology teacher skipped the subject.

जीवविज्ञानको शिक्षकले यो पाठ नै पढाउनुभएन|

(Laughter)

(लामो हाँसो )

तपाईलाइ थाहा छ,

You know what I learned from it?

यी घटनाबाट मैलेके सिकें?

I learned that it is really shameful to talk about it.

मैले सिकें -

महिनावारीको बारेमा कुरा गर्नु

लाजलाग्दो बिषय हो ।

I learned to be ashamed of my body.

मैले आफ्नै शरीरसँग

सरम मान्न सिकें ।

I learned to stay unaware of periods

महिनावारीसँग अन्जान रहन सिकें,

in order to stay decent.

ताकि म सभ्य मानिसमा गनिन सकुँ ।

Research in various parts of India

भारतका विभिन्न स्थानमा

गरिएको अनुसन्धान अनुसार,

shows that three out of every 10 girls are not aware of menstruation

१० मा ३ जना युवतीहरु

पहिलोपटक रजश्वला हुँदासम्म पनि

at the time of their first periods.

यो के हो भन्ने विषयमा अन्जान छन् ।

And in some parts of Rajasthan

अझ राजस्थानका केही भागहरुमा

this number is as high as nine out of 10 girls being unaware of it.

यो संख्या अझ बिकराल छ

१० मा ९ बालिकालाइ आफूलाई

यो के भैरहेको छ भन्ने पनि थाहा छैन ।

You'd be surprised to know

तपाइलाई यो सुन्दा आश्चर्य लाग्ला

that most of the girls that I have spoken to,

मैले कुरा गरेका अधिकांश युवतीहरु,

who did not know about periods at the time of their first menstruation

पहिलो पटक रजस्वला हुँदासम्म पनि

यती अन्जान थिए, महिनावारीको रगत देखेर

thought that they have got blood cancer

"मलाई ब्लड क्यान्सर भएछ,

अब मर्छु कि क्या हो"

and they're going to die soon.

भनेर आत्तिएका थिए ।

Menstrual hygiene is a very important risk factor

प्रजन प्रणालीमा हुनसक्ने

संक्रमणको प्रमुख कारण

for reproductive tract infections.

महिनावारी हुँदा गरिने सरसफाइ हो ।

But in India, only 12 percent of girls and women

तर भारतमा,

केवल १२% बालिका तथा महिलाहरुसँग मात्रै

have access to hygienic ways of managing their periods.

महिनावारी हुँदा आवश्यक पर्ने

स्वच्छ तरिकाको पहुँच छ ।

If you do the math,

यदि हिसाब गरि हेर्ने हो भने,

88 percent of girls and women use unhygienic ways to manage their periods.

८८% बालिका तथा महिलाहरु

रजस्वला हुँदा

अस्वस्थ तरिका अपनाउन बाध्य छन् ।

I was one of them.

त्यस्तैहरुमध्ये म पनि एक हुँ ।

I grew up in a small town called Garhwa, in Jharkhand,

म झारखण्डको एउटा सानो सहर

गडवाहामा हुर्किएकी हुँ,

where even buying a sanitary napkin is considered shameful.

जहाँ स्यानीटरी न्याप्किन किन्नु

लाजमर्दो मानिन्छ ।

So when I started getting my periods,

तेसैले, महिनावारी हुन थालेदेखि म -

I began with using rags.

कपडा (टालो) प्रयोग गर्न थालें ।

After every use I would wash and reuse them.

हरेक महिनावारी पछि त्यो टालो

सफा गरेर राख्थें र

अर्को पटक फेरी प्रयोग गर्थें ।

But to store them,

महिनावारी भएको कसैले थाहा नपाउन्

I would hide and keep it in a dark, damp place

भनेर त्यो टालो अँध्यारो कुनामा

so that nobody finds out that I'm menstruating.

कसैले नदेख्ने गरी लुकाउथें ।

Due to repeated washing the rags would become coarse,

बारम्बारको प्रयोगले त्यो कपडा

खस्रो हुँदै गयो अनि पाछेर फोका उठ्ने

and I would often get rashes and infections using them.

र संक्रमण हुन थाल्यो ।

I wore these already for five years until I moved out of that town.

झन्डै ५ बर्ष, अर्को शहर नगएसम्म

तेस्तै टालो प्रयोग गरिरहें ।

Another issue that periods brought in my life

महिनावारीले मेरो जीवनमा

अर्को एउटा विषय उठायो -

those of the social restrictions

बालिका तथा महिलाहरुमाथि गरिने

that are imposed upon our girls and women when they're on their periods.

सामाजिक दुर्व्यवहार ।

I think you all must be aware of it,

तपाईहरुलाई यो कुरा थाहा छ

तैपनि, थाहा नहुनेहरूको लागि

but I'll still list it for the few who don't.

केहि बुँदाहरु भन्न गइरहेको छु -

I was not allowed to touch or eat pickles.

रजस्वला भएको बेलामा मलाई

अचार छुन वा खान अनुमति थिएन

I was not allowed to sit on the sofa or some other family member's bed.

सोफामा बस्न दिइन्न थियो

न त परिवारका सदस्यहरुको खाटमा बस्न नै ।

I had to wash my bed sheet after every period,

हरेकपल्टको महिनावारिपछी

ओछ्यानको खोल, तन्ना धुनै पर्दथ्यो,

even if it was not stained.

चाहे कुनै दाग होस् वा नहोस्।

I was considered impure

मलाई अपवित्र मानिन्थ्यो,

and forbidden from worshipping or touching any object of religious importance.

मलाई कुनै पनि पूजा-आजामा भाग लिन

वा पूजा सामाग्री छुन बन्देज थियो ।

You'll find signposts outside temples

मंदिर बाहिर साइनबोर्ड नै देख्नसक्नुहुन्छ

महिनावारी भएकाहरु प्रवेश निषेध

denying the entry of menstruating girls and women.

Ironically,

दुखको कुरा, धेरै जस्तो

most of the time it is the older woman

घरका बुढापाका महिलाहरु नै

who imposes such restrictions on younger girls in a family.

यस्ता नियम पालना गर्न लगाऊछन् ।

After all, they have grown up accepting such restrictions as norms.

आफूले जस्तो भोगे, अरुलाई तेस्तै गराए ।

And in the absence of any intervention,

नयाँ विचारको अभावमा

it is the myth and misconception

पुराना कुसंस्कार नै संस्कार बनेर

that propagate from generation to generation.

एउटा पुस्ताबाट अर्को पुस्तामा सर्दैछ ।

During my years of work in this field,

यस क्षेत्रमा कामको अवधिमा मैले

I have even come across stories

यस्ता घटनाहरु धेरै भेटेकी छु

where girls have to eat and wash their dishes separately.

जहाँ, महिलाहरुलाई खाने देखि

भाँडा सफासमेत छुट्टै बसेर गर्नुपर्छ

They're not allowed to take baths during periods,

कतिपय घरमा महिनावारी भएकाहरुले

and in some households they are even secluded from other family members.

नुहाउन नपाउने, परिवारदेखि

भिन्नै राखिने समेत चलन छ ।

About 85 percent of girls and women in India

भारतका ८५% बालिका तथा महिलाहरु

would follow one or more restrictive customs on their periods every month.

महिनावारी हुँदा कुनै न कुनै चलनले

पीड़ित भएकै हुन्छन्

Can you imagine what this does

बिचार गर्नुहोस् त, यस्तो चलनले

to the self-esteem and self-confidence of a young girl?

एउटा युवतीको आत्म-सम्मान र आत्म-विश्वासमा

कस्तो असर पार्छ होला ?

The psychological trauma that this inflicts,

बढ्दो उमेरमा यसले पार्नसक्ने

affecting her personality,

मनोबैज्ञानिक असरले उनको व्यक्तित्व,

शैक्षिक प्रगतिमा

her academic performance

and every single aspect of growing up during her early formative years?

कति नकारात्मक असर पार्ला ?

I religiously followed all these restrictive customs for 13 years,

यी अन्धविश्वासी चलनहरु मैले पनि

१३ वर्ष पालना गरें ।

until a discussion with my partner, Tuhin,

र मैले साथी "तुहिन"

लाई भेटे पछि, उसँगको छलफल पछि,

changed my perception about menstruation forever.

महिनावारी प्रतिको मेरो धारणा बदलियो ।

In 2009, Tuhin and I were pursuing our postgraduation in design.

सन् २००९ को कुरा हो, तुहिन र म -

डिजाइन विषयमा स्नातक गर्दै थियौं ।

We fell in love with each other

हामी एक अर्कालाई मनपराउन थाल्यौं।

and I was at ease discussing periods with him.

उ सँगको सामिप्यले मलाई उ सँग खुलेर

कुरा गर्न सजिलो भयो ।

Tuhin knew little about periods.

तुहिनलाई महिनावारीको विषयमा

अलिअलि मात्रै थाहा रहेछ ।

(Laughter)

(हाँसो)

He was astonished to know that girls get painful cramps

हरेक महीना रजस्वला हुँदा

महिलाहरुको तल्लोपेट बेस्सरी दुख्छ र

and we bleed every month.

रगत पनि बग्छ भन्ने सुनेर

(Laughter)

उसलाई अचम्म लाग्यो ।

(हाँसो)

Yeah.

He was completely shocked to know

रजस्वला हुँदा महिलाहरुमाथि परिवार

about the restrictions that are imposed upon menstruating girls and women

र समाजबाटै हुने दुर्व्यहारको

by their own families and their society.

बारेमा सुनेर उ स्तब्ध भयो !!

In order to help me with my cramps,

उ, रजस्वला हुँदाको

he would go on the Internet and learn more about menstruation.

मेरो दुखाइलाई कम गर्ने उपाय

इन्टरनेटमा खोज्न थाल्यो ।

When he shared his findings with me,

उसले थाहा पाएको कुरा मलाई सुनाउँदा

I realized how little I knew about menstruation myself.

थाहा भयो, मलाई नै रजस्वलाको बारेमा

कति कम थाहा रहेछ ।

And many of my beliefs actually turned out to be myths.

कतिपय मेरा विश्वासहरु अन्धविश्वास मात्र रहेछन्।

That's when we wondered:

मेरो मनमा यस्तो विचार उठ्यो,

if we, being so well educated,

यति पढ़े लेखेको हुँदा त महिनावारीको बारेमा

were so ill-informed about menstruation,

गलत जानकारी रहेछ भने,

there would be millions of girls out there who would be ill-informed, too.

संसारमा यस्ता लाखौ युवतीहरु होलान्

जसलाई महिनावारीको बारेमा

अति कम जानकारी होला ।

To study --

समाजमा महिनावारीको बारेमा किन चर्चा

to understand the problem better,

I undertook a year-long research to study the lack of awareness about menstruation

गरिँदैन र किन यसलाई लाजको रुपमा हेरिन्छ,

यो पत्ता लगाउन मैले १ बर्षे रिसर्च थालेँ

and the root cause behind it.

While it is generally believed

साधारणतया, महिनावारीको विषयमा

that menstrual unawareness and misconception is a rural phenomenon,

अज्ञान तथा गलत धारणा

ग्रामीण परिवेशमा मात्रै छ भन्ने लाग्छ ।

during my research,

तर मैलेअध्ययनको क्रममा के थाहा पाएँ भने,

I found that it is as much an urban phenomenon as well.

यो समस्या शहरी क्षेत्रमा पनि उस्तै छ ।

And it exists with the educated urban class, also.

पढेलेखेका शहरी क्षेत्रका

मान्छेको धारणा पनि उस्तै छ ।

While talking to many parents and teachers,

धेरै अभिभावक तथा शिक्षकहरुसँग

छलफल गर्दा के थाहा भयो भने,

I found that many of them actually wanted to educate girls about periods

उनीहरु पनि उमेर पुगेका युवतीहरुलाई बेलैमा

रजस्वलाको बारेमा जानकारी दिन त चाहन्छन,

before they have started getting their menstrual cycle.

And --

तर समाजले लाजको रुपमा हेरेको यो विषयमा

but they lacked the proper means themselves.

And since it is a taboo,

उपाय नपाएर विवश रहेछन् ।

they feel inhibition and shameful in talking about it.

Girls nowadays get their periods in classes six and seven,

अचेलका युवतीहरुको कक्षा ६ वा ७ मा

पढ्दादेखि नै महिनावारी हुन थाल्छ ।

but our educational curriculum

तर हाम्रो पाठ्यक्रममा रजस्वलाको बारेमा

teaches girls about periods only in standard eight and nine.

कक्षा ८/९ मा मात्रै पढ़ाइन्छ ।

And since it is a taboo,

अप्ठ्यारो मानेर शिक्षकहरुले

यो पाठ नै पढ़ाउदैनन् ।

teachers still skip the subject altogether.

So school does not teach girls about periods,

विद्यालयमा महिनावारीको विषयमा पढाइ नै हुदैन ,

अविभावकहरु यस विषयमा कुरै गर्दैनन,

parents don't talk about it.

Where do the girls go?

अनि युवतीहरुले थाहा पाउने कहाँबाट ?

Two decades ago and now --

२ दशक अघिको र अहिलेको अवस्थामा

nothing has changed.

केही परिवर्तन छैन ।

I shared these finding with Tuhin and we wondered:

यही कुरा मैले तुहिनलाई सुनाएँ र

What if we could create something

हामीले सोच्यौं केही यस्तो काम गर्नपाए हुन्थ्यो,

that would help girls understand about menstruation on their own --

जसको मद्धतले केटीहरु आफैले

महिनावारीको विषयमा बुझ्न सकून्,

something that would help parents and teachers

कुनै यस्तो तरीका, जसले

अभिभावक एवं शिक्षकहरुलाई

talk about periods comfortably to young girls?

युवतीहरुसँग महिनावारीको विषयमा

छलफल गर्न सहज बनावोस् ।

During my research,

मेरो रिसर्चको क्रममा मैले धेरै नै घटनाहरु

I was collecting a lot of stories.

जम्मा गरेको छू । यी घटनाहरु

These were stories of experiences of girls during their periods.

युवतीहरुले महिनावारी हुँदा भोगेका हुन् ।

These stories would make girls curious and interested

आफैले भोगेका विषयमा आफ्नो समूहमा

कुराकानी गर्न सबैलाई उत्सुकता लाग्छ ।

in talking about menstruation in their close circle.

That's what we wanted.

हो, हामीले चाहेको यस्तै हो ।

We wanted something that would make the girls curious

हामी यिनै कथाहरुलाई लिएर युवतीहरुको मनमा

and drive them to learn about it.

उत्सुकता बढाउँदै रजस्वलाको बारेमा

जानकारी दिन सक्छौं ।

We wanted to use these stories to teach girls about periods.

हामीले यिनै कथाहरुहरुलाई जानकारीको

स्रोतको रुपमा उपयोग गर्ने विचार गर्यौं ।

So we decided to create a comic book,

हामीले एउटा 'कमिक' बनाउने निर्णय गर्यौ ।

where the cartoon characters would enact these stories

कार्टूनका चरित्रहरुले नाटकीयरुपमा

यी कथाहरुलाई प्रस्तुत गरेर

and educate girls about menstruation in a fun and engaging way.

युवतीहरुलाई महिनावारीको विषयमा

रमाइलो ढंगले जानकारी गराउन सक्छ ।

To represent girls in their different phases of puberty,

युवतीहरुको यौवनावस्थाका

बिभिन्न चरणहरुको प्रतिनिधित्वगर्न

we have three characters.

हामी संग ३ वटा पात्र छन् -

Pinki, who has not gotten her period yet,

पिंकी - जसको अहिले सम्म

महिनावारी सुरुभएको छैन ।

Jiya who gets her period during the narrative of the book

जिया - कमिक पढ्दै जाने क्रममा

उसको पहिलो महिनावारी हुन्छ ।

and Mira who has already been getting her period.

मीरा - उसको पहिलेनै

महिनावारी सुरु भइसकेको छ ।

There is a fourth character, Priya Didi.

कथामा चौथो चरित्र पनि छ - प्रिया दिदी

उनकै माध्यमले केटीहरुले

Through her, girls come to know about the various aspects of growing up

बढ्दो उमेर तथा महिनावारीको

and menstrual hygiene management.

सरसफाई व्यवस्थापनको बारेमा

जानकारी पाउछन् ।

While making the book, we took great care

कमिक बनाउने क्रममा हामीले

that none of the illustrations were objectionable in any way

कुनै पनि चित्रले कतैबाट प्रश्न नउठोस्

वा सांस्कृतिक भावनामा चोट नपुगोस्

and that it is culturally sensitive.

भन्ने कुरामा खूब ध्यान दिएका छौं ।

During our prototype testing, we found that the girls loved the book.

किताब छापेर नमुनाको रुपमा पठाउँदा

युवतीहरुले किताब खूब मन पराएको पायौँ ।

They were keen on reading it

उनीहरु त्यो किताब पढ़ेर महिनावारीको बारेमा

and knowing more and more about periods on their own.

आफैं थाहा पाउन उत्सुक देखिन्थे ।

Parents and teachers were comfortable in talking about periods

अविभावक तथा शिक्षकहरु सोही किताबले

महिनावारीको विषयमा छलफल गर्न

to young girls using the book,

सहज महसूस गर्दै थिए ।

and sometimes even boys were interested in reading it.

कहिले काही केटाहरु समेत

सो किताब पढ्न उत्सुक देखिन्थे ।

(Laughter)

(हाँसो)

(Applause)

(ताली)

The comic book helped in creating an environment

कमिकले महिनावारीप्रतिको

संकोच हटाउने वातावरण बनाउन मद्धत गर्यो ।

where menstruation ceased to be a taboo.

Many of the volunteers took this prototype themselves to educate girls

कतिपय स्वयंसेवकहरुले यही नमूना लिएर

युवतीहरुमा महिनावारीको

and take menstrual awareness workshops in five different states in India.

सतर्कता जगाउने कार्यशाला संचालन गर्न

भारतका विभिन्न ५ क्षेत्रहरुमा गए ।

And one of the volunteers took this prototype to educate young monks

यही नमूना किताब लिएर एकजना स्वयंसेवकले

लद्दाखका युवा भिक्षुणीहरुलाई समेत

and took it to this monastery in Ladakh.

महिनावारीको बारेमा जानकारी गराए ।

We made the final version of the book, called "Menstrupedia Comic"

हामीले यो कमिकको पछिल्लो संस्करण -

महिनावारीको कमिक नाममा

and launched in September last year.

गत वर्षको सेप्टेम्बरमा प्रकाशित गर्यौ ।

And so far,

र अहिले सम्ममा भारतका ४००० भन्दा बढ़ी

more than 4,000 girls have been educated by using the book in India and --

युवतीहरुले यो किताब पढिसकेका छन् ।

(Applause)

(ताली)

Thank you.

धन्यवाद !!

(Applause)

(ताली)

And 10 different countries.

हामी स्थानीय संगठनहरुसंग मिलेर

We are constantly translating the book into different languages

यो किताबलाई विभिन्न भाषामा अनुवाद गरेर

and collaborating with local organizations

अन्य १० देशमा उपलब्ध गराउदै छौ ।

to make this book available in different countries.

15 schools in different parts of India

भारतका विभिन्न क्षेत्रका १५ स्कूलहरुले

have made this book a part of their school curriculum

युवावर्गलाई महिनावारीबारे जानकारी दिने

पाठ्यसामग्रीको रुपमा

to teach girls about menstruation.

आफनो पाठ्यक्रममा समावेश गरेका छन् ।

(Applause)

(ताली)

I am amazed to see how volunteers,

मलाई गर्वलाग्छ हाम्रो प्रयासप्रति

जब देख्छु - विभिन्न स्वयंसेवकहरु,

individuals, parents, teachers, school principals,

व्यक्तिहरु, अभिभावक,

शिक्षक, प्रधानअध्यापकहरु सबै एकजुट भएर

have come together

and taken this menstrual awareness drive to their own communities,

आफ्नो समुदायका युवतीहरुले सही उमेरमै

have made sure that the girls learn about periods at the right age

महिनावारीको जानकारी प्राप्त गरुन् भन्दै

and helped in breaking this taboo.

यसप्रतिको संकोच हटाउन लागिपर्नुभएको देख्दा

I dream of a future where menstruation is not a curse,

एउटा यस्तो भविष्यको कल्पना गरौँ ,

जहाँ महिनावारी कुनै अभिशाप, कुनै रोग नभएर

not a disease,

but a welcoming change in a girl's life.

युवतीहरुको जीवनमा आउने एउटा सकारात्मक

परिवर्तनको रुपमा स्वीकार गरिन्छ

And I would --

(ताली)

(Applause)

And I would like to end this

यहाँ आउनुभएका सबै अभिभावकहरुलाई

with a small request to all the parents here.

सानो अनुरोध गर्दै, बिदा माग्न चाहन्छु

Dear parents,

प्रिय अभिभावकहरु !

if you would be ashamed of periods,

रजश्वलाको बारेमा कुरा गर्न

लाज मान्नुहुन्छ भने,

your daughters would be, too.

तपाईका छोरीहरु पनि त्यसैको सिको गर्नेछन् ।

So please be period positive.

त्यसैले, रजस्वला सकारात्मक बनिदिनुहोस्

(Laughter)

धन्यवाद ! !

Thank you.

(ताली)

(Applause)