Arunachalam Muruganantham: How I started a sanitary napkin revolution!

Translator: Jenny Zurawell Reviewer: Thu-Huong Ha

譯者: I-Hsiang Lin 審譯者: Chen-Han Hsiao

So I tried to do a small good thing for my wife.

我試著幫我太太做件小善事。

It makes me to stand here,

結果將我送上這個舞台，

the fame, the money I got out of it.

我也得到一些名聲和金錢。

So what I did, I'd gone back to my early marriage days.

關於我做的事，這得回溯到我剛結婚的時候，

What you did in the early marriage days,

你剛結婚的時候會做些什麼？

you tried to impress your wife. I did the same.

你試著感動你太太。我也這麼做。

On that occasion, I found my wife

當時的場景是我發現我太太

carrying something like this.

拿著類似這個的東西。

I saw. "What is that?" I asked.

我看到了。我問她：「那是什麼？」

My wife replied, "None of your business."

她回答：「不關你的事。」

Then, being her husband, I ran behind her

身為她的先生，我跑到她後面，

and saw she had a nasty rag cloth.

看見她拿個一塊髒的破布。

I don't even use that cloth to clean my two-wheeler.

我才不會拿那塊布擦我的摩托車。

Then I understood this -- adapting that unhygienic method

接著我了解了 -- 她用那麼不衛生的方法

to manage her period days.

度過她的經期。

Then I immediately asked her, why are you [using] that unhygienic method?

接著我馬上問她：「為什麼你用這麼不衛生的方法？」

She replied, I also know about [sanitary pads],

她說：「我也知道衛生棉這種東西，

but myself and my sisters, if they start using that,

但是如果我還有我的姊妹們開始使用衛生棉，

we have to cut our family milk budget.

我們就必須減少家中買牛奶的開支。」

Then I was shocked. What is the connection between

我聽了很震驚。用衛生棉和買牛奶的錢

using a sanitary pad and a milk budget?

之間有什麼關係？

And it's called affordability.

這就被稱作「負擔能力」。

I tried to impress my new wife by offering her a packet of sanitary pads.

我想給她一盒衛生棉，讓她印象深刻。

I went to a local shop, I tried to buy her a sanitary pad packet.

我去當地一家店舖，試著買一盒衛生棉給她。

That fellow looks left and right,

店員左看右看，

and spreads a newspaper, rolls it into the newspaper,

翻開一張報紙，將衛生棉捲進報紙內，

gives it to me like a banned item, something like that.

把它像違禁品一樣拿給我。

I don't know why. I did not ask for a condom.

我不知道為什麼。我又不是買保險套。

Then I took that pad. I want to see that. What is inside it?

於是我拿著衛生棉。我想要看看裡面是什麼。

The very first time, at the age of 29,

生平第一次，在我29歲的時候，

that day I am touching the sanitary pad, first ever.

我摸了衛生棉

I must know: How many of the guys here have touched a sanitary pad?

我一定要知道，現場有多少男人曾經摸過衛生棉？

They are not going to touch that, because it's not your matter.

他們不會摸啦，因為這不關你們的事。

Then I thought to myself, white substance, made of cotton --

接著我心想，白色材質，由棉花作成，

oh my God, that guy is just using a penny value of raw material --

在店裡面它們以好幾英鎊、好幾美金售出。

inside they are selling for pounds, dollars.

我的天啊，這其中的原料只價值幾分錢啊，

Why not make a local sanitary pad for my new wife?

為什麼不為我的新老婆做個當地的衛生棉呢？

That's how all this started, but after making a sanitary pad,

這就是故事的開始。但是做了一塊衛生棉後，

where can I check it?

我要怎麼測試？

It's not like I can just check it in the lab.

我可不能在實驗室內測試。

I need a woman volunteer. Where can I get one in India?

我需要一個女性自願者。在印度我哪裡找的到？

Even in Bangalore you won't get [one], in India.

即使在印度的班加羅爾你也找不到。

So only problem: the only available victim is my wife.

所以唯一的問題是我太太是唯一可得的受試者。

Then I made a sanitary pad and handed it to Shanti -- my wife's name is Shanti.

接著我做了一塊衛生棉，拿給 Shanti -- 我太太的名字叫做 Shanti。

"Close your eyes. Whatever I give,

「閉上眼睛。不管我給你的是什麼，

it will be not a diamond pendant

它既不是鑽石墜子，

not a diamond ring, even a chocolate,

也不是鑽石戒指，更不是巧克力，

I will give you a surprise with a lot of tinsel paper rolled up with it.

我要給你個用很多金箔紙包起來的驚喜。

Close your eyes."

閉上眼睛。」

Because I tried to make it intimate.

我試著將它變得很親密。

Because it's an arranged marriage, not a love marriage.

因為我們是被指定結婚的，不是因為相愛而結婚的。

(Laughter)

(笑聲)

So one day she said, openly, I'm not going to support this research.

於是有一天她坦白地說她不會支持我的研究。

Then other victims, they got into my sisters.

剩下的受害者就是我的姊妹們。

But even sisters, wives, they're not ready to support in the research.

即使是姊妹和妻子，她們都尚未準備好來支持這項研究。

That's why I am always jealous with the saints in India.

這也是為什麼我總是非常忌妒印度的聖人。

They are having a lot of women volunteers around them.

他們身邊總是有很多女性自願者。

Why I am not getting [any]?

為什麼我連一個都找不到？

You know, without them even calling, they'll get a lot of women volunteers.

你知道嗎，他們連出聲都不用，就會招來很多女性自願者。

Then I used, tried to use the medical college girls.

接著我試著找醫學院的女生。

They also refused. Finally, I decide,

她們也拒絕了。最後，我決定，

use sanitary pad myself.

我要自己用衛生棉。

Now I am having a title like

現在我有個類似

the first man to set foot on the moon.

第一個踏上月球的男人 -- 阿姆斯壯 --

Armstrong. Then Tenzing [and] Hillary, in Everest,

還有第一個登上聖母峰 -- 丹增和希拉瑞 -- 的封號。

like that Muruganantham is the first man

Muruganantham 是地球上

wore a sanitary pad across the globe.

第一個用衛生棉的男人。

I wore a sanitary pad. I filled animal blood in a football bottle,

我用衛生棉。我將動物的血裝在足球瓶中，

I tied it up here, there is a tube going into my panties,

我把它綁高在這裡，有一條管子連到我的內褲，

while I'm walking, while I'm cycling, I made a press,

當我走路，騎腳踏車，我壓一下，

doses of blood will go there.

血就會留下去。

That makes me bow down to any woman in front of me

這讓我跟在我面前的任何女性鞠躬，

to give full respect. That five days I'll never forget --

以展現我對她們的尊敬。我永遠忘不了這五天 --

the messy days, the lousy days, that wetness.

這些混亂，糟糕的日子，還有潮濕。

My God, it's unbelievable.

我的天啊，真是令人不敢相信。

But here the problem is, one company is making napkin

但問題是，有個公司用棉花製造餐巾。

out of cotton. It is working well.

運作得很好。

But I am also trying to make sanitary pad with the good cotton. It's not working.

我也試著用好的棉花製作衛生棉。但是行不通。

That makes me to want to refuse to continue this research and research and research.

這讓我有了放棄繼續研究的念頭。

You need first funds.

首先需要的是資金。

Not only financial crises, but because of the sanitary pad research,

因為衛生棉研究，我有的不只是財務危機，

I come through all sorts of problems, including

還有各種問題，

a divorce notice from my wife.

包括我太太的離婚通知。

Why is this? I used medical college girls.

為什麼？因為我和醫學院女生合作。

She suspects I am using as a trump card

她懷疑這是我用來

to run behind medical college girls.

追醫學院女生的王牌。

Finally, I came to know it is a special cellulose

最後我才了解需要用一種

derived from a pinewood, but even after that,

從松木中萃取出的特殊纖維質，但即使這樣，

you need a multimillion-dollar plant like this

你還是需要像這樣價值價千萬的工廠

to process that material. Again, a stop-up.

來製造原料。又是一個障礙。

Then I spend another four years to create my own

於是我花了四年創造我自己的機器，

machine tools, a simple machine tool like this.

像這樣一台簡單的機器。

In this machine, any rural woman can apply the same

投過它，任何鄉村的女人可以用相同的原料，

raw materials that they are processing in the multinational plant,

像是他們在幾千萬廠房內處理的原料，

anyone can make a world-class napkin at your dining hall.

任何人都可以在你家餐廳製作世界級的餐巾。

That is my invention.

這就是我的發明。

So after that, what I did,

在那之後，我做的事情是這樣的，

usually if anyone got a patent or an invention,

通常如果有人發明了什麼

immediately you want to make, convert into this.

你立刻想要把它申請專利。

I never did this. I dropped it just like this,

我從沒這麼做。我把它像這樣丟下，

because you do this, if anyone runs after money,

因為如果汲汲營營的人這麼做了，

their life will not [have] any beauty. It is boredom.

他們的生命一點都不美麗。有的只是無趣。

A lot of people making a lot of money, billion,

很多人賺了很多錢，幾十億，

billions of dollars accumulating.

累積了幾十億的財富。

Why are they coming for, finally, for philanthropy?

為什麼最後他們要投身於慈善事業？

Why the need for accumulating money, then doing philanthropy?

為什麼需要累積財富，然後做慈善事業？

What if one decided to start philanthropy from the day one?

如果有人第一天就決定要做慈善事業會是怎麼樣？

That's why I am giving this machine

這就是為什麼我將這台機器

only in rural India, for rural women, because in India,

只給印度鄉村女人的原因，因為在印度，

[you'll be] surprised, only two percent of women

說出來你會很驚訝，只有百分之二的女人

are using sanitary pads. The rest, they're using a rag cloth,

在使用衛生棉。剩下的都用一塊破布，

a leaf, husk, [saw] dust, everything except sanitary pads.

一片葉子，外皮，一些垃圾，反正都不是衛生棉的東西。

It is the same in the 21st century. That's why I am going

到21世紀還是一樣。這是為什麼

to decide to give this machine only for poor women across India.

我決定只要給全印度窮困女人這台機器。

So far, 630 installations happened in 23 states

到目前為止，有630台機器裝在6個其他國家

in six other countries.

的23個州裡面。

Now I'm on my seventh year sustaining against

現在已經是我持續對抗跨國大規模企業的第七年 --

multinational, transnational giants -- makes all MBA students a question mark.

這對所有MBA學生都是一個疑問。

A school dropout from Coimbatore, how he is able to sustaining?

一個哥印拜陀的輟學生，他是如何能夠堅持下來？

That makes me a visiting professor and guest lecturer in all IIMs.

於是我變成印度管理學院的客座教授和客座講師。

(Applause)

(掌聲)

Play video one.

播放第一個影片。

(Video) Arunachalam Muruganantham: The thing I saw in my wife's hand, "Why are you using that nasty cloth?"

(影片) Arunachalam Muruganantham：我看到我太太手中的東西：「為什麼你要用那塊髒布？」

She replied immediately, "I know about napkins, but if I start

她立刻回答：「我知道衛生棉，但是如果我開始

using napkins, then we have to cut our family milk budget."

用衛生棉，我們就必須減少家中買牛奶的開支。」

Why not make myself a low-cost napkin?

我什麼我不自己做低成本的衛生棉呢？

So I decided I'm going to sell this new machine

於是我決定只將這台新機器

only for Women Self Help Groups.

賣給女人自助團體。

That is my idea.

這就是我的想法。

AM: And previously, you need a multimillion investment

以前你需要投資幾千萬

for machine and all. Now, any rural woman can.

在機器和所有設備中。現在，任何鄉村女人都可以做。

They are performing puja.

她們在進行普迦儀式(印度教向神祇膜拜儀式)。

(Video): (Singing)

(影片)：(歌聲)

You just think, competing giants,

你想想，跟巨人競爭，

even from Harvard, Oxford, is difficult.

即使跟哈佛和牛津競爭都很困難了。

I make a rural woman to compete with multinationals.

我讓鄉村的女人和跨國企業競爭。

I'm sustaining on seventh year.

我已經持續了七年了。

Already 600 installations. What is my mission?

大約裝了600台機器。我的任務是什麼？

I'm going to make India

我要在我有生之日，

[into] a 100-percent-sanitary-napkin-using country in my lifetime.

讓印度成為百分之百使用衛生棉的國家。

In this way I'm going to provide not less than a million

透過這個任務，

rural employment that I'm going to create.

我會創造超過一百萬的鄉村就業機會。

That's why I'm not running after this bloody money.

這也是為什麼我不追求沾滿血腥的金錢。

I'm doing something serious.

我要做重要的事。

If you chase a girl, the girl won't like you.

如果你追一個女孩，她不喜歡你。

Do your job simply, the girl will chase you.

只要做你的工作，她就會來追你。

Like that, I never chased Mahalakshmi.

就像這樣，我從沒有追過 Mahalakshmi。

Mahalakshmi is chasing me, I am keeping in the back pocket.

Mahalakshmi 追著我跑，我把它放在我的後口袋裡。

Not in front pocket. I'm a back pocket man.

不放在前面的口袋。我是個放後口袋的男人。

That's all. A school dropout saw your problem in the society

這就是我的故事。一個輟學生看到社會中

of not using sanitary pad.

不使用衛生棉的問題。

I am becoming a solution provider. I'm very happy.

我現在變成一個解決問題的人。我很開心。

I don't want to make this as a corporate entity.

我不要將這變成一家實體的公司。

I want to make this as a local sanitary pad movement

我要將這當地的衛生棉運動

across the globe. That's why I put all the details

推廣到全球。這是為什麼我將所有細節

on public domain like an open software.

當成開放軟體般分享給大眾。

Now 110 countries are accessing it. Okay?

現在有110個國家在評量這個計畫。相信嗎？

So I classify the people into three:

於是我將人們分成三類：

uneducated, little educated, surplus educated.

未受教育的，受一點點教育的，受太多教育的。

Little educated, done this. Surplus educated,

受一點點教育的做了這個。受太多教育的。

what are you going to do for the society?

你將為這個社會做什麼？

Thank you very much. Bye!

謝謝你們。再見！

(Applause)

(掌聲)