Hi, I’m Raghav Bohra, a 22-year-old from Village Sawarda, a small town in Rajasthan. I live in a family with three generations. But with no sisters around, I grew up not knowing much about menstruation. I remember hearing about it from my school books and later from my female friends, who shared their experiences with me. That was the first time I began to understand what periods are, but it was just the start of my learning. As I grew older, I joined Prazna, an NGO focused on women’s empowerment and menstrual health awareness. The more I participated, the more I saw the need to break the stigma around menstruation. Now, I help young individuals see menstruation as a normal and healthy process, free from shame. And this is my journey toward making menstrual health an open conversation for all who recognize it as a taboo.
The Role of Men in Creating a Period-Positive Society
Creating a gender-inclusive space where all genders are treated equally and provided care and support when needed, cannot be achieved without the participation of boys and men. Just like a woman who is a daughter, sister, mother, and friend, a man also plays various roles in his life as a son, brother, and friend. As a son, brother, father, and, most importantly, as a human, it is important for a man to know that periods are a good positive sign of a good and health sign men can advocate for a period-positive environment and ensure that there’s a safe space created for menstruators.
In a patriarchal society like India, where menstruation is stigmatized to its core, it becomes of utmost importance that men start talking about periods and deconstruct the taboos and stigmas that exist around them. Buying sanitary pads from the medical shop, talking about periods with their wife, daughter, colleague, or peer, and ensuring that the right kind of support is provided to them is the bare minimum that they can do. With this, it is also important to know when to speak, and whenever you speak, it should not be in a condescending manner.
Menstrual health is not just a matter of hygiene; it’s about dignity, education, and equality. When women and girls don’t have access to the right information or materials, it impacts their physical and mental health, education, and participation in daily activities. Thus, tackling menstrual health is integral to fostering overall health, well-being, and gender equality.
Also read: How Prazna’s Sharing is Caring Program Spreading Kindness
My Journey in Menstrual Health Awareness
Over the past month, I’ve had the privilege of organizing and participating in several workshops with the Prazna Foundation dedicated to menstrual health awareness. These sessions provided an open platform for women and men to engage in conversations about menstruation, and periods — a significant step toward breaking the cycle of silence and shame that so often surrounds the topic.
Through these workshops, we covered important subjects such as the biology of menstruation, proper hygiene practices, and how to foster more supportive environments, especially in workplaces and schools. The feedback has been overwhelming, and the level of participation, especially from men, has been encouraging.
One of the key lessons from these workshops is that menstruation isn’t just a “women’s issue.” It’s a human issue. Men play a critical role in normalizing conversations around menstruation, helping to dismantle the stigma, and creating a supportive environment. By educating both men and women on the subject, we can collectively ensure that menstruation is understood as a normal bodily function rather than a source of shame.
By: Raghav Bohra
