LUCKNOW: It was their own moment of glory as the residents of Kaathikhera, a small village in Hapur district, burst into revelry on Monday morning after the documentary -- Period. End of Sentence--shot here, won an Oscar in the Best Documentary Short Subject category at the 91st Academy Awards.
Set in this small non-descript village of Hapur district, just 90 km away from national capital Delhi, the 26-minute documentary narrates the silent revolution being led by two village women -- Sneha (22) and her sister-in-law Suman (37) –dispelling the myths associated with menstruation – talking about which is a taboo in Indian society.
Nonethless, the two women picked up the gauntlet to fight the deeply rooted stigma related to the physiological cycle every girl and woman goes through. They, painstakingly, convinced the women and young girls of their village and adjoining areas about menstrual hygiene and the importance of sanitary pads the absence of which may lead to health issues.
The documentary, in which Sneha and Suman have also featured, has been directed by Rayka Zehtabchi (25) and co-produced by Guneet Monga’s Sikhya Entertainment of ‘The Lunchbox’ and ‘Masaan’ fame. “Both the ladies have brought laurels to the entire country. This is a moment of pride for us. I congratulate the villagers for backing us and Senha and Suman when they were working day in and day out,” said Rajendra Tanwar, Sneha’s father while talking to media persons who had made a beeline at his house. He confirmed that both the ladies were in the US to attend the Academy Awards ceremony.
As the success story unfolds, while Sneha was nurturing the dream of joining police force after completing her studies, Action India, an NGO set up a sanitary pad vending machine in her village. She was approached by Action India people who offered her to join the project and educate the women and young girls about the health and hygiene of menstruation. A shy Sneha was initially hesitant, but then decided to be a part of the venture. She not only convinced her parents and made her sister-in-law Suman to join the
project, but also persuaded and educated her friends about the issue.
Fighting a conservation society, both Sneha and Suman installed a sanitary pad making machine in their house where other women also learned to manufacture and market their own pads. They named their brand ‘FLY’. Now her friends are also working at the unit manufacturing sanitary pads. It goes without saying that both the women had to fight the conservative village, with Gujjars being the dominant community. But ultimately , Sneha and Suman developed a support group. They also received assistance from their village head Sakshi Singh (25).
As per the sources, about a year and half back, a US team had reached the village and shot a documentary on the work being done by Sneha and Suman. Members of ‘Action India’ also accompanied the team. As the shooting was over, villagers of Kaathikhera forgot about it and got back to their daily grind. Things suddenly changed when there was this information that the documentary was nominated for the Oscars.