This fashion designer conducts open chat with women on menstrual hygiene in UP's Pratapgarh

PRAYAGRAJ: A Delhi-based leading fashion designer, Priyal Bhardwaj, has taken up a crusade to create awareness among rural women and girls about menstrual hygiene and health and is holding open talks in the remotest villages of the Pratapgarh district.
Priyal, who also runs an organisation called Sangini Saheli, wants to erase misconceptions among women regarding menstrual health and hygiene and is working tirelessly to bring a change in the lives of women across the country.
Holding an open talk with women and girls at Basauli village in Pratapgarh district on Tuesday, she encouraged women to have open talks on menstrual hygiene. She said that it worries her that people in rural areas are still not open to learning or spreading awareness on menstrual hygiene openly even in the 21st century and that women had to suffer because of it.
She says, “There is a strong need to have open chat on the issue and understand the pain and feelings of women on this issue.” The designer added that a woman takes care of two families including her parent’s house and husband’s house after marriage but that does not mean that she should overlook her health and needs. “Every woman has a right to know about sanitary napkins,” she said.
Priyal, meanwhile, said that more can be done to create mass awareness around menstruation so that women and girls have access to safe products with dignity. While working for migrants during the Covid pandemic, Priyal realised that apart from food distribution, there was a need for another important essential that was being neglected throughout the cities which were menstrual hygiene products among women.
She started visiting public places like bus stands, railway stations and distributed sanitary pads, realising that many women were also travelling back to their hometowns after the lockdown last year. Till now, the organisation has distributed over five lakh sanitary pads among women in the country.
Priyal says, “sanitary pads are as essential as other daily items for a healthy and secure life of a menstruator.” In rural areas, there are uncountable women across the nation who are still unable to manage their periods safely due to lack of proper pads and the right knowledge.”
“We noticed that around 25% of the women that we reached out to, had either no knowledge of sanitary pads or it is still a hushed topic for them,” said Piyal. “We keep on sensitizing and making them aware during open talks along with the distribution of sanitary pads,” she added.