“What does a boy have to do with menstruation?” “Aren’t there better issues worth fighting for?” “This is not relevant in Kerala.” These are just some of the responses that Arjun Unnikrishnan, a law student in Mysore, received when he launched ‘The Red Cycle’ in Kozhikode two years ago to campaign for menstrual hygiene.
In a world where even women shy away from discussing menstruation, a young boy talking about it raised many eyebrows. But the criticism only strengthened Arjun and his campaign. With 25 volunteers in two States now, ‘The Red Cycle’ is growing slowly but steadily.
It began as an online campaign in March 2015 attempting to promote menstrual hygiene. When he was a school boy, Arjun was inspired by the story of ‘Napkin Man’ Arunachalam Muruganantham and wanted to do something to make the dreaded week easier for women around him. His idea was to source low cost menstrual hygiene products and make them available to women who couldn’t afford them.
As he got more involved in the issue, Arjun discovered several other aspects, including the taboo surrounding menstruation.
His first lecture to students of Silver Hills Higher Secondary School here was a disaster. But soon he found support from the Government Medical College, Kozhikode, where ‘Haiku’, an organisation of medical students, volunteered to be part of the cause.
The second class, at Devagiri CMI Public School, with the help of the medical students was a moderate success. “The boys and girls were too embarrassed to talk about it and one girl even cried when I asked her a question,” Arjun said, adding that the same girl volunteered to answer when he conducted the class again a year later. “It shows that they discussed what I said. That’s what Red Cycle wants,” he said.
The campaign is now connected to the ‘Code Red’ campaign in Ernakulam and similar campaigns across the country. “We are not supported by any big sanitary napkin manufacturer,” said Arjun.
The Red Cycle is also trying to find a viable solution to the environmental aspect of menstruation. The cloth and cotton napkins are biodegradable but short of comfort. It has invited suggestions from the public on the issue.
More schools and colleges are approaching ‘The Red Cycle’ to conduct classes. “Sanitary napkins are viewed as luxury products by most men who cannot empathise with the trauma a menstruating woman undergoes. We need to break the misconceptions first,” said Arjun.
