Placeholder canvas

India’s menstruation festival ‘Maasika Mahotsav’ aims at breaking stereotypes

Date:

They can’t enter the temple because they are considered impure. They are asked to sit and eat separately. They can’t water the plants; there’s a chance the flowers might die. A woman is regarded as an untouchable when she is menstruating in many parts of India even today.

In a bid to change the mindset of people surrounding menstruation and breaking stereotypes, the third edition of an annual festival ‘Maasika Mahotsav’ is being held between May 19 to May 28. The festival is set to take place in nine states across India including Maharashtra, Karnataka, Sikkim, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Assam, Madhya Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.

The festival aims to create awareness about hygiene and clear taboos surrounding menstruation by educating people and engaging them with culture, music and art.

“The idea is to normalise the discussion around periods. Some states in India celebrate menstruation. The festival, too, will celebrate the reason for our birth,” says 27-year-old Nishant Bangera, founder of the NGO and curator of the festival.

Art, music, theatre and cultural activities help in promoting and normalizing menstruation. They will be promoting cloth pads and menstrual cups and teach women about hygienic practices.

ALSO READ: Traveling via the world’s busiest airports? Ensure you have ample time at hand!

In Uttar Pradesh, women of around 10 villages will come together to organise and participate in a march. In Gujarat, women will use the medium of trains to create awareness. Women are creating artwork with fake blood in Nepal and doing cultural programs in Maharashtra’s villages. At WeWork in Mumbai, a ‘period party’ is on the cards with a panel discussion.

There are women who cannot afford sanitary napkins and use a cloth or are forced to continue wearing the same pad for an entire day. This leads to many infections and poor even fatal diseases as they don’t speak up. Many taboos around menstruation still continue to exist like women cannot enter temples during their cycle and they have to eat separately and stay in the outhouse. Women’s bodies are considered impure and the festival aims at changing the mindset of people surrounding menstruation.

 

Click here for Latest News updates and viral videos on our AI-powered smart news genie

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Share post:

Subscribe

Popular

More like this
Related

Biden Administration Approves $60Million Aid For Baltimore Bridge Collapse

The Federal Administration in a statement on Thursday said that it has provided the quick-release funds to rebuild the collapsed bridge within hours of receiving a request from Maryland Department Of Transportation

Fact Check: Lok Sabha Polls Will Be Held Using EVMs; Don’t Fall For False Claim

Ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, a newspaper cutout...

Four Killed, Five Wounded In Stabbing Incident In North Illinois

Redd mentioned that not all of the victims had stab wounds and none of them were shot. She added by saying that they have a suspect in custody

Hope Everyone’s Rights Are Protected: UN On Kejriwal’s Arrest

Delhi CM Kejriwal was arrested by the ED(Enforcement Directorate) on March 21 in the Delhi liquor policy case, days ahead of the Lok Sabha polls