Menstruation – A word that can invoke different types of reactions from different people, none of which match with the actual fact that it’s just a biological process. How often do women whisper to each other about menstrual issues as if saying it out aloud is unacceptable! Well, with creative initiatives like Menstrupedia, trying to dispel the taboo around menstruation is getting easier. For someone who reads comics obsessively, coming across menstrupedia hasn’t been difficult for me and for the unversed, Menstrupedia is synonymous to a wikipedia, just that it is constricted to the A-Z of the menstrual cycle and is published in the form of imposing comics. Aditi Gupta and Tuhin Pal started Menstrupedia in 2013, and through their hard work and dedication, it is a full-fledged comic book now and is making rounds not only in India but in 15 other countries.
Aditi hails from a very small semi-urban town called Garhwa in Jharkhand. Growing up in a conservative middle class family, Gupta was familiar with the taboos surrounding menstruation since an early age.
“Even today, I feel sorry for the 12-year-old me. Back in 1992, and even today, in many societies, menstruation is an unspeakable curse” says Aditi.
While studying at the National Institute of Design in Gujarat, Gupta met both her now husband and business partner, Tuhin Paul. In 2013, Aditi and Tuhin launched a crowd-funding campaign to produce an illustrated comic book both for girls to read and for teachers and parents to use as an educational resource on menstruation.
“We decided that we would show the female anatomy properly in the comic, because we just realized how many misperceptions there were after launching our website,” says Gupta.
The book essentially provides information on menstruation in a crisp and easy to understand manner for young girls ranging from 9-14 years through comics, which are vivid and act as a medium which has a high impact on children, and also allows parents and teachers to encourage young girls towards self-learning on the issue. The contents of the book are medically accurate and culturally sensitive as they are vigorously scrutinized by the immensely dedicated Menstrupedia team.
Aditi is proud that the comics are being read in countries like Romania, UK, US, Portugal, Mexico, Argentina, Chile and many more.
She tells us, “The comic was made with the Indian audience in mind – especially the cultural aspects, but other things like the biological and nutritional aspects are universal. It is so surprising that these countries have responded so well to the comic, since we don’t spend on marketing and it is mostly from social media and word of mouth that we work. A lot of teachers in the US and UK have ordered one or two books from us, and liked it so much that their next order was in bulk for their students.”
In India, the comics have been translated into ten languages. Through word-of-mouth only, about 75 schools in India have adopted the Menstrupedia comic as a part of their curriculum.
“This is a great creative solution to a tough cultural challenge,” Melinda Gates, wife of Microsoft founder Bill Gates and co-founder of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, recently tweeted and wrote about Gupta and her fellow founder of Menstrupedia, Tuhin Paul.
Aditi says that periods are always viewed in a negative light and it is nice to see that they were able to change the perception of young girls and women especially in villages and rural areas. Regarding future plans, Aditi says, “This is our 5th year of Menstrupedia, and we are happy that the books are going to different countries and are being translated into different languages” She adds, “We would like to see the comics being translated into all Indian languages, and we also want to set up a global infrastructure online for easy education on the topic of menstruation not only for girls but for boys and fathers too.”
To make a difference among young women and educate them about menstrual hygiene, do visit www.menstrupedia.com to contribute.
