Wednesday, July 29, 2020

Period Hmm Menstruation ooo Menstrual Cycle aaa Menses oh

Its difficult to remember when did I hear about the term Menstrual Cycle, but I am sure of the fact that it was years after me being curious " What is the brick they are packing in that newspaper and why is this brick available in a pharmacy and not a hardware store"

Napkin - "Ek Napkin dena"
Again, why is a medical store selling napkin? and why is he only selling Ladies' Napkin.

Pad - " Ek pad dena" 
I was in school at this time and the only pads I knew were *Exam Pad* *Note Pad*

Sanitary Napkin 
This brick was now confusing me and somehow my curiosity connected the word to Bathroom/Toilet
Eureka! I know what this brick is all about. I went and told a friend " I know something, and I am sure you all don't know anything about it " 
What! What!
Ssssshhhhhhh.. we are not supposed to talk openly about it, lets whisper.."
 What..what..

" Do you know whats that thing ladies get from medical store, that's wrapped in a newspaper?"
Ladies? When ? I have seen men get a small cube hidden in the palm of their hand.

" Now what's that ? Men get something too? in a newspaper? Damn! and I thought I am the smart one, what's that cube?"
I don't know, my dad buys it sometimes..
" Oh.. you don't know?.. okay.. tell me .. does your mom get the brick too?"
Yes yes Dad gets both, brick and cube, but I don't know what is either of those
" Guess who knows about that Brick for mom.."(Smiles Sheepishly)
What is it? Tell Tell!

" It is a sanitary napkin"
oh.. is it for cold?
"No! Stupid!  Basically, women wear complicated clothes and usually its an effort for them to use the toilet, so they wear this brick, in order to not use the washroom frequently, because its difficult for them to go again and again, hence its called a sanitary pad"

Cheeeee, Mom pee's in her pants? that's so bad

Its so cool! I thought only babies have that option

I felt so cool at that time, A moment of victory for me and a relief for my curiosity
Its sad and funny how not educating kids about these important issues can generate so many knots in their heads later

I was at peace with this information and being the smart one in my group, to know things, and finally my curiosity was resting.
Did I ask my Mom about it?
" Are you crazy?"


Two years later

One of my cousins fainted in school, I thought she is dehydrated, So I ran with a bottle of water towards her. She said something to her class teacher, I just heard the word "Bleeding"
Teacher Shoo'd me away. I went to the administration office and called my Mom 
" Didi is hurt, and teacher is not letting me help her"
My mom asked me to relax and go back to class, she said she will talk to me when I get home.
I was thinking about it throughout, but when I got home, everything was normal, as if nothing happened. Everyone was seated in the living room, mom was serving lunch and I wondered why is everyone so calm after Didi just had an accident. No one reacted or responded to my questions. My curiosity and frustration both were now exploding in my head. Mom came and sat with me in the evening, when I asked her she told me
 Abhi tu chota hai, time aane pe sab samjha dungi

What? what has this to do with my age?
Anyway, I went on thinking about it, searching about it and then finally one of my neighbors, a college going boy told me that women bleed from where they pee. I was disgusted by the thought of it at once, but later I was concerned about my mother, my cousin and my tiny sister. 
" Why do they bleed? What is the cure? Why don't they apply medicine to the wound?"
" Is this why when my knee was bleeding, Mom said  Kuch nahin hai, theek ho jayega
Because bleeding is normal for them ?
I was so restless about this, I went to my mother again
"What do you mean ? women bleed for 4-5 days every month after they grow up from  girl to woman ? Why aren't you going to a doctor and getting it fixed?"
You wont get it now beta.. there is still time for you to understand that.

My mother dodged my questions, and with time my mind started feeling very sorry for my female classmates and the women in my house. I never fought with them or got physical during an argument. The constant thought in my head was  " If there is bleeding, there must be pain "

Who knew? It was much more than just PAIN
It was crazy amount of pain,discomfort and those 5 days have Mental and Emotional Impact too.

The ad commercials added to the confusion where the actress used to say she cant play sports when she is bleeding and I used to think " Of course! how can she swim? she'll turn the pool red,  of course she cant play sports, the friction of the pad might give her crazy rashes." I was all in with the actress. But when the mother used to say  Its okay beta, Darr ke aagey jeet hai .. be confident
 I used to feel like there is no sense in what the mother is saying! 

Few Years Later

I was in college now
I fairly knew about what menstruation is but I never knew that this phenomenon will keep surprising me.

By the way, why does menstruation has the word Men in it? When the truth is that we will never even get close to understanding what Women go through during these days of the month.

It was Shivratri and for some reason one of my best friends was not joining us to go to the famous Shiva temple Rajeshwar Mandir back in my hometown.
She said she wont join us, I was surprised because she used to love going to that temple. I was upset with her, she told me she cant go because she is forbidden. 
"What?? forbidden from what?"
We are not allowed to visit sacred places while we are on our period.. you all carry on. I will see you tomorrow

"Excuse me ! What?  I didn't get you, and who forbids you ?"
Mom 
"Wait wait wait! does she not know whats menstruation for ? and its not your fault it is happening to you every month?"
Of course she knows.. don't be stupid, go on I will meet you guys tomorrow 

"You are telling me that your mom forbids you to go to a temple during your periods, why is that?"
She says women are impure at that time, many temples don't allow us in too

"You know what? You are coming with me NOW ! "
No I cant, I dont feel good about it either. You guys please carry on 

I got angry by now.
"I don't get you, you are saying your mom knows what periods are, she knows women bleed for their entire life so that they can give birth, she knows that its God who has given you this super power, and you cant visit the temple because God thinks you are impure?????  does this make any sense? Its ridiculous to another level. Lets go now!"

I cant, you carry on 

And I drove off furious
This thought saddens me even today that how hypocritical our society can get

One Year later

I was well aware of everything regarding menstruation, or that's what I thought.

One day when I was planning a date and She said she can't make it
I asked the reason
She said she is Chumming

 " Ab ye kya naya hai ?"

----
BMM Class 

A friend of mine poked me with a pencil

Hey.. I am thinking of going home after this period is over 
"Why?"
Just
"Is something wrong? are you okay?"
Yeah yeah Its my birthday
" Wasn't your birthday in July?"
I celebrate my birthday every month
"Now you are just finding excuses to go home, you are going to miss an important lecture"

She went home
I got to know 2 days later when she came to college what she meant by monthly birthday..

Its so weird 
Something which is actually a superpower given to women is spoken about and hidden like its a taboo.



Comment 1 : Ye kya faltu ki baatein nikaal ke baitha hai aaj ?
Comment 2 : Kaam ki baat hai 
Comment 3 : Hum sirf Mann ki baat karte hain #ModiRocks
Comment 4 : So does Godi Media
Comment 5 : BSDK

5 comments:

  1. Haan na mujhe b gussa aata hai jab pad newspaper me dete hai. Jaise to drugs le rahe hai hum. Sach me kyu log aise baat krte hai ghumafrake. Aj bi humari maid periods wale din mere haath se chai nai leti hai. Pata nai Kb ye sab change hoga. But Haan main ye sab n manti hu. Mandir ghumna fira khelna anything sab har din jaisa hi rahta hai. 😊
    Acha hai aise topic pe baat krenge tabi shyd sabki mentality badlegi. πŸ‘πŸ€—

    ReplyDelete
  2. Haan na mujhe b gussa aata hai jab pad newspaper me dete hai. Jaise to drugs le rahe hai hum. Sach me kyu log aise baat krte hai ghumafrake. Aj bi humari maid periods wale din mere haath se chai nai leti hai. Pata nai Kb ye sab change hoga. But Haan main ye sab n manti hu. Mandir ghumna fira khelna anything sab har din jaisa hi rahta hai. ��
    Acha hai aise topic pe baat krenge tabi shyd sabki mentality badlegi. ����

    ReplyDelete
  3. On behalf of my gender: thank you for normalizing it :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Its v sweet first of all to blog about mensuration..and pour ur feelings...while i grew up hated going thru my cycle and in collegei used to throw up and get sick in my periods...still bad but yoga helps somewhat.
    V well said woman go thru physical,emotional pain and lot of built in irritation...not all men still dont get what is mensuration exactly or are sensitive towarsa women for their cycle time and also some men even joke on PMS(pre mensuration syndrome)
    Guess every girl has a right to openly speak about it and to be pampered in her chumms😊

    ReplyDelete