Mahashweta Acharjee
When V (formerly Eve Ensler) first took the stage in 'a tiny
theatre in downtown Manhattan' to
perform The Vagina Monologues,
she was scared for her life. At the time, the word 'vagina' was scarcely uttered, not in private,
certainly not in public, not, even more disturbingly, at the gynaecologist. The status quo offered
palatable nicknames for it, however, quite nobly, and generations of parents accepted this
arrangement, and as a society, we moved swiftly on to more pressing issues that demanded our
undivided attention, and the pesky subject of girls', women's, and people with uteruses' health was
conveniently brushed under the rug.
No one pulled the trigger at V, but scores of women approached her
after the shows and confided in her.
They told her how they got sexually assaulted, and by whom. It was as if
an oppressive thumb was lifted. Secrets,
that should not have been secrets in the first place, were all coming out, and a chain reaction was
ignited. Women from around the world picked up the play, and screamed the words: annihilating
every fibre of generational shame one syllable at a time.
I often ruminate about the origin of shame, especially, shame
regarding, speaking about our genitalia,
and their affairs, openly. Not a single person is born with a shame-riddled
uterus. So, at what point in human
history, did it become normal to accept the mandates of the patriarchy? The same patriarchy that normalises rape, and
trivialises health. The same patriarchy that tells women what to wear, and actively endangers
them (patriarchy endangers everyone, to be fair). Why is it brave, even in this day and age, to
speak about vaginas, periods, and menopause
openly? Question, question everywhere, not an iota of an answer to be
found.
Period product advertisements started cropping up in the Victorian
era (1870s), but, of course, their whole
point was the need for secrecy, as if periods were heretic documents fit only
for the eyes of the deepest vaults of
the Vatican. It took humankind a whole century to prepare their ear drums to hear the word 'period' on
national television, spoken by Courtney Cox in a Tampax commercial in 1985. In our glorious country,
folks heard the word 'periods' in a Whisper
commercial in 1993. All ends thus tied, women and people with uteruses
everywhere lived happily ever
after.
Wrong. Maybe in an ideal universe. We have many a mile yet to go. Seventy eight years of emancipation from
British rule, and precious little has changed for the better. Things are so
far from being on the right track that the BBC has to
write think pieces in the year of our lord 2020 delineating the harmful effects of period stigma in this
country. It is, truly, quite shocking that over 200 years of imposed colonial thinking can
negatively impact a whole population for generations on end. Additionally, but crucially,
Brahminical oppression was alive and well, years prior to the British stepping foot in India. But, more
on that later.
"What's past is prologue". Patriarchy has, historically,
undermined the importance of open and honest conversations. So, it is only wise
to take the alternative road. Existing systems need a thorough radicalisation
if we can even begin to dream to see meaningful change in the world. The taboo
surrounding menstruation has got to go. Enough is enough. How many more drop
outs are we to let escape our radar? How many more deaths? How many more
instances of ostracising innocent people
before the needle moves?
Period poverty in India is very much a caste issue. Unequal wealth
distribution, and lack of social capital
are both to blame, of course, but none more so, than Brahminical fascism for
the state of DBA communities. Upper caste people, to date, vehemently deny to
accept that Dalit women have it far worse than them, and it is an
incontrovertible fact that no matter how committed an ally, every Upper Caste
person benefits from the atrocities of Casteism.
Standing at the intersection of class, caste, and gender, Dalit
women, girls, and people with uteruses
are triply marginalised. Dalit activist and Supreme court lawyer Kiruba
Munusamy was fired from her job on
account of her taking a leave during her period. Thus is the basic tenet of Capitalism, Patriarchy and Caste
Oppression: Suppression of the many so the few with consolidated power can thrive.
It is hardly worth repeating period poverty statistics. But, let
us take a look at them, anyway. 50% of
women in India use cloths during their period. Approximately 53% of women in
the poorest of families use hygienic
menstrual products. 71% of girls, according to a study, possess no prior information of menstruation. 70% of
all reproductive diseases in India are caused by poor menstrual hygiene. The 70.62 million
Indians living in abject poverty in India see no choice but to opt for dirty rags. In all such
statistics, the fact that becomes staggeringly obvious is that Brahminical fascism, in collaboration
with Capitalism, and Patriarchy is ensuring the
preservation of the status quo: Deprive people of education, and choice,
and make it the fault of the oppressed
for not eking out the most from the best they have got. It is truly
fiendishly extraordinary.
I, by no means, mean to
suggest, education magically rids myths entirely, and all is hunky dory. If
that were the case, things would be materially different in urban spaces.
People holding university degrees would
actively dispel pointless factoids about periods, at the very least, than willingly promulgate them.
Being able to afford and getting access to safe menstrual hygiene
products should not be a luxury. It is
not merely a women's issue. It is a human rights issue. Many countries still
have period taxes in place. Fortunately,
ours does not. But, that is simply not good enough. Period products should be
sold free of cost, and menstruating people should have access to them. It is a question of autonomy.
Menstruation is a normal human process. Shame does not belong in
this conversation. Hence, eradicating it is a must. Additionally, everyone must
have access to the best possible education without having to sacrifice their
dignity for it. We owe it to ourselves and our future generations to do better. Time is running out, as we
speak.
Mahashweta Acharjee
M.A Sem 2
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