Dear society,

I came in this world as a girl, and then became a woman. The journey between girl and woman made me realize that there are many instructions that are formed especially for a woman. For instance, it is always a woman who is expected to sacrifice as a daughter, as a sister, as a wife and it is always a woman who has to adjust in different circumstances. Did you ever ask me of my likes and dislikes, priorities, faith, wants and don’t-wants? No. Because you were busy planning my don’t-do-that stuffs. Such a beautiful feeling of womanhood, I just let it go as the so-called social taboo of menstruation was kept in front of me even before I started getting habituated with the monthly cycles. Pick up a corner for yourself every month, so that you don’t touch anyone and anyone doesn’t touches you – really kills me, I would say. It was because the fact that I would now be able to conceive or say can become a mother, came in front, and was not taken healthily.Science says, menstruation is a healthy sign as far as women’s health and hygiene is concerned. The only thing that bothers me or for that reason bothers each and every girl is that you still take periods the touch-me-not phase even when the country in attending modernization. If we touch anyone during that time, that person for sure is not going to die or become apavitra, for which you’ll need gangajal to attend the purity of your soul again.

My dearest society, I got married in a family where people did not allow me to stay at home during those four days. They asked me to go to my parents’ place so that I would be able to stay there with them. Was it a concern or just a trick that my in-laws played to avoid me during my periods? I am still wondering what is so disturbing for you to accept our periods, as then also we are still human beings, we breathe, we are alive! It’s a humble request to you, to stop all such practices of keeping away a girl from everything during her PERIODS… It may sound weird, but the fact is because we are women, we bleed and that gives us immortal pleasure of enjoying our womanhood.

“I bleed and that is why I am a woman,

Don’t stop me to touch pickle of lemon,

Yes… yes… yes… I am still a human,

And truly I feel as if I am in a heaven!”

Yours Faithfully,

Womanhood

Image Courtesy: gender.stanford.edu