Page 41 - Annual Report

Transformative

Journeys

open fields – an unhygienic and environmentally
harmful practice.
Bechan Gautam says, “ While attending Menstrual
Hygiene Management (MHM) sessions, my wife had
learnt about eco-friendly cloth pads and wanted to
try them. But I think she was too shy to talk to me
about it and to ask me for money to buy those.”
Then, in February 2021, when the MHM Men’s
Module sessions were held in their village, Bechan
was the first to attend the training and encouraged
other men to join too. Being an active participant, he
raised many queries about the menstruation
process, products and disposal. He took a keen
interest in understanding and helping to solve
menstrual hygiene issues. “I attended the MHM
couple counselling sessions and bought reusable
cloth pads from the Community Resource Person
(CRP), gifted them to my wife.” shares Bechan. He
adds, “I also support her during her periods, making
sure that she gets more rest, and I try to persuade
other men in the community to do the same for
their wives.”
Empowering women Through this behavioural change, Bechan has
become a role model for men, as he believes that
by educating men every man should be equally involved in ensuring
better menstrual hygiene and health for women.
Today, everyone knows the story of ‘Pad Man’ Proud to be promoting gender equity, Bechan
Arunachalam Muruganantham – the man from declares: “I am thankful to Tata Trusts for facilitating
Coimbatore who created affordable sanitary discussions on these topics with men. With the right
napkins and revolutionised menstrual hygiene for information, we can support our wives and
rural women. But for most men, especially in rural daughters to follow hygienic practices during their
India, menstruation is still a “women’s issue”, and the periods, which are better for their health and for the
taboo on talking about it even in their family is environment.”
firmly in place.
After all, ‘menstrual health’ literally begins
35-year old Bechan Gautam from Uttar Pradesh with ‘men’!
used to be one of those men.
His wife had been using Disposable Sanitary
Napkins (DSNs), which Bechan thought were best
for her health, because that’s what TV commercials
6 CLEAN WATER say. Like all the other women using DSNs in their
AND SANITATION
PROJECT ALIGNS village, she too would dispose of the used DSNs in
WITH SDG

ANNUAL REPORT 2020-21 34