Hyderabad: Artistes come together to break silence around menstruation

Hyderabad: Breaking the silence around menstruation, a city-based NGO, Youngistaan Foundation along with UNICEF organised an event observing menstrual hygiene month at Lamakaan to spread awareness on creating a period positive environment for menstruators with over 100 members of an inter-generational, gender-inclusive audience using art, culture, satire, and humor as tools.

Addressing the gathering, poet Rana Khan said, "Living in the 21st century, people are still shy away from talking about periods. The oppressive burden of myths and stigma has overpowered the menstruators and their immediate audience so much that they are forced to stay silent to initiate a dialogue about periods." Krishna from Hyderabad Arts and Culture Community (HACC) stressed sustainable menstruation, the natural process of periods through their poems before stand-up comedian Roshni Rao took the stage to get those in attendance laughing by highlighting the normalised talk around period stigma.

Later, the Hyderabad Storytellers Association (HYSTA), a collective of storytellers performed a tandem act focusing on menstrual education.

During the event, the audience shared how they were shunned by their family members while speaking about their period of grief, men shared their experience of learning new things about menstrual hygiene and thanked the organisers for creating a carefree environment.

Speaking on the occasion, Founder and Director of Youngistaan Foundation, Arun Daniel Yellamaty said, "Menstrual hygiene and the taboos around it are hardly spoken in public spaces. I believe it's high time we speak about it and create awareness among the people around us. We build our conversations on menstrual hygiene by using arts and also secure participation from men.

Only open conversations like this can help normalise menstruation. We will be creating more such conversations on menstruation and various other social issues."