Red Period (2018-19)
Globally, around 1.8 billion people menstruate each month, meaning that at any given moment, approximately 800 million women and girls are menstruating. This figure constitutes 26% of the global population. In Nepal alone, approximately 237,250 women menstruate daily. Alarmingly, over 89% of these women experience some form of restriction and exclusion during their menstrual cycles. For instance, in remote areas of far and mid-western rural Nepal, women of reproductive age are subjected to an extreme form of menstrual seclusion known as 'Chhaupadi'. This practice forces women to isolate themselves in animal sheds during menstruation.
Tragically, incidents such as the death of a 21-year-old woman from suffocation in a menstrual hut, and a Nepali mother and her two children being found dead after being banished to such a space, highlight the dangers of this practice. Additionally, some women are forbidden from touching or seeing men, handling plants, or visiting temples during their periods.
Contrastingly, cultural practices in other regions celebrate menstruation. At the Kamakhya Temple in Guwahati, India, menstruation is revered. The temple, dedicated to the goddess Kamakhya, celebrates the regenerative power of the feminine. During the month of Asadha (June), the residing goddess, Maa Kamakhya, is believed to menstruate. The temple closes for three days during the Ambubachi Mela, and men are not allowed to enter during this period.
The challenges faced by menstruating women extend to modern contexts as well. A woman trekker who recently climbed Mount Everest Basecamp shared her struggles with managing menstruation in such extreme conditions. The lack of female toilets, sanitary disposal facilities, and basic comforts like hot drinks highlight the ongoing difficulties women face in various environments.
In Dhaka, menstruation is shrouded in myth and superstition. One such myth claims that men can go blind if they see menstrual blood. There are also exaggerated taboos, such as prohibitions against women traveling long distances, going near boys or cows (fearing the cows will die), and bathing in ponds or lakes (believed to kill the fish).
These taboos and restrictions contribute to the marginalization and suffering of menstruating women, making an already challenging experience even more difficult and sometimes inhumane.
I bled for the first time in 2010 while wearing a white school dress. When I got my first period, I thought something dangerous had happened to me. I was scared. The series begins with this personal experience, where I believed I was going to die and told my mother. She reassured me that I was now a grown-up lady.
However, this marked the beginning of my confinement by societal values I never knew existed.
I wasn’t allowed to touch God, go to the temple, or even enter the kitchen. I was deemed impure, forbidden from participating in daily activities, and faced restrictions that isolated me during my menstruation.