The most talked about and trending topic “PERIOD LEAVE“
All thanks to Zomato to give paid period leave to their women employees. But, ironically, I think we are already too late? Shouldn’t this be applicable to school girls too?
I remember the onset of my “Period” Shhhh don’t say it loudly someone would hear you (zor se mat bolo koi sun lega). It was and still is a taboo to talk about. My grandmother used to call it “hemsi” or was it MC, or “Maasikdharm“ or “Khoon aana”. I was aghast with strange traditions like: don’t touch pickle, don’t go to the temple, shower twice but don’t wash hair, don’t wear any fragrance, eating on a separate plate or sleeping in a different room, and remain quiet so no male family members know that you are in your menses because they are “freaking god and landed on this earth by a shuttle and not from a womb”.
School days with periods were painful too, especially the white P.T uniform and long march-past. The moment I used to tell our P.T sir “I have a headache (headache was a general excuse)” he used to make me work-out more or make faces and say, “go and sit in that corner”. Many times we involved our female teachers to speak to P.T sir so we could get relief on period days.
By the time I reached grade 8th. I had used all kinds of pads. From cloth pad, string pad, cotton pad, sanitary napkins evolved with long lengths and wings on a sanitary napkin. Boys of our school teased girls “want to fly, you have wings.” On the other hand, we girls, had to keep asking our female friend if there is any stain on the uniform or anything is visible “arrey dekhna kuchh dikh toh nahi raha, koi stain toh nahi hai.”
Since we have male house help, even today, my mom refrains to talk about periods, She feels nasty if she sees a paper strip left in the toilet or even an empty wrapper of the pad makes her feel yikes.
To date, I see, mothers don’t know how to deal with their daughters who would hit puberty sooner or later. They’ll ask questions in ladies forums, Facebook groups but can’t openly talk to their own child. But when the child refers to the internet for the same, they get offended.
Me, being progressive by nature, and a single mother of a grown-up girl and a boy. I have not only educated my daughter about periods but also my son. He needs to know that females get periods every month. It is a natural phenomenon due to which we have mood swings, we get cranky, irritated due to change in hormones, and thus he needs to understand me, his sister, or any female in his class and not to make fun of them. If he ever sees a stain on the bedsheet or paper strip left in the toilet, he should not get a shock or ask silly and annoying questions, what is this Mumma? (“Mumma, yeh kya hai”?)
Period leave should be given to school girls too. Every organization should give period leave to their female employees. Women who have endometriosis like me, tend to be in severe pain during the first 3 days of menses. Hopefully, this generation of men would bring changes.
Oh Good Lord!! Zomato are you still hiring? I am looking for a job too. Hire me, hire me, hire me.
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