An Anecdote on periods.
I remember a day when I visited my aunt's house in 2013 for summer vacations. One day was my cousin's birthday and during celebrating the Birthday while cutting the cake my aunt asked me to pass the Matchbox to her from the pooja Ghar.
Next day, we all sat together (my aunt, cousin and me). At that time my cousin asked "Mumma why did you tell Sadhna to pass the matchbox from the pooja Ghar while she is going through in periods? " My Aunt's said "Oh sorry, I was unaware of that" and started scolding me saying that "mummy ne ye nhi sikhaya ki periods m pooja Ghar m nhi jate".
I was really hurt by her behaviour and cried a lot. One thing that came to my mind was how orthodox can people get that only by touching the matchbox the whole Mandir gets impure.
Do you really think the women during menstruation (which is the reason of your birth) is impure?
India where several goddesses are worshipped. One of them Devi needs such people kind attention. Yes, I am talking about Kamakhya Devi, nestled high up on the Nilachal Hill, in the West of Guwahati, Assam where a menstruating devi is worshipped. In fact Kamakhya's only yoni or vagina is worshipped in this temple. However, women during her menstruation period are not allowed to enter into the temple. Isn't this a Hypocrite India?
Even this temple also has an annual fertility festival called Ambuwasi Puja in which the goddess is said to be going through her yearly menstrual cycle.
My question to this society is why a menstruating devi is worshipped considering her pure but menstruating women is that much impure that she cannot even touch or enter the temple?
There are numerous of myths prevalent in our Indian Society about periods. And the prime reason of being such myth prevalent even today is because people don't want to talk on this issue. They consider talking on periods as taboo.
People like my aunt who says that you shouldn't enter into the temple during your periods, my question to you is have you ever thought of it why is it so? Well, I am damn sure, you haven't. Because if you had ever, this wouldn't have happened. Don't worry, I'll explain to you the reason.
Earlier, when these practices were prevalent in the society, the living conditions of people was completely different from what we live in today. Earlier temples were not in each and every house, rather it was there about 2-3kms distant from their house on high altitudes. That's why they refrained from visiting the temple during her periods. Furthermore, there were no sanitary napkins, tampons, or menstrual cups available at that time. The hygiene condition was very poor in households. That's why women during her periods were given rest from all of her household chores. She used to live in a room and not even allowed to work in the kitchen so that she can go through her periods painlessly. What a gentle thought of our ancestors, right?
But unfortunately, we moving forward, has considered it just as a custom that women should be in isolation(in negative sense) during her periods without knowing the benevolent reason behind it and started treating women impure. We started cursing her for her blessing. Blessing, not only to her but to this world.
So my concern is that, why people consider this as impure or inauspicious. Everyone should be aware of the fact that every month she endures the excruciating stomach pain for at least 2-3days. Even before planning to go on a trip or outside she thinks about her periods first pondering if she could manage it or not and then most of the time ends up cancelling it.
Speaking about that pain, when we all stay in college at the time of periods we have two choices either to tolerate that pain or take maftal(medicine) because there you don’t have the facilities available to you like that of home and no one to take care and pamper you, you have to take care of you by yourself.
Now, most of the female think that intake of maftal may have side effects so they shouldn't take it which leaves them only one option that is to put up with that pain.
Women suffer not only during the 9th months of pregnancy but from her puberty age till the menstrual process has stopped. So please, I implore everyone to respect this menstrual process and not consider it as a curse. In the recent judgement of Sabrimala case, now women are allowed to enter the temple but still, the practice of disallowing women from entering temples during periods is prevalent. This is disheartening when such practice is followed in our country like this which is a land of temples and everyone’s faith is respected I think women should be allowed to enter the temples because women are themselves the creation of God and when God didn’t discriminate then who authorised the human to do so and consider their entering in the temple as inauspicious.
MORAL OF THE STORY
1. People orthodox, mentality needs change
2. The girls are treated like untouchable. This has to be changed. The only thing that should be kept in mind is hygiene and sanitation.
3. The girl goes through a lot starting from puberty to menopause.
4. You can't even imagine the pain that women go through periods.
My request to all young generation and educated person is to teach your family and explain to them that it is not a curse, it is a blessing and because of this only we are in this world and it would be erroneous on our part if we consider this periods thing as impure or inauspicious. It is a blessing which marks the origin of a person
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