Cycle of woe

Indira recalls with horror the ordeal she went through 13 years ago when she was forced to stay in a cattle shed for nine days in a row during her menstrual cycle as a religious function was on in Bhaghali village in Himachal Pradesh’s Shimla district.

“I had to lie down in a kind of trough meant for storing water for the cattle, with a tin sheet over my head. The stay was extended even after my periods because of an ongoing religious recitation organised in the village,” says Indira, who lives with her in-laws in the village.

Things have changed, but not completely, says Reeta Thakur of the same village. “We don’t stay in a cowshed but we still cannot sleep on a bed. We have to spread our bedding on the floor and we are not allowed to cook.”

Sushma says that when her son, studying in Std III, asks why her condition is referred to as “Chhee Chhee” (expression of disgust) and she is made to sleep on the floor, she is forced to make up some excuse.

In many villages in Himachal Pradesh and other states, cooking during the menstrual cycle or visiting temples is still considered a taboo.

However, what the women in Bhaghali village count as a big change is that they can bathe during the cycle (which was not allowed earlier) and they have all shifted from using cloth to sanitary napkins.

“At least as far as hygiene is concerned there is no longer a problem and we take every care to ensure it remains like that,” says Reeta, who heads the Saraswati Self-Help Group (SHG) in the village.

“What we have not been able to fight is the orthodox mindset, the superstitions and myths associated with menses. Even if we question this unfair and unjust practice, nobody will listen to us. Also, somewhere in our subconscious lurks a fear that if we defy the norms set by the elders, it may anger our devta (deity), and some misfortune may befall us.”

Sushma, who studied in a college in Shimla before she married, says she is determined not to let her daughter-in-law face discrimination during menstrual cycles.

“Nobody likes to be treated as an untouchable,” she asserts and the others in the group nod in agreement.

However, the women felt that the winds of change were already blowing, albeit slowly. Their children are questioning the practice.

They also point out that this sort of discrimination largely exists only in villages today. Once they go out, it is difficult to follow the taboo norms and the discrimination automatically comes to an end, they say.

Women in the village are optimistic that their daughters will not suffer anymore. With the spread of education and urbanisation of villages, the women are confident that the next generation will not be treated as outcastes the way they themselves were.

The writer is a senior journalist based in Delhi

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