My nomination for Nobel Peace Prize accepted, says India’s ‘Padman’

Coimbatore: Arunachalam Muruganandam, widely known as India's "Padman," said that his nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize was accepted by the Norwegian Nobel Committee, placing him among 208 individuals in contention for the honour.Speaking to TOI, Muruganandam said the nomination was a recognition of not just of his personal journey, but of the larger movement to break menstrual taboos and improve access to affordable sanitary products for women, especially in rural India. Muruganandam from Coimbatore rose to prominence for his low-cost sanitary napkin-making machines, an innovation that transformed menstrual hygiene awareness and created livelihood opportunities for women's self-help groups across the country. His work challenged deep-rooted stigma surrounding menstruation and brought a neglected public health issue into mainstream discussion. His life and work earlier inspired the Hindi film Pad Man, which helped popularise his story among wider audiences. "Ram Ramanujam, based in the United States and a long-time admirer of Arunachalam Muruganadam's impactful work, took the initiative to reach out to several of his associates who are eligible to submit nominations for the Nobel Peace Prize. Recognising the significance of the cause, many of them responded positively and submitted the nomination for Padman," said Dr R Venkatesh, chief medical officer, Aravind Eye Hospital, Puducherry. He also added that the nomination was submitted in Sept 2025 and the acknowledgement was received for the submission from the Nobel Committee. "I came to know that the nomination was accepted by the Nobel Committee two months back," said Arunachalam Muruganandam. He also added that he is in talks with huge production houses in London and the USA for making a Hollywood movie on his biopic.