Coimbatore-based low-cost sanitary napkin inventor
Arunachalam Muruganantham
seems to be going places. Period.
End of Sentence
, a
documentary
that revolves around the stigma against menstruation, and features the social entrepreneur and his work, has made it to the
Oscar
shortlist in the Documentary Short Subject category. The documentary is directed by Iranian-American filmmaker Rayka Zehtabchi.
An excited Muruganantham says, “Films like Padman and documentaries like this one help spread awareness on the importance of menstrual hygiene. When the filmmakers of this documentary short got in touch with me, they had done their homework. They wanted my consent and I was happy to oblige. They did some field work in a village called Hapur in north India and captured the girls’ experience with the pad machine that I had provided to them.”
He adds, “Even today, there are many countries where menstrual hygiene is still not considered important. The awareness is low in countries like Ethiopia, Tanzania, Bangladesh, Indonesia and Philippines. In our own country, the very topic of menstruation is considered a taboo in many villages. I contributed on the cultural aspects of menstruation in India to the filmmakers. The film is about fighting the taboo.”
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