• Burmese
Monday, July 14, 2025
No Result
View All Result
NEWSLETTER
The Irrawaddy
13 °c
Falkenstein
  • Home
  • News
    • Burma
    • Politics
    • World
    • Asia
    • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
    • Ethnic Issues
    • War Against the Junta
    • Junta Cronies
    • Conflicts In Numbers
    • Junta Watch
    • Fact Check
    • Investigation
    • Myanmar-China Watch
    • Obituaries
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Opinion
    • Commentary
    • Guest Column
    • Analysis
    • Editorial
    • Stories That Shaped Us
    • Letters
  • Junta Watch
  • Ethnic Issues
  • War Against the Junta
  • In Person
    • Interview
    • Profile
  • Books
  • Donation
  • Home
  • News
    • Burma
    • Politics
    • World
    • Asia
    • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
    • Ethnic Issues
    • War Against the Junta
    • Junta Cronies
    • Conflicts In Numbers
    • Junta Watch
    • Fact Check
    • Investigation
    • Myanmar-China Watch
    • Obituaries
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Opinion
    • Commentary
    • Guest Column
    • Analysis
    • Editorial
    • Stories That Shaped Us
    • Letters
  • Junta Watch
  • Ethnic Issues
  • War Against the Junta
  • In Person
    • Interview
    • Profile
  • Books
  • Donation
No Result
View All Result
The Irrawaddy
No Result
View All Result
Home News Asia

Bollywood’s ‘Period’ Drama Boosts Menstrual-Solution Entrepreneurs

Thomson Reuters Foundation by Thomson Reuters Foundation
February 8, 2018
in Asia
Reading Time: 2 mins read
0 0
A A
Village women and girls carry water at Fangadi Village on the outskirts of Ahmedabad, India, on Jan. 27. / Reuters

Village women and girls carry water at Fangadi Village on the outskirts of Ahmedabad, India, on Jan. 27. / Reuters

4.4k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

MUMBAI/CHENNAI — Bollywood’s first film on menstrual hygiene, due for release on Friday, has boosted business for entrepreneurs providing affordable sanitary pads to women in India, manufacturers said.

Even the trailer for “Padman” — which depicts one of Hindi cinema’s most popular action heroes, Akshay Kumar, wearing a sanitary pad — has generated debate over the taboo subject of menstrual hygiene in India, they said.

“We used to get six to seven calls a day earlier, but now we get around 20 calls from people inquiring about our machines after the ‘Padman’ trailer was released,” said Suhani Mohan, co-founder of Saral Designs, a Mumbai-based startup.

RelatedPosts

Mekong River Body Detects Heavy Metal Contamination

Mekong River Body Detects Heavy Metal Contamination

July 7, 2025
606
Toxic Thailand Rivers Pinned on Myanmar Mines

Toxic Thailand Rivers Pinned on Myanmar Mines

June 11, 2025
781
From Smog to Arsenic: Myanmar’s Toxic Trail Reaches Thailand

From Smog to Arsenic: Myanmar’s Toxic Trail Reaches Thailand

April 25, 2025
1.6k

“Padman” is inspired by the story of Arunachalam Muruganantham, who wanted to “please his wife” by replacing her rag cloth with a sanitary pad.

When she said that buying pads would cut into their milk budget, Muruganantham set off on a mission to provide low-cost pads to women across India.

For many Indian women, especially adolescent girls, menstruation is shameful and uncomfortable.

From being barred from religious shrines to dietary restrictions to a lack of toilets and sanitary products, they face many challenges when they have their periods, campaigners say.

One of the machine orders Mohan received was from 52-year-old Sivasankar Ramamoorthy, a resident of the southern city Madurai, about 1,400 km southeast of Mumbai.

“The pads available in the market are very expensive,” Ramamoorthy told the Thomson Reuters Foundation by phone.

“I am doing this for my wife and daughter, and I hope to make pads accessible to more women.”

Other manufacturers have improved on Muruganantham’s model while keeping costs down.

Subhankar Bhattacharya designed a machine making pads with wings in 2016, based on feedback from rural women and girls around the eastern city of Kolkata.

“We sold four machines in the last two years, but we got 10 orders in the last two months,” he said, adding that eight pads sell for 22 Indian rupees ($0.34).

“[The film] is giving a boost to social enterprises.”

Your Thoughts …
Tags: Health
Thomson Reuters Foundation

Thomson Reuters Foundation

Agency

Similar Picks:

Myanmar’s Youth Flee—and They Aren’t Looking Back
Commentary

Myanmar’s Youth Flee—and They Aren’t Looking Back

by Aung Zaw
February 23, 2024
8.4k

In Thailand and farther afield, they join the wealthy and the educated who have already put down roots and invested...

Read moreDetails
Rare Earth Mining Taking Heavy Toll in Myanmar’s Kachin, Groups Say
Burma

Rare Earth Mining Taking Heavy Toll in Myanmar’s Kachin, Groups Say

by Hein Htoo Zan
May 27, 2024
5.3k

Amid heavy global demand for rare earths, local activists’ concerns about the impacts on the environment and local communities are...

Read moreDetails
Life Without Power Spells Daily Misery for Yangon’s Residents
Burma

Life Without Power Spells Daily Misery for Yangon’s Residents

by Nyein Nyein
January 29, 2025
5k

Lack of electricity affects every aspect of Yangon residents’ daily lives, from work to sleep, and now even hotter weather...

Read moreDetails
‘Everyone Sits Outside’: Parks Offer Heatwave Relief in Myanmar’s Largest City
Burma

‘Everyone Sits Outside’: Parks Offer Heatwave Relief in Myanmar’s Largest City

by AFP
April 29, 2024
4.4k

Amid searing temperatures, and without power for hours a day due to post-coup energy disruptions, Yangon residents are taking refuge...

Read moreDetails
With Motorbikes Banned, Yangon Delivery Riders Struggle in Heatwave
Burma

With Motorbikes Banned, Yangon Delivery Riders Struggle in Heatwave

by AFP
May 2, 2024
3.7k

A previous junta outlawed motorbikes for ‘security reasons’, so delivery workers rely on pedal power—a daunting prospect amid the current...

Read moreDetails
Junta Watch: New Honors to Flatter Foreign Allies; Playing the Blame Game (Again); and More
Junta Watch

Junta Watch: New Honors to Flatter Foreign Allies; Playing the Blame Game (Again); and More

by The Irrawaddy
March 23, 2024
2.7k

Also this week, the regime orchestrated Rohingya protests, lost the builder of its capital, and praised Putin after not-so-free election. 

Read moreDetails
Load More
Next Post
KIA soldiers on patrol in Tanai Township, Kachin State, in June. / Lawi Weng / The Irrawaddy

Leaked Records Say Tatmadaw Asked KIA to Abandon Bases

Daw Nang Lang Kham, left, talks to a mother of a child with a cleft lip before a free operation organized by Brighter Future Myanmar and Asia Smile for cleft lip and palate children in Myanmar in October 2017.  ​ / Myo Min Soe / The Irrawaddy

Shan State Honors  Nang Lang Kham for Charity Work

No Result
View All Result

Recommended

Trump’s Tariffs to Hit Myanmar’s Garment Manufacturers Hard

Trump’s Tariffs to Hit Myanmar’s Garment Manufacturers Hard

5 days ago
1.2k
China’s Surveillance State Watches Everyone, Everywhere

China’s Surveillance State Watches Everyone, Everywhere

6 days ago
1k

Most Read

  • Myanmar Junta Chief Thanks Trump for Shutting Down VOA and RFA

    Myanmar Junta Chief Thanks Trump for Shutting Down VOA and RFA

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Myanmar Junta Deploying Conscripts in Major Push to Reclaim Lost Territory

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • KIA Denies Rumor Chief Under House Arrest in China

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Parading Comedians and Machines for Election Circus; Rousing the Military Vote; and More

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Chinese Investment Reshapes Myanmar’s N. Shan as MNDAA Consolidates Power

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0

Newsletter

Get The Irrawaddy’s latest news, analyses and opinion pieces on Myanmar in your inbox.

Subscribe here for daily updates.

Contents

  • News
  • Politics
  • War Against the Junta
  • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
  • Conflicts In Numbers
  • Junta Crony
  • Ethnic Issues
  • Asia
  • World
  • Business
  • Economy
  • Election 2020
  • Elections in History
  • Cartoons
  • Features
  • Opinion
  • Editorial
  • Commentary
  • Guest Column
  • Analysis
  • Letters
  • In Person
  • Interview
  • Profile
  • Dateline
  • Specials
  • Myanmar Diary
  • Women & Gender
  • Places in History
  • On This Day
  • From the Archive
  • Myanmar & COVID-19
  • Intelligence
  • Myanmar-China Watch
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Food
  • Fashion & Design
  • Videos
  • Photos
  • Photo Essay
  • Donation

About The Irrawaddy

Founded in 1993 by a group of Myanmar journalists living in exile in Thailand, The Irrawaddy is a leading source of reliable news, information, and analysis on Burma/Myanmar and the Southeast Asian region. From its inception, The Irrawaddy has been an independent news media group, unaffiliated with any political party, organization or government. We believe that media must be free and independent and we strive to preserve press freedom.

  • Copyright
  • Code of Ethics
  • Privacy Policy
  • Team
  • About Us
  • Careers
  • Contact
  • Burmese

© 2023 Irrawaddy Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
    • Burma
    • Politics
    • World
    • Asia
    • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
    • Ethnic Issues
    • War Against the Junta
    • Junta Cronies
    • Conflicts In Numbers
    • Junta Watch
    • Fact Check
    • Investigation
    • Myanmar-China Watch
    • Obituaries
  • Politics
  • Opinion
    • Commentary
    • Guest Column
    • Analysis
    • Editorial
    • Stories That Shaped Us
    • Letters
  • Ethnic Issues
  • War Against the Junta
  • In Person
    • Interview
    • Profile
  • Business
    • Economy
    • Business Roundup
  • Books
  • Donation

© 2023 Irrawaddy Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.