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South Asian Women in Media

Swati Bhattacharjee addressing the audience during the opening of the workshop

By SAWM Team on September 5, 2022
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Mentees registering for the event

Mentees registering for the event

Radhika Srivastava

It is still a taboo in a country like India to talk about menstrual hygiene. But Purulia District in West Bengal sets an example to rest of the country by its Kanyashree Group of Adolescent Girls. This Group talks to the local community about the importance of Menstrual Hygiene, Child marriage, and its social Change. Initially, the locals ignored them, but they refused to give up. Today they have become game changers with their work in creating awareness leading to the reduction in cervical disease among women.

School girls, barely 12-15 years seemed well rehearsed about sanitary napkins and their usage but what was not well practiced was their confidence in dealing with outsiders, especially the media. The Kanyashree clubs is in different forms in all other states but what outshone and was different amongst these kanyashree girls from Purulia was their leadership qualities, their ability to tackle every tricky question with an unusual confidence that belied their age. Kanyashree clubs seem to be nurturing women leaders of tomorrow.

The visit to the 200-bedded Goalpara Civil Hospital, recipient of the Kayakalp and Lakshya awards, was a pleasant surprise as contrary to usual government hospitals, it was very clean and all parameters of hygiene are being duly followed. The hospital caters to five districts of Assam-Goalpara, Dhubri, Barpeta, Bongaigaon and Kamrup along with East and West Garo Hills district.

In Dubalia we were welcomed in a traditional way with innovative hand-made crowns of flowers and a pleasant folk song. I was introduced to a new concept of Raj mistries and Rani mistries who took a great initiative in Swaccha Bharat Abhiyan held in Jharkhand State. I found the Raj and Rani mistries so vibrant and mature. Not only the mistries but the whole village was quite aware of their duties and rights.