The other day, I happened to watch an interesting movie from the amazing Studio Ghibli collection titled “Only Yesterday”. A simple story about a girl finding/learning love showcased in parallel with her 10-year-old self who is quite lively and courageous in comparison to her current self. As the character in the movie- Taeko Okajima reminisced her past, I reminisced mine. The 7th-period mystery is my personal version of an incident that happened when I was around 10 years old, I think (“Oh dear! My memory fails me”, says the 60-year-old me from a few decades later).

It was a lovely summer, I remember playing around with my friends, telling stories, picking Jamuns, and laughing at the silliest of things. It all changed in the span of 30 minutes. I was suddenly pushed from my innocent or should I say ignorant world into the world of the adults. Little did I know back then, that there was much more to the world of adults than that teeny-tiny jolt that I had experienced on that fateful day.

It was just like any other day at school until one of our teachers suddenly announced that all the girls were supposed to gather at the Physics lab during the 7th period. Wow, Physics lab I thought, the mysterious room with all sorts of weird instruments. It was a spooky room for all I knew, “what if ghosts popped out? No, not when there are many people around right?”, I convinced myself. During those days we had a mixed seating arrangement, and so my bench mates (no prize on guessing that they were boys) were now busy straining their ears to catch any kind of hints about this sudden mysterious female gathering. It was declared that the boys could use this time to play, an announcement that deviated their attention from the element of curiosity for at least a short while. The girls on the other hand had their minds in a jumble, most of us trying to figure out which great ‘social rule’ we had broken (me in particular, coz climbing trees, wrestling with boys, etc. were the common misconducts I was punished for). After almost an hour of excruciating curiosity that was bubbling up, heavily suppressed by mathematical equations we finally made our way to the Physics lab, which to our surprise was already filled with girls from senior classes and almost every female teacher in the school.

“Phew, I guess this wasn’t about me”, I sighed in relief (on second thoughts maybe I thought too highly about myself!). After being ushered in, we found seats, tables, and walls to lean on to and adjusted ourselves to this entirely uncanny and novel situation.

Seeing that we had finally settled in, one of the female teachers took charge and started speaking. It started something like, “you are all growing girls and you will or have experienced certain changes in your body as you grow” … And so, that went on…a long monologue on Mensuration or Periods as we commonly call it. This subject matter for the 10-year-old me was awkward and baffling, mostly because I had never heard of this before. I looked around, there were many heads nodding in unison, some facing showcasing the weirdest of expressions, while some eyes staring so fixedly at the speaker as if every word was of the highest importance. Little did I know that this would be the turning point in my life, and a major transitioning point in lifestyle and every little activity that I was hitherto accustomed to.

After, 30 minutes or so, the teachers had informed us in a totally generalized and kid-friendly way about what ‘IT’ was and whom to contact in case of issues related to it, and then we were dispersed. I could literally see relief written on many faces as if a huge burden had been taken off their chest. I overheard a few seniors discuss among themselves, of how great it was that they could go to the teachers in case of emergency. We walked back to the classroom and luckily the boys were still in the playground and we had 10 minutes at least before they rushed back. The mature ones in our class took initiative and shared stories of how their moms had given them ‘the talk’. Me and a couple of smaller ones (physically), had the blankest expressions because of the unexpectedness of the entire information. I wanted to speak, enquire about many things, however, I decided to keep my questions on hold for now. “How do I ask Mom?”, now that was a task, I had to muster my courage for.

The last period was really tough to endure. There was this general unrest among girls as if they had suddenly become conscious about their bodies and having boys sitting right next to us made the situation a bit tough to adjust to. Somehow, we managed to evade the curious questions and when the bell rang, we all packed in a hurry while the boys continued quizzing. “What happened in the Physics Lab?” “What happened during the 7^th period?”, were the questions that followed us back home as we walked as fast as we could.

I was home earlier than usual, much to my mother’s surprise. Never had I been this keen on getting back home on time. On normal days, I took my sweet time getting back home. As a regular practice, we would have a rock kicking contest or climb on the Tamarind tree or Jamun Trees near the school and while away the time before getting back home (one benefit of staying within the campus). I quickly freshened up, had my lunch, and scurried into the room I shared with my siblings. It was now or never I decided, time to confront mom. So, while dad and my siblings took their nap, I told my mother that I had to talk. Mom was taken aback by this sudden request and at this point, I am sure she was wondering what prank I was up to. Anyways we walked into the guest bedroom and my mother sat down, waiting to listen to whatever crazy story I had to tell.

“Mom, so the ma’am at school said that we will start bleeding when we get older and bigger. What is that supposed to mean? My friends told me that I am supposed to ask you.” I blurted out. Mom looked dazed at first, after a minute or two she finally pieced the puzzle together. “Ohh…that…”, she said calmly. “I was wondering when I should talk to you about it anyways, come here,” she said. My nerves were killing me now, get done with the mystery I thought. It was too much for my little brain. What ensued was mom’s version of how a girl’s body changes when she reaches puberty, often interrupted by apologies for not being able to explain it well in biological terms.  

“Why must only girls have it? What about boys, don’t they have something similar happening?” I had questions and for some reason, I was extremely angry, but before I could ask anything else, mom was rescued by the sound of my younger brother wailing from his bed. She left me to my own devices and went to pacify my brother. I bubbled with anger and frustration but with no way to find an outlet, I kicked a few toys and decided to focus on my homework. Hence, the discussion was now put on hold, and at some point, I got so engrossed in reading Famous Five that the thought was temporarily shelved.

Back at the school, curiosity stayed alive for a few days. We had discussions amongst ourselves trying to keep it all a secret from the boys, and eventually “physics lab” became our secret code. The 7th-period mystery, slowly became a forgotten story, until two years or so later when I first experienced the excruciating pain, and the first menses struck me like an axe. I panicked, almost hyperventilated, and blacked out, and my father had to carry me home. Then mom sat me down for another talk, trying to reason with me that this was a natural process and that boys too had their own troubles. The pain and anger, the discomfort included left me depressed all through the first ‘period’ experience. The physical changes also triggered changes in my behaviour, dressing, sitting style, and even interactions. I started becoming warier about boys, shied out from playing football, cricket, etc. and tried to avoid climbing trees while wearing a dress/skirt (well, some stupid things I did before). Friendships changed too, it must have been the sudden awareness about the gender difference I think, but I started to keep a distance from everyone around except a select few with whom I felt really comfortable.

Truth to be told, I was angry almost every time IT reoccurred. There were days when I had to stay away from school, it used to be a real task to avoid gossips. While we knew nobody was going to ‘catch period’ by talking about it, the fear lingered around wearing whites, covering stains, etc. The whole experience of constantly avoiding the scrutiny of boys during those days or even otherwise was quite similar to the scenes showcased in the anime ‘Only Yesterday’. It took me years to come in terms with this so-called compulsory process of the female body that allows us to accommodate birth and ensure the continuation of humankind (in a broad sense).

Mensuration is a necessary and inevitable part of our lives, yet there is so much secrecy around it. Right from the way parents shy away from explaining what the Sanitary pads are when we are kids to the way in which we as grown-up girls/women try to sneak them around our classmates/colleagues. As funny as it may sound, I used to think that sanitary pads are some kind of sweat absorbents to be used under our armpits (ROFL).

I admit we don’t have to shout about it from the rooftops, but it is a discussion that is long overdue. Mensural hygiene being a major issue in many countries including India, even more so in today’s situation where the availability of Sanitary pads has become an issue too (1, 2, 3). While there are many steps being taken, there’s still a long way to go. In order to create better awareness about access to safe and hygienic menstrual hygiene products, May 28^th was observed as the Menstrual Hygiene Day. And while hygiene and availability of options remain a question there is also the question of increased plastic content in the regularly available, mass-produced products (4). There are environmentally friendly alternatives available, but much like the awareness about mensural hygiene, it remains accessible to the socio-economically stable populace.

An environmental and cost-effective solution is the need of the hour. Products that can be availed by everybody, irrespective of the societal hierarchy. The steps would include, enabling smaller manufacturers to produce environmentally friendly products that can be distributed even to the smallest of villages, teaching women how to make sanitary hygiene products, how to dispose of them safely, how to take care of themselves, etc. This can only be done by making mensuration hygiene a necessary topic of discussion in every institute that provides secondary education, broadcasting information about it on television and radio (Padman was just the start), and most importantly ensuring that the social stigmas around mensuration are completely destroyed.

Remember You and I are all part of this change. With this thought in mind, this is Satrangee Parachute breezing off into the clouds of memories.

References:

1. https://thewire.in/women/coronavirus-menstruation-sanitary-pads
2. https://www.financialexpress.com/lifestyle/menstrual-hygiene-management-tips-for-safe-period-hygiene/1973872/
3. https://www.business-standard.com/article/health/world-menstrual-hygiene-day-2020-coronavirus-lockdown-impact-on-girls-menstruating-rumours-120052800633_1.html
4. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/2019/09/how-tampons-pads-became-unsustainable-story-of-plastic/
5. https://www.hindustantimes.com/sex-and-relationships/world-menstrual-hygiene-day-2020-go-sustainable-with-eco-friendly-products/story-MpMebIdwu3K3oGyiFtN1pL.html
6. https://www.vogue.co.uk/article/best-eco-friendly-sustainable-sanitary-brands-products

The post The 7th-‘Period’ Mystery appeared first on .

It has been weeks now since the Gorakhpur Incident was reported. Some images are etched into my mind, and I know that they will haunt me for ever. Impulse or compulsion, I had to pen my thoughts, express my anger, helplessness and a concoction of other emotions, all through this post.

In a nation that constantly cribs about “who eats what” and ‘who wears what’, the immense silence that had loomed post the deaths of 64 infants due to acute encephalitis syndrome (AES) is uncanny. Well, could be counted as mourning. Though the social media, and news agencies have been on their toes trying to increase the national reaction about such a tragic incidence, it seems like the death of children in some part of the nation (from unknown families-if I must add) has nothing to do with ‘us.

While some callously point out that deaths due to AES happens every year, I ask what have we done to prevent it? I thoroughly support Sreemoy Talukdar in saying that we are failing to look at the real issue here.

For those who are unaware, AES is characterized by acute onset of fever and clinical neurological manifestation that includes mental confusion, disorientation, delirium, or coma. The disease has a long history in India. As mentioned in a research journal (published in The Annals of Neurosciences, Sep 2016), titled ‘Acute Encephalitis Syndrome in India: The Changing Scenario’, authored by Sourish Ghosh and Anirban Basu, “The history of AES in India

has paralleled with that of the Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) since the first report in 1955 from Vellore, Tamil Nadu. The first outbreak of JEV was reported in Bankura district, West Bengal in 1973. Thereafter, sporadic cases of AES and outbreaks have been the leading cause of premature deaths due to the disease in India. Based on various surveillance reports and outbreak investigations, Joshi et al. classified the history of AES in India into 3 phases: (a) period before 1975 when a few cases with JE aetiology were identified; (b) between 1975 and 1999 when more JEV cases were reported with frequent outbreaks that resulted in the development of JE endemic regions near the Gangetic plains and in parts of Deccan and Tamil Nadu; (c) between 2000 and 2010, a dramatic change was observed in the AES scenario, which saw the rise in non-JE outbreaks mostly caused by viruses such as Chandipura virus (CHPV), Nipah virus (NiV), and other enteroviruses.”

While the article on Firstpost supports the statements with many other stats, that emphasize the fact that healthcare is highly neglected in a country that has nuclear power, satellite launching capabilities and so on. While the media digs on the issues like unavailability of oxygen, the negligence of the hospital authorities and the coverups that followed, the statement by UP Health Minister SN Singh that “August is the month when a lot of infections and vector-borne diseases and AES (Acute Encephalitis Syndrome) cases comes into BRD.(read the full article here)”, sounds lame and inhuman.

So, assuming that it happens every year, surprisingly instead of witnessing a decrease in number, are the numbers shooting up? And it is not that the Ministry of health hasn’t issued directives. According to Annual child health report for 2015-16, “Vaccination against Japanese Encephalitis (JE) is provided in selected endemic districts.” But, in reality the JE shots have rendered ineffective in the case of AES. In a report related to rising child deaths in Malkangiri district, Odisha in Nov 2016, it was reported that, “of total 313 cases, 161 children have been diagnosed with AES and the rest with JE.”

Don’t blame it on the healthcare practitioners, as the disease itself seems to be a mystery, with around 100 pathogens that trigger it, the West Nile virus, dengue virus, Chandipura virus and chikungunya virus, bacteria like Streptococcus pneumoniae, Orientia tsutsugamushi, and Haemophilus influenzae, to name a few.

Each year hospitals have a hard time arranging beds other equipment and even doctors to handle the sudden flow of patients. My question here, are we falling short of trained healthcare professionals? If so, how do we raise the number and if not what is the real reason?

At the end, investigations point out that this particular incident was the result of violation of protocols that inadvertently led to inadequate oxygen supply which caused the death of all those innocent infants, and to think that some of them were not even named. All we can do now is offer our heartfelt condolences to those parents and try to ensure that such incidents aren’t repeated.

This is Satrangee Parachute signing off with the ardent prayer that political, religious or vested interests of individuals shouldn’t come at the price of human lives.

Ref:

• http://www.firstpost.com/india/gorakhpur-tragedy-annual-cycle-of-deaths-will-continue-as-nobody-wants-to-address-the-real-issue-3930049.html

• https://series.fountainink.in/the-gorakhpur-mystery/

• http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/oxygen-doesnt-seem-to-be-reason-for-gorakhpur-children-dying-up-health-minister-sn-singh/articleshow/60049335.cms

• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5043220/

• http://mohfw.gov.in/sites/default/files/63256458796523654528.pdf

• http://www.newindianexpress.com/states/odisha/2016/nov/10/je-shots-useless-as-aes-soars-1536938.html

• http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/gorakhpur-infant-deaths-brd-medical-college-and-hospital-oxygen-supply-shortage-oxygen-cylinder/1/1033185.html

The post Looking For Answers. Enough With The Blame Game! appeared first on .