“People are ashamed of talking about periods, and that’s what we’re trying to change. It has been our biggest win.”
– Aditi Gupta (Co-Founder, Menstrupedia)
Despite growing awareness now, periods in India carry a heavy silence. One woman who used comics and talked straight to shatter it is Aditi Gupta. She took the plunge to educate millions and turn shame into strength. Her story proves that a simple idea from a small town can spark massive change.
Early sparks
Aditi was born and brought up in a quiet corner of Jharkhand, India. Periods came early for her at age 12. Her family talked openly with no whispers. But around her, girls hid in fear, fear of skipping school for days, washing stains in secret, swallowing myths like “touching pickles poisons you” or “play outside, and you’ll get sick.” Friends lost confidence, some even dropped out. Those sights burned into her.
As Aditi had an interest in Design, she made it to the National Institute of Design in Ahmedabad. She met her husband, Tuhin Paul, at the institute and worked on several projects together. They found a clear lack of awareness about menstruation, even among the most educated people.
In an interview with TIME in 2016, she stated, “When girls in India get their periods, they are considered impure for those seven days. That is how I grew up, seeing myself as impure.”
She did research on this subject for one year. She collated information from doctors and girls, which gave her an idea to start a book with three young girls and a doctor as the main characters. Once the books were ready, she uploaded them to a website. It was November 2012 when Aditi, along with her husband, decided to start Menstrupedia to spread awareness about this subject.
The success of Menstrupedia
By 2014, Menstrupedia had penetrated 75 institutions, educating 80,000 girls. A pivotal partnership with Procter & Gamble’s Whisper brand produced the “Touch the Pickle” campaign, depicting a girl embracing her brother during menstruation. The campaign featured actresses such as Shraddha Kapoor, Parineeti Chopra, Kalki Koechlin, Neha Dhupia, and Mandira Bedi. This provocative advertisement secured a Cannes Lions Grand Prix, sparking national conversations and normalising the topic.
Aditi scaled operations quite methodically. Her platform reached and trained over 10,000 educators, reached 6000 schools and directly instructed 50,000 girls, indirectly influencing 13 million individuals at the global level.
The website Menstrupedia contains comic books, blogs, a Q&A section, and a Learn area. By 2018, the comics were available in 14 languages and used in over 18 countries. Aditi created materials for schools in five North Indian states. She shared these comics in schools in Mehsana, Gandhinagar, Ahmedabad, and Ranchi, where girls, parents, and teachers loved them.
“I think millions of girls have studied about periods at the right time with our comic books. And when they grow up, they pass on the learning and experience to younger girls,” she said in one of her interviews.
Awards and recognitions
Aditi’s major awards for her contribution to educating people about menstruation include:
- Recognised in Forbes 30 Under 30 in 2014 for her work in menstrual health education through Menstrupedia.
- Listed in BBC 100 Women in 2015, among the world’s most influential women for breaking menstrual taboos and promoting awareness.
- She also received the NITI Aayog – Women Transforming India Award for her contribution to menstrual hygiene awareness and social entrepreneurship.
- Young Innovators Award by the United Nations Population Fund for innovative work in menstrual health education.
- Menstrupedia received the Laadli Media & Advertising Award for Gender Sensitivity.
Her future aspirations
Aditi dreams of a future where menstruation is considered a welcome change in young girls’ lives, rather than a taboo. She continues to drive the change and contribute in the fields of reproductive health education, life lessons, adolescent lessons, and more.
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