In India, we have despicable statistics when it comes to menstrual health. Most Indian women have to rely on leaves, old rags and what not when it comes to their periods. In Madurai, T Kannama, a 42-year-old woman decided to switch from her homemade food business to creating cotton, eco-friendly pads to promote a healthier period among underprivileged women.
Speaking to The Times Of India, “My husband runs a home-made food product business. I was involved with voluntary services when I grew interested about using herbs and natural elements to lead a healthier life. I was inspired by making nature-friendly sanitary napkins since it is as important as food and water. I did some research and came up with this product.”
The Paruthi Pen Mooligai Napkin uses surgical cotton as the main absorbent and lasts for four-six hours at a stretch. The pads contain neem, aloe vera and triphala powder which have antibacterial properties and help absorb any smell.
Kannamma revealed that she used customer feedback to improve the product, considering that every woman has a different period. She did various trials with different prototypes till zeroing in on the current pad. She also enlisted her sisters S Radha and Sumathi R.
“I, soon, started creating awareness about menstrual hygiene in schools because that is where change can happen. There, I learnt how children were struggling. Many girls couldn’t use regular pads because of discomfort. Some children use cloth or some didn’t attend school during their period.” Once again Kannamma is using their feedback to create a better pad for the children.
The pads come in three different variants, L, XL and XXL which are priced very reasonably 150, 160 and 180, respectively. The pads can be ordered via phone calls or Whatsapp. Talk about going tech!
We’re glad to hear that young girls and older women alike are benefiting from the likes of Kannamma. Ordinary pads are not biodegradable and pose a huge threat to our ecosystem. These cotton pads tick all the right boxes and we hope this spreads to the rest of India.
