Set off warning: Point out of accident and damage
Sandy Khanda (28) believes every day ought to be lived like one’s final. From the place does this epiphanic angle stem from? A “near-death expertise” in 2016, he responds.
Following a nasty street accident, the third-year engineering scholar was confined to the ICU for 4 months and consequently sentenced to 16 surgical procedures — together with restore of a broken colon, bladder, proper hand and left thigh.
“My docs had given me a one p.c probability of survival. They’d requested my household to arrange for the worst,” he shares. However, to everybody’s shock, Sandy, who was on the point of demise, started to point out indicators of enchancment. Within the months that adopted, his physique co-operated with the medicines.
Science and immense goodwill, he says, put him on the street to finish restoration, which spanned a 12 months.
Whereas the Gurugram native resumed his engineering research as soon as out of the hospital, the incident left a transformative influence on him. It led Sandy to start out the Inexperienced Pencil Basis in 2019 — a non-profit making an attempt to create a distinction in India by way of its verticals of schooling, menstrual hygiene, and local weather advocacy.
‘Durations of Pleasure’: Dismantling taboos round menstruation
Not way back, within the Shamlo Kalan village in Haryana’s Jind district, farmers have been battling a faceless evil; their fields reeked of a staunch odour. An inspection led Sandy to the supply — used sanitary pads disposed of within the open. However earlier than leaping the gun responsible the culpable girls, Sandy urges us to coach our gaze on the larger image — interval poverty.
Based on the World Financial institution, on any given day, greater than 300 million girls world wide are menstruating. In whole, an estimated 500 million lack entry to menstrual merchandise and services for menstrual hygiene administration (MHM). Entry to pads is among the main challenges.
“And when younger women and girls in these rural areas do handle to entry sanitary pads, the following problem turns into how you can eliminate them,” Sandy explains. As most of the girls relayed to him, most areas in India’s hinterland lacked rubbish assortment services and recycling. “So, their solely resort was to dump the dirty pads within the fields,” he learnt.
Because the Inexperienced Pencil Basis expanded the footprint of its advocacy work throughout the nation, Sandy learnt that, what he assumed to be an issue rampant in Haryana, was additionally prevalent in villages of Punjab, Maharashtra, and Himachal Pradesh.
Farmers in these areas have been distraught. Whereas the odour was insufferable, it was one in a sequence of issues. “The farmers defined to me that when used pads lay within the discipline for lengthy durations, they affected the fertility of the land and led to illnesses.” So as to add to this, the non-compostability of the pads made them a regarding pollutant.
Channelling his basis’s advocacy in direction of making certain girls’s entry to sanitary pads wasn’t a viable resolution. Sandy deduced that true change would solely be potential when the observe of non-degradable pads was ousted and substituted with eco-friendly options.
“So, we launched material pads. These could be reused a number of instances after washing. Economically and environmentally, we thought this might be a superb possibility,” Sandy informs. ‘Durations of Pleasure’ not solely ushers in a brand new period with their pads but in addition seeks to ring in a brand new mindset by deconstructing regressive attitudes round menstruation.
‘Impressed by the ladies in my life’
When a person [Sandy] walks right into a village and speaks to its girls about durations, he’s often met with radio silence and lowered gazes. So, when that man can say that he has influenced 2,00,000 teenage women and girls, it’s a matter of pleasure and intrigue. The latter is as a result of one would surprise how he achieved success.
Sandy describes a typical workshop. “Normally, after we begin off, even the phrase ‘interval’ is taboo. So, we start by addressing what a interval is. We inform women who haven’t begun menstruating by what age they need to usually count on theirs. We assist those that are actively menstruating with how you can handle their durations, how you can handle train in these days and keep hydrated.”
All conversations are medically backed by the staff of gynaecologists that’s a part of ‘Durations of Pleasure’. The classes aren’t confined to idea but in addition hands-on workshops.
Step one, Sandy says, is dissociating the disgrace that’s hooked up to the topic of menstruation. Via the initiative, he envisions a future the place menstrual well being is not a taboo topic in India however as a substitute a basic a part of curriculums in all faculties, each in city and rural areas.
Sandy’s keenness within the topic has its roots in his childhood. “I bear in mind in Class 7, a classmate of mine acquired her interval. The boys didn’t know the explanation for her bleeding and commenced making enjoyable of her, assuming that intercourse had prompted her to bleed.” That day, a 12-year-old Sandy made his method again house with a query for his mom. “Why do you and didi not discuss durations? Is it one thing secret?”
The stereotype etched into the discourse round menstruation grew to become evident to him. So, at the moment, he’s proud to see the ripples of Durations of Pleasure being catapulted throughout 200 slum areas in over 26 cities of India.
A changemaker is born
A farmer’s son, Sandy grew up within the village of Khanda. His childhood was spent serving to his father maintain the paddy. Rising up in Haryana, he would typically hear of feminine foeticide, patriarchy and taboo round menstrual well being.
Ascribing his entrepreneurial relevance to his roots, he says, “I needed to do one thing about these points however I didn’t have the braveness or assets again then. I grew up in a middle-class household the place I used to be taught that I wanted to make a profession. However the accident modified every part. I noticed this because the second probability that I used to be given to serve my neighborhood; an opportunity to utilise my life to make a distinction.”
Whereas the Durations of Pleasure focuses on menstrual well being, the ‘Slum to Faculty’ initiative is current in 26 slums in Delhi, and has been instrumental in enrolling 62 kids in faculties.
“There are various authorities faculties the place schooling and books are supplied freed from value, in addition to noon meals. Nevertheless, dad and mom in slum areas aren’t acquainted with these insurance policies. So, as a substitute of coaxing their kids to go to colleges, they make them accumulate rubbish for a small amount of cash,” Sandy explains.
Sandy and his staff go to these shanties. They go from door to door, urging dad and mom to ship their kids to high school. In circumstances the place the kid must be introduced on top of things together with his/her classmates, Sandy and his staff conduct remedial instructing that spans six months.
The third arm of the Inexperienced Pencil Basis is the one directed in direction of local weather change.
The staff conducts workshops educating kids about sustainable habits inside their houses. “For instance, utilizing material baggage as a substitute of polythene baggage; steel bottles as a substitute of plastic bottles; and public transport as a substitute of personal autos. All actions are directed in direction of lowering carbon footprint.”
Sandy provides, “We additionally urge them to ask their dad and mom to maneuver in direction of renewable power, undertake photo voltaic panels and thus minimise their electrical energy invoice.”
The change in mindsets is palpable within the villages the place Sandy has carried out his advocacy. For Sandy, even a single village embracing a brand new perspective on menstruation by way of his workshops is a real success.
Edited by Pranita Bhat
