NEW DELHI: A free period has a very different meaning for students of Delhi University’s Lakshmibai College . For, long before Akshay Kumar brought menstruation into living room discussions, it was these girls who had usurped the title of “Padgirls”.In 2015, three years before “Padman” told the story of a person who introduced lowcost sanitary pads inspired by the pain of his wife, the Delhi collegians had taken up a similar mission to make and distribute sanitary napkins among themselves and to women who could not afford them. The project was the brainchild of three teachers: Amrita Shilpi, Rajshree Roy and Gobina.They teach rural women to make their own padsAlong with 10 students, they started making sanitary pads under the university’s innovations project with a funding of Rs 4 lakh.The project began anew in 2016 as the “Red Dot Campaign”, mainly to end the taboo around the monthly event and to create awareness about the necessity of hygiene among people living in slums and rustic settlements.“When the students approached me to relaunch the project, I advised them to begin with a broader strategy to benefit students and women from economically disadvantaged sections,” recalled Pratyusha Vatsalya, principal of Lakshmibai. The college students not only provide women living in such areas with sanitary napkins, but also train them to make their own.“When I was in the first year, we carried out a survey of schools, slum areas and the village near our college and discovered that 90% of the woman there were unable to manage proper menstrual hygiene,” said Shruti Yada . “They did not use pads and many weren’t even aware of sanitary pads.” Through street plays, storytelling, posters and dance, the girls brought the issue out into the open.The students began with making 100 pads a month, which has now gone up to 500. “Pad-making is very easy,” said Spriha Roy . “Whenever we get a free period, we go to the pad room. We have ourselves used the pads to check their quality. We began with 10 volunteers and now there are 50 students who contribute to the effort.” The students aim to soon sell the pads for Rs 2 a piece to be able to operate independent of college funding.Principal Vatsalya disclosed plans of installing a napkin vending machine in Lakshmibai for the convenience of students. “Our college has both a manufacturing and a disposal system. The pad burning machine ensures cleanliness and hygiene,” she added.

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