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Like Charity, Menstrual Conversations Must Start At Home

Written By: Infano
May 21, 2021

Highlights

  • Lack of open conversation is the breeding ground for misinformation that further feeds into the biases denying menstruators the basic right and respectability.
  • What is even education which doesn’t let you shake an inbuilt belief system, hindering the evolution of society into a more inclusive space.
  • Just like charity starts at home, conversation too, starts at home.
  • Quick Read
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As a human being born into the gross cultural privilege of being a man, I believe the accountability of narrowing down spaces for menstruators lies on men. My simple reason for this is the fact that the taboos pertaining to menstruation are usually segregated as “women’s issue”. It’s bizarre on so many levels because the human rights of women cannot be written off as a women’s issue. It is everyone’s issue!

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I vividly remember when I was in Class 10th in a small town called Dalhousie, I saw boys and even teachers giggling or frowning on the topic of periods. I was so naive that I did not understand a tad bit of what was being giggled upon. I thought I am so weird for not knowing what exactly periods are! Come to think of it, as a student of class 10th, I should have had such knowledge by then. It goes on to point a finger at the education system where periods are considered taboo even in the classrooms. Chapters on Reproduction continue to be skipped by the teachers.

Instead of being educated by the informed professionals, my knowledge about periods came from friends who were equally clueless. Even with our naive assumptions, I could never understand why the mention of periods invoked giggles amongst my peers. My elder sister had once asked me to buy her pads from the local store. At the shop, much like everybody’s experience, I even noticed how the shopkeeper carefully wrapped the napkin pack with a newspaper. I had even asked my sister about why the shopkeeper would do that! But my sister dismissed my question.

In retrospect, when I think about it, I cannot stop thinking about how my sister and every young woman is inherently indoctrinated to shy away from the conversation. It stems from a false sense of shame inflicted upon them for simply having natural physiology. As a human being born into the gross cultural privilege of being a man, I believe the accountability of narrowing down spaces for menstruators lies on men. My simple reason for this is the fact that the taboos pertaining to menstruation are usually segregated as “women’s issue”. It’s bizarre on so many levels because the human rights of women cannot be written off as a women’s issue. It is everyone’s issue!

Lack of open conversation is the breeding ground for misinformation which further feeds into the biases denying menstruators the basic right and respectability. As a society that dominates every narrative from the patriarchal lens, I want to come forward and be an ally to the menstruators in their fight to restore their “bloody” affair for visibility and pride.

Today, my sister and I have both evolved into better-informed individuals about menstruation. Just like charity starts at home, conversation too, starts at home! There are no more newspaper-wrapped sanitary pads coming home for us anymore. We stare back at uncle aunties who try to morally monitor us. This menstrual Hygiene week, I stepped up to not take away the mic from the menstruators but to engage with people of the gender who benefit from patriarchy. It’s time we step up and become an ally!

Here is where I want to end the article but I have one more anecdote to share if you are willing to hear. So here it goes,

Once upon an evening, my educated and well-read friend and I along with a few of our friends went to the temple. She refused to go inside the temple. When asked, she remained quiet, hoping we would understand why! We did. We failed to convince her why it was normal to go inside the temple during the periods. Heck, what you gonna teach your kids, I quizzed with visible resentment. Unfortunately, I wasn’t quite able to reason it out with her. It’s funny how we worship Goddess Kamakhya because she bleeds but we do not let menstruators into the temple. Bizarre much?  The Indian culture is so patriarchal that it has trained the menstruators to blindly follow what men have practised in the past. What a deplorable state of affair, one may ask! What is even education which doesn’t let you shake an inbuilt belief system hindering the evolution of society into a more inclusive space.

At home, when I see my sister in law not entering our ‘ghar wala mandir’ during her periods, I make her question her faith which is so fragile that her god will care if she is bleeding or not. I couldn’t much shake my sister in law into reason but I have pledged to normalise periods with my nieces, nephews and even my own kids. They must grow into an environment that doesn’t consider periods, taboo. We have a superstore in Dalhousie and I make sure the sanitary pads are not given in a newspaper bag and are put along with other shopping items. If requested for a newspaper, they get a very 2-3 liner humble and shameless lecture from me. I don’t care if it makes them uncomfortable. It’s time people forego their comfort zone around something that is SO NORMAL!!!!!!

Author: Arpit Shangri

#IAmAPeriodAllyMenstrual cyclemenstrual hygeine dayMenstruationMHD2021

Infano

Infano is a platform that aims to impact every facet of a woman's life - health, career, motherhood, lifestyle, and much more. We are a team of like-minded individuals who wish to be a support to women from all walks of life and in everything they do. Our aim, through our posts and articles, is to bring to light the issues and problems that women face in their day-to-day life, to try and make their life a little easier and a little better, provide the latest news updates of women around the world, and to highlight their big and small achievements. We celebrate womanhood each and every day.

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Infano Care

Mother-Daughter Turn Entrepreneurs, Launch Baby Skin Care Products

Written By: Tasneem Akbari Kutubuddin
February 10, 2022 | 01:34 PM |
1,205

Highlights

  • CITTA is the brainchild of mother-daughter duo Akanksha Sharma and Monisha Sharma.
  • Akanksha Sharma is the new-age young female entrepreneur of India.
  • Her baby skin care products have the backing of modernity and advancement to provide a safe and nourishing skincare solution. 
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Culminating out of love and experience in child care over the years, CITTA is the brainchild of mother-daughter duo Akanksha Sharma and Monisha Sharma who bring a gift of baby skin care products for millennial parents. The duo incorporates the ancient child care methods with the backing of modernity and advancement to provide a safe and nourishing skincare solution for children. CITTA was created with the serious desire to create a sustainable Indian product for the discerning customer.

Her Story

A team always seeks inspiration from a leader who is dynamic yet humble, goal-driven yet accommodating, and fierce yet kind. These qualities are exactly what defines Akanksha Sharma as the new-age young female entrepreneur of India. 

AKAKNSHA SHARMA CITTA
AKANKSHA SHARMA, Founder

Twenty-three-year-old entrepreneur Akanksha, is the epitome of contemporary leadership. With an education in Design & Management from the United States of America, Akanksha is able to approach business through her multidimensional understanding of concepts and ideas.

Having grown up with some of the most noteworthy names of the Indian business domain, with edupreneur parents, Pankaj Sharma & Monisha Sharma, as well as her grandparents and uncle and aunt (pioneering leaders of The Lexicon Group, Pune), Akanksha believes she was destined to venture into entrepreneurship early in her life.

She has witnessed her family’s indefatigable work ethic and how they have built an entire body of business right from scratch. This drive and motivation led Akanksha to launch CITTA, a premium brand of baby skin care products for children. 

“CITTA is a brand embodying the clear ethos of conscious business; with products that are all-natural, chemical-free, and manufactured upholding the highest standards of practice, this a brand that blends Indian traditions and new-age scientific technology”, says Akanksha, CEO & Co-Founder of CITTA. She oversees the entire operations, marketing, and sales at CITTA since its launch in August 2020.

Mission and Vision

Inspired by the traditions and knowledge of childcare passed down by grandmothers to mothers, the #Dadi Nani Ke Nuskhe is what CITTA’s range of baby skin care products pride in. This homegrown brand caters to millennial parents specially curated baby products for the age groups of 0-5 years.

“Working on the principle of ‘Tradition backed by Science’ all CITTA products is a culmination of painstaking research into rituals, customers, and best practices in baby-rearing and caring. Therefore, each one has been designed with thought and age-old wisdom married with state-of-the-art technology and natural Indian ingredients”, adds Akanksha. The brand envisions providing the same love and caring that a grandparent would, while today’s parents juggle personal growth and parenting altogether.

“Our products that are all-natural, chemical-free, and manufactured upholding the highest standards of practice, this is a brand that blends Indian traditions and new-age scientific technology”. 2020.

“I envision this brand to be an Indian household name for skincare products for children. My mother is the Director of The Lexicon Group & Co-Founder of CITTA, who also has a keen interest in and a sound knowledge of cosmetics and skincare”. 

Her mantra of entrepreneurship is perhaps deeply inspired by her father’s personality and his experiences: “Focus on what can go right, not what can go wrong; believe in yourself and make your own path to success.” With no apprehension of going the extra mile for her personal and professional families, Akanksha Sharma is the vibrant new face of Indian business.

What is special with this baby skin care product?

Keeping in mind the tender and fragile skin of babies and toddlers, CITTA’s formulations are Safe and Tested that work well for the fast-paced demanding self-sustained life of millennial couples today. That is why, they are developed using natural ingredients and are guaranteed free of parabens, sulphates, silicones, mineral oil, and allergens. Keeping the motto of transparency as a way to serve each parent, CITTA mentions each ingredient clearly on its packaging.

Whether it is the various natural oils, the oat silk, or the multiple extracts, each one of them has been combined with precision in a controlled environment and has received all the safety approvals, and is cruelty-free.

Achievements

baby skin care product CITTA

Akanksha was a TEDx Speaker in 2020 and a panelist at ‘How and why MSMEs will be the growth catalyst for India to become a $5 trillion economy at the Pune Times Mirror Leadership Awards. She had collaborated with the Governor of Maharashtra, Bhagat Singh Koshiyari, to distribute CITTA care packages to the underprivileged children of the community.

Infano Thanks Akanksha Sharma for sharing her story with us.

If you know of a powerful woman whose story needs to be heard, mail us at infano.care@gmail.com

Also Read Weird things about your newborn baby

inspirationPassion To Professionwomen empowermentwomen in india

Tasneem Akbari Kutubuddin

Tasneem Akbari Kutubuddin has done her masters in Journalism & Communication and has worked as a senior journalist, editor and columnist for leading publications like The Logical Indian, Deccan Chronicle, Worldwide Media Corporation, The Bridge and Provoke.
With Infano, she hopes to create more awareness about women’s health issues. Suffering with Fibromyalgia, a chronic pain condition, she has also been advocating for its awareness through media.

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