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Meet Niketa And Poovayya, Teenagers Providing Sanitary Kits To Migrant Women Amid COVID-19 Pandemic

Written By: Infano
July 10, 2020
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After the Centre enforced the nationwide lockdown on March 25, two Bangalore based teenagers were firstly excited at the thought of board exams getting postponed. Tia Poovayya and Niketa Khanna, both students of Mallya Aditi International School, however soon learnt that there were a lot of people struggling to access even basic need items amid this COVID-19 crisis. The gravity of the problem was understood by them when their domestic help requested them for sanitary products and they could imagine the horrid situation which migrant women must be facing at the moment. This made the duo start an initiative named ‘Aurat Arogya’ to ensure that basic sanitary products and other essentials should be made accessible to underprivileged or migrant women in such difficult times. An attempt to ameliorate the pandemic situation by these two gritty teens has brought relief for many needy people and is praiseworthy.

In order to learn more about migrant workers in Bengaluru, Niketa, residing in Koramangala approached the police station in her area and worked with them for the delivery of hygiene-kits. Both the teenagers thanked Bangalore City police for making it a successful initiative and acknowledge that on-ground distribution work in such a situation would not have been possible without their co-ordination. For collecting funds, initially, they reached out to their near ones through Whatsapp and later took to Instagram for spreading the word. They had collected nearly a lakh in their first round and it allowed them to donate nearly 1000 kits that contained essential hygiene products such as pads, shampoo and soaps. Soon after receiving an overwhelming response, they conducted the second drive of donating hygiene kits and are now preparing to do the third drive after their board exams.

In a conversation with us, Tia Poovayya shares,” Talking to my domestic help; I realized that how difficult it is for underprivileged women to procure hygiene-related products in this situation. While they’re struggling to arrange their three meals a day, their menstrual health has taken a backseat. For migrant women the situation has been worse and they couldn’t think of taking care of their hygiene. Periods still being a taboo topic make it further difficult for them to reach out or ask for sanitary products in lockdown. This initiative was possible only with the funds which we have generated through social media platforms and also with help from Bangalore police. We need to realize that if we come from a position of privilege, it’s our moral responsibility to contribute to those who have been hardest hit and help them in whatever little ways possible.”

The gritty- teenagers worked tirelessly to prepare the 1000 kits and have completed two rounds of distribution. They ensured that they sanitized themselves and wore masks when they ventured outdoors for the relief work. Niketa shares that it has been a life-changing experience for her and it made her familiar with the realities on the ground. Both of them agree on the point that even though many NGO’s have come forward to provide food and other essentials to migrant workers, but no one is looking after the sanitary health essentials of women. After talking to many underprivileged women, they got to know that they have to reuse the same washed cloth when they’re on their periods. This could even lead to infections but they’ve no other option left. Right now, they’re collecting funds for their third round of distribution and want to reach to as many needy women as possible with their initiative.

“One of the major hurdles in making this initiative happen was that it was not easy to procure all goods and pack them with so many restrictions going during this phase. With travel restriction in place, we got our passes with the help of Bangalore Police. I was not expecting to get such an overwhelming response. All those who have contributed to this cause have been extremely generous. When we met few women during the distribution, they were highly thankful to us and shared the problems which they’ve been facing to procure hygiene-related products. Right now, both of us are looking to conduct the third drive once our board exams will be over. It has also made me realize the utter need to work in this field and we will continue with it even post-lockdown. Periods are natural and we need to talk openly about it. Any small effort to make a difference counts and contributes to the greater good of society.” shares Niketa Khanna in a conversation with us.

At such a young age, these two teenagers have realized the importance of breaking stigmas related to periods and want to continue working for underprivileged women so that they’re not denied the access to menstrual health-related products.

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Infano

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My Journey of Self-acceptance: Megha Gupta

Written By: Shweta Singh
September 29, 2022 | 02:02 PM |
315

Highlights

Facing the wrath of trollers over my weight

My guiding light that helped me through my fears – my husband

My journey of self-acceptance

Bringing up my daughter to be confident and fearless.

My message to all the women are mocked for their body weight

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Things started to look up when I got married to my best friend. He not only accepted me for who I am but also respected my individuality and the choices to live the life I want. Being with him made me feel empowered. I started regaining my confidence and picked up every single thing that was forbidden due to my weight. Right from wearing short dresses to going on a wandering spree and eating my favorite food without having someone’s eye on my plate. I started doing it all.  I got the confidence of ignoring the nuisance of the world to do the things I loved.

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Self-acceptance is not an easy journey in a world that wants you to fit into those shallow beauty standards.
You should try some weight loss exercises.
Hey, don’t eat that you will put on weight. 
Wear some loose-fit clothes; it will hide your curves. 
Oh! You are eating again.

Hearing such taunts was a part of my everyday life while growing up. Friends, relatives, and sometimes even strangers did not spare me from their unsolicited advice on weight loss. The constant body shaming compelled me to recoil into a shell and I defied self-acceptance. To cope, I grew aloof from my friends and avoided family gatherings, gave up my favorite clothes that showed too much skin and even flinched from walking alone on the roads. Meanwhile, I developed frequent episodes of anxiety and panic attacks and I started questioning my worth. Will I ever be loved or liked? – became a recurring thought.  

Amidst all the fuss my only solace was dance. I  loved to groove over my favourite songs and thus whenever hurt, I would resort to dancing alone in my room until I felt better again. 

My Strength

Things started to look up when I married my best friend. He not only accepted me for who I am but also respected my individuality and the choices to live the life I want. I felt empowered being with him. I started regaining my confidence and picked up every single thing that was forbidden due to my weight. Right from wearing short dresses to going on a wandering spree and eating my favorite food without having someone’s eye on my plate – I started doing it all. Thus, started my journey of self-acceptance. I got the confidence of ignoring the nuisance of the world to do the things I loved. 

My daughter – Mini Me

Seven years into the marriage I gave birth to my baby girl Avyana. I wanted to give her the best upbringing and made it a priority to fulfill all her wishes. It made me ecstatic to see the miniature version of me springing right in front of me. More than anything I wanted her to be confident and live her life to the fullest without dreading the world. I would push her to be at the forefront of every activity in school and she on her part rocked at everything she participated in. Then, resurfaced my worst fear. My relatives started picking on my 6-year-old daughter for being chubby and asking me to not dress her in short clothes. I feared Avyana suffering through the same things like I did. But her Mumma has learned to face the world and turn down all odds bravely. 

I make sure my daughter lives without the fear of being judged, dresses the way she loves, and eats all that she wants to. To encourage her I put up her acting and dancing videos on Instagram I love how my girl is having a lively and fulfilling childhood that I was deprived of.

After all these years it’s not a smooth sail. People at my workplace and family gathering still pick on me for my weight but unlike the old times, I have learned to face them with a befitting retort. 

The journey continues…

I owe huge gratitude to my husband for firmly standing beside me through thick and thin and making the journey of self-acceptance easier. Not everyone is lucky to find such a supporting partner and I feel really lucky to have one.
To all the women who face the wrath for their weight – It’s about time we own up to ourselves and give the love our bodies deserve. Stop trying to fit into those fake beauty standards that change every day. Life is too short to bother about the world’s view about your body and your life. Let’s encourage ourselves and everyone around us to start their own journey of self acceptance.

To read more such articles, Click Here

Body positivityBody shamingoverweightself loveself-acceptanceWeight shaming

Shweta Singh

A Writer, who sometimes lends voice to audio book and loves to be on camera. An avid reader with a penchant for storytelling on camera.

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