Menstrupedia: How Aditi Gupta Changed People's Perspective About Periods Through Comics

MENSTRUPEDIA:

The Menstrual Revolution “In the country where menstruation is still a hush-hush topic, Aditi Gupta dared to challenge the norms. She founded Mestrupedia in November 2012, a platform that aims to help people understand the process of puberty in women and men in order to destroy myths around menstruation and normalize the biological process”. 

Menstrupedia is the brainchild of Aditi, a new media graduate from National Institute of Design (NID), for whom it was a way of helping every girl in India avoid the taboos she faced herself. Born and brought up in a small town of Gujarat, Aditi witnessed numerous taboos and misconceptions about menstruation in her home as well as in society. She gradually realized that the taboo was omnipresent, no matter where she went and whom she addressed. She decided to change the way we look at menstruation. Along with her then batch mate Tuhin, she developed a Hindi comic book to educate girls about menstruation as her final project at NID. She even won a Ford Foundation scholarship for the same. Aditi and Tuhin decided to take the initiative forward and today, the Menstrupedia website has over one lakh visitors every month. The Menstrupedia Comic: The Friendly Guide to Period for Girls that released in September, 2016, has been picked up by more than 75 schools and 25 NGOs across the country. The comic has now reached over 70,000 girls around India. It has also been translated in several Indian languages as well as foreign languages like Nepali and Spanish, and has been shipped as far as Nepal, South America and Philippines.

Breaking Taboos: Aditi Gupta’s Journey with Menstrupedia - 

Aditi’s journey began in 2012 when she was working on a project to create a comic book about menstruation for rural adolescent girls. During her research, she realized that there was a severe lack of awareness and education about menstrual health in India. 

“I was shocked to learn that many girls in India drop out of school due to lack of menstrual education and resources,” Aditi says. 

This sparked Aditi’s passion to create a platform that would provide accurate and engaging information about menstruation. She teamed up with her husband, Tuhin Paul, and together they launched Menstrupedia in 2014. 

Menstrual Movement: Journey to break the silence - Aditi’s vision for Menstrupedia is to create a world where girls and women have access to accurate and unbiased information about menstruation. She aims to break the taboos and stigma surrounding menstruation, adolescent lessons, and to empower girls and women to take control of their menstrual health.

Unstoppable Aditi: Aditi and her team have faced several challenges while building Menstrupedia. One of the biggest challenges was breaking the taboo surrounding menstruation. 

"We faced a lot of resistance from people who thought that menstruation was a dirty topic. But we persevered and continued to spread awareness about the importance of menstrual education," Aditi say.

Despite the challenges, Menstrupedia has achieved several successes. The platform has been recognized by several organizations, including the United Nations, for its innovative approach to menstrual education. Menstrupedia comic have impacted the lives of 14 million girls so far. Menstrupedia Comic uses storytelling and sequential art for educating young girls about period in an informative and fun way. Over 35,500 schools in India use these comic books as a part of their curriculum. The Menstrupedia Comic is available in 20 languages and is used in 23 countries around the world. Her teaching technique are culturally sensitive and widely accepted by over 1.5 lakh Indian Parents! 

“People are ashamed of talking about periods, and that’s what we’re trying to change. It has been our biggest win”. -Aditi Gupta

Menstrupedia: Journey of busting period myths & taboos with comics!

Menstrupedia has made significant strides in promoting menstrual awareness and education in India. The platform offers a range of resources, including: 

1. Comic books and illustrations: that explain menstruation in a simple and engaging way through drawing and pictures. 

 2. Articles and blog posts: that provide in-depth information on menstrual health. 

3. Videos and animations: that demonstrate menstrual hygiene practices. 

4. A community forum: where girls and women can share their experiences and ask questions. Menstrupedia has reached over 10 million girls and women across India, and its resources have been translated into multiple languages.

Conclusion: Menstrupedia is offering great learning that parents hesitate to give their children. Through Menstrupedia Comics and Gulu, girls and boys above the age of 9 can get all the answers they want to know that are usually not answered or what they can’t even ask. Aditi Gupta's journey with Menstrupedia is a testament to the power of innovation and determination. By challenging societal norms and providing education and resources, Aditi has made a significant impact on the lives of millions of girls and women in India. Menstrupedia's success serves as a reminder that even the most seemingly insurmountable challenges can be overcome with courage, creativity, and perseverance. It is an excellent initiative by Aditi Gupta to break the taboos and myths around menstruation. Thanks to the co-founders of Menstrupedia Aditi Gupta and Tuhin Paul.