Namrata's Story
According to Hindu tradition, a woman should be considered physically impure when she is menstruating. As a result of this belief, menstruating women are discouraged from taking care of plants, because — it is said — their impurity would cause the plants to wilt and eventually die. Having heard things like this as a child, many women are afraid to take the risk, even if they suspect such claims are baseless as an adult.
I was one such woman, until I read somewhere that blood contains a lot of nutrients, like nitrogen and phosphorus. I was already aware that blood from slaughterhouses was sometimes used to make fertilizers, and these things got me thinking. Finally, I decided to try an experiment.
The reusable cloth pads I use during my period are chemical free, and they need to be soaked in water for a while before washing — which means that my menstrual fluids are diluted into the water used to soak my pads. I started to use that water on my plants and see what happened.
There was a remarkable change in the plants—except instead of getting small and withering away, their leaves started growing bigger, and they started looking more healthy and vibrant. I saw that what I was taught as a youngster was not true, and the results of my experiment were proof.
I decided to tell two of my best friends about this discovery, and I got a positive reaction from them. Though a bit hesitant, I later posted about it on Facebook — and I was surprised when I did not receive a single negative response. In fact, one of my best male friends even said that, if he were a woman, he would definitely try it out, too.
So, I would like to encourage all the girls and ladies out there to start treating menstruation as something normal, and develop a healthy attitude toward their monthly bleeding. It is nothing to be disgusted or ashamed of — in fact, it’s a sign you are healthy.
For more about Namrata, visit her blog.
Artist Notes
“In India, a bride is always seen in red attire because it is the symbol of fertility and prosperity. Menstruation is a sign of a woman’s good health and fertility. So, the girl in the illustration is draped in red and is seen with a used cloth pad from which a tree grows, symbolising the story of Namrata, where she uses diluted blood from the menstrual cloth pads to fertilize her plants. A bright sun in the illustration symbolises the courage and strength that is required to challenge an accepted social norm.”
Published Mar 1, 2020
Updated Aug 23, 2023
Published in Issue V: Taboos