Disposing Of A Sanitary Fad?

Rituja Deshpanday recently chose to make quite a surprise change to her routine around what comes as a monthly ritual lasting five-odd days: she swit­ched from sanitary napkins to cloth pads. The factory-­made absorbent had been integral to the Delhiite’s personal hygiene since adolescence, but today the thirtysomething is dismissive of the not­ion that folded cotton fabric isn’t an advisable option during periods. Far from that, Rituja now avers that using cloth isn’t bad at all. “Yeah, it’s almost a radical step for someone who has always used disposables,” she shrugs. “I used those napk­INS because we grew up beli­eving they are the only met­hod for sanitation.”

Apparently, a growing set of women in urban India no longer believe so—and are looking for alternatives. Quite a few among them have become more open to different kinds of reusables: loose cloth, cloth pads, menstrual cups. While clean habits still remain the fundamental pri­nciple, this change in mindset is driven by a growing green consciousness.