Kolkata’s Padman develops app to locate sanitary napkins in his city

There has been several arguments about women being equal to men, superior to men and some have even argued that they are weaker than men. While you are free to pick any of these, you, I and every men should all stand for one thing; women’s tranquility and progress. For women to prosper in their progress, they need us. They need us to assist them, protect them and yes provide solutions to their problems. While this statement I have made above may seem a little inclined towards women, if we just ask ourselves haven’t our moms,wives, sisters and female friends assisted us, protected us and provided us with solutions, then it will not seem to be an overstatement.

One of the biggest hurdles enterprising women have had ahead of them is the taboo around their periods. Yes, office-going women have really had a tough time when their monthly cycle begins out of the blue. Though it is a natural process, many of us have made it a ‘shhh-scenario’ due to religious and other sentiments. When we needed help, our female friends would have helped just like our male buddies had done. And we need to break this glass ceiling that society had built a long time ago which has been denying them their peace and support from us.

Here is the story of one man who has started to break the ceiling. More than a year ago, when Sobhan Mukherjee of Kolkatta was in a meeting for a poetry magazine for which he is the editor, he spotted one of his female colleagues move out of the room in the middle of the discussion. Upon asking her later the cause for leaving the room, he found that she had left to find a pharmacy to buy sanitary pad as her monthly cycle had started. He was disheartened to know that in a time of urgency, his friend had to rush in search of pharmacies. This made Sobhan try out a solution.

He started to install cardboard boxes containing sanitary napkins in public restrooms throughout Kolkata city. He called this initiative ‘Project Bandhan’.  He has been spending more than 4000 Rs to ensure that napkins are filled on all stations. Initially he distributed the napkins free of cost but as it was misused , he started charging Rs. 2.  He sought the help of the local authorities who have welcomed Sobhan’s concept. The cardboard box has been replaced with a firmer, steadier wooden machine now. And the security guard at these public washrooms in entrusted with replacing the pads. This young lad from Kolkata has proved that he belongs to the side that wishes to empower the endeavoring women.

Now according to several reports, it seems, Sobhan has developed an app that could inform the women in Kolkata who are in there monthly periods to find the nearest sanitary napkins dispensers, in case they don’t have one in their bag. He has done this through the help of his friends. His app will let the women using the app know which public restroom offers sanitary pad near their vicinity. Although there is no surety that all women would seek the restrooms where these boxes are installed, it has proved one thing clear; the idea is a strong foundation which the government could build a beacon of hope for women in need.

In India and in some sensitive countries, some of women’s basic needs and rights have not been given much consideration. For instance, a man can relieve himself anywhere he wants without compunction and still mingle with friends but if a woman is on her periods she is considered impure by some scientists (sarcasm intended). Women have found it difficult to communicate about their problems with periods because we have considered it to be some sort of a taboo. While the government is working towards bringing a solution to this, there has not been an air of frankness among the public to address this issue. Society has been always biased towards women yet some men wish to change the perception.Kudos to Sobhan for his efforts. Kolkata has him and every city should need people like him to aid women.