IPL Team Rajasthan Royals to carry Sanitary Pads Brand Logo on Jersey
Periods have been a major taboo in India. The hush-hush around the topic has made it difficult to address the issues surrounding it. Breaking the taboo, Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket team Rajasthan Royals has brought the limelight back on the subject of periods.
Menstrual Hygiene Issues in India
Issues pertaining to periods involve issues related to women’s health and menstrual hygiene. Periods are considered to be dirty by many sections of the society. Because of this, conversations about safe menstrual practices are shied away from. Women are not aware of the options available to them – such as sanitary pads, menstrual cups, tampons, etc. – during menstruation. Many women still use old cotton cloth which is reused after washing and is kept to dry in the absence of sunlight, leaving it moist and unhygienic for use. In many parts of the country, women even use ashes, newspapers, dried leaves and husk sand to absorb the blood flow during periods.
Breaking the period taboo
While females are educated about menstruation at a young age to prepare them for the time when they would start menstruating, men are left ignorant for as long as possible. Such communication gap leaves ignorant and insensitive to menstrual issues and women embarrassed about them. The only way to bridge this gap is to address it and normalize it by talking about it openly. It is important for men to be educated about menstrual health and for women to help them understand that there is nothing unnatural, dirty or embarrassing about menstruation.
Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket team Rajasthan Royals, in a bold move, has signed a sponsorship deal with a sanitary pad brand Niine for 2020 tournament and revived the conversation on female menstruation among men.
“Cricket undoubtedly is the most-watched sport in the country and provides the perfect platform to address health and drive social change,” the Royals said in a statement.
The Niine logo will be on the back of the player jerseys for the tournament.
? @NiineIndia, welcome to the #RoyalsFamily! ?
This #IndependenceDay onwards, let’s free ourselves from period stigma once and for all. ? #HallaBol | #IPL2020 pic.twitter.com/Wb8ri3Zb5s
— Rajasthan Royals (@rajasthanroyals) August 15, 2020
