Goa's 'pad women' lead way in sanitary hygiene revolution

Representation picAs the film Pad Man starring wellknown actor Akshay Kumar released in theatres two days back there was a palpable excitement in a small nondescript village near here A group of women who have been following in the footsteps of Tamil Nadubased real life pad man Arunchalam Muruganathan were thrilled to watch the story of their mentor being enacted on screen Three years ago the group of women from Mulgao village in Bicholim taluka about 45 kms from here started a smalltime venture of producing biodegradable sanitary pads out of pine wood paper after being inspired by MuruganathanThe entire group went to watch the film on the second day of its release in a theatre at Bicholim Muruganathan has been an inspiration for us and it was a treat to see his story on screen says Jayashree Parwar who heads the selfhelp group that produces the sanitary pads named Sakhi The brand registered in the name of Teerathan Enterprises and having its headquarters in Bicholim now has buyers across the globe We knew the film was being produced Muruganathan himself called us to inform about it We were all waiting for its release Parwar said excitedlyA common friend had introduced Muruganathan to Parwar some years back and then there was no looking back for her She put together a group of 10 women from the village who after an initial reluctance agreed to join hands However she recalled how their initial phase was marked by struggle and challenges when they had to learn how to make the biodegradable sanitary pads and sell them Though the pads were ready there were no buyers as the group struggled to convince the users about the productThe pads also failed to find a space in shelves in the markets among the other branded products which were advertised on television and other media A few wellwishers of the group then decided to give this ambitious product an initial push and then came the online platforms Parwar said When we went to market with the product we were told that no one will buy it as it is not advertised on TV A few of our known people helped us in marketing but on a small scale she said The sanitary pads are now sold online and have even reached the international buyers she further saidWe did not get an overwhelming response from locals it was moderate But the online demand is huge Parwar says The basic problem with the regular sanitary pads is that they are not easily degradable in soil after use But the pads that we manufacture are made of pine wood paper So after use the pads are buried in mud and they get degraded within eight days she claimed Besides the pine wood paper they also use silicon paper butter paper nonwoven cloth and cotton for making these ecofriendly pads Parwar said The firm currently has four machines which can produce 100 pads a dayIn the last two years the group has produced and marketed about 2000 pads she said The pipe wood paper is procured from Tamil Nadu she said adding that the pads are disinfected with the ultra violet radiation before being packed Parwar feels the release of the film Pad Man will not only encourage her comrades but will also fuel the demand of their product in local marketsCatch up on all the latest Mumbai National and International news hereDownload the new midday Android and iOS apps to get updates on all the latest and trending stories on the goThe contentreporting displayed on our website wwwmiddaycom is provided ASIS AS AVAILABLE by us from third party agencies sources without any verification from our side It may contain error bugs and other limitations The readers can rely on the content at their own will Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability data text images video messages or any other material whatsoever or for any claimslossaction that the reader may suffer as a result of relying on the content on our site Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever