#39-22 Period Pride … Menstruation Celebration and Accommodation in India and Around the World
Various nations have passed new laws to accommodate menstruation, but Odisha (formerly Orissa) state in India has an annual celebration of menstruation. During the 3-day Raja festival, women and girls play, parade, swing on special swings, eat, and rest; all agricultural activity is supposed to cease. The festival celebrates the Earth as a mothering goddess who menstruates and who also needs to rest. Speakers: Ranjeeta Priyadarshini, a former metal worker, now a law student who campaigns nationwide for paid period leave in India; Sociology professor at the National University of Law, Dr Rita Roy; Tapaswini, a metal industry worker from Odisha state; Akansha Mishra, a law student from Rajasthan state; and Pallavi, a factory worker. Women who menstruate make up about 30% of the workforce in India.
Music in the program is from the annual festival. Documentary Producer, Kalpana Pradhan; Series Editor for WINGS, Frieda Werden.
