Shreya Singhal

In yet another instance of regressive practices born out of superstition and discrimination, menstruation in far-west parts of Nepal is considered taboo. It takes hush-hush to an entirely new level where menstruating individuals are barred from their own home sand made to stay in sheds outside, with cattle and other animals. This Hindu practice is called chhaupadiand is rooted in ideas of religion. The idea is to not offend the deities with period blood, which is considered impure. Consequently, the carrier of that period blood is considered impure too and shunned from the society. 

The menstruating individual, specifically the woman, is not allowed to enter the kitchen, touch food or anything religious or that which is considered sacred. She is not allowed to touch even the man, who is apparently the superior gender having undergone the sacred ritual of “Bratabandha”and cannot be compromised by the bleeding woman’s impurity. 

The practice is not a standalone one and is steeped in a system of deep misogyny. The Nepalese festival of Rishi Panchamiis meant for women to purify themselves by water, fasting and prayer in order to purge themselves of the sin and impurity of menstruation. Menstruation is seen as a purgatorial practice that women need to go through to atone for being the inferior gender.

The tragedy of the practice lies in the paucity of basic rights in the chhaupadi shed or chhau. Women do not have access to basic human requirements in the shed, which is unhygienic, unequipped and even unfavorable for human dwelling. Women have died in these sheds due to hygiene abuse, lack of food water and basic care. 

These sheds have come under the scrutiny of human rights organizations, which condemn such sub-human treatment of individuals. Even though the government has banned the use of these sheds in 2017, the practice continues to exist. A legal ban is not enough to address the deeply rooted stigma that surrounds the concept of menstruation. Menstruation needs to be seen for the natural process that it is and not a mystical thing imposed on people as a penalty. If human excretion were to be treated like that, people would realize the absurdity of shunning a natural process like this. 

It is disheartening to see that at a time when there is ever-growing awareness about the ideas of sex and gender and growing acceptance for the same, such anachronistic practices exist. These practices not only relegate individuals to a sub-human level but even cost them their lives, in some cases. The only sustainable solution for this issue lies in changing the mindset of the society from the grassroots. If everyone, especially boys, are taught at an early age that menstruation is a natural process and the idea of impurity and superstition is severed from it, there could be hope of creating more acceptance in the society for menstruation and women.