New Delhi: Navya Naveli Nanda, Founder, Project Naveli and Co-founder, Aara Health joined the NDTV-Dettol Banega Swasth India’s Lakshya – Sampoorn Swasthya Ka 12-hour live telethon, which was held on October 2, where she talked about adolescent sexual and reproductive health.
Talking about menstruation and the taboos around it, Navya Naveli Nanda said,
It is a sign of life and as a woman grow older, she experiences menstruation, because of which she is able to give birth. So this is something we shouldn’t be ashamed of or shy away from.
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Further talking about the topic, Ms Nanda said that we as a country has progressed so much. She added,
Yes, menstruation has been a taboo for a long time, but, we as a country has made progress. The fact that I as a woman today is speaking about it on a platform, sitting with my grandfather, says so much about the change and progression.
Thanking everyone who has helped made menstruation a topic of open discussion, Ms Nanda said,
It is great to see not just women getting involved but also men joining this open discussion around menstruation and periods and making this as a destigmatize conversation.
She further said that change begins at home and it is very important for women to feel comfortable and safe about their body at home before going out in the society and talking about these things. Highlighting the need for women to focus on their health at home, she added,
Often, women tend to prioritize the health of the family and not their health. I think, it is equally important for women to prioritize their own health.
Also Read: The Connection Between Menstrual Hygiene And Sanitation
Ms Nanda signed off the panel discussion talking about the gender inequality, mental health and the need of the hour, she added,
To bridge this gap, I would love to see the younger girls and boys coming together and talking about these issues. For mental health, it is very important for a person to come out and talk about the issues – one should just get it out and talk about it.
NDTV – Dettol have been working towards a clean and healthy India since 2014 via the Banega Swachh India initiative, which is helmed by Campaign Ambassador Amitabh Bachchan. The campaign aims to highlight the inter-dependency of humans and the environment, and of humans on one another with the focus on One Health, One Planet, One Future – Leaving No One Behind. It stresses on the need to take care of, and consider, everyone’s health in India – especially vulnerable communities – the LGBTQ population, indigenous people, India’s different tribes, ethnic and linguistic minorities, people with disabilities, migrants, geographically remote populations, gender and sexual minorities. In wake of the current COVID-19 pandemic, the need for WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) is reaffirmed as handwashing is one of the ways to prevent Coronavirus infection and other diseases. The campaign will continue to raise awareness on the same along with focussing on the importance of nutrition and healthcare for women and children, fight malnutrition, mental wellbeing, self care, science and health, adolescent health & gender awareness. Along with the health of people, the campaign has realised the need to also take care of the health of the eco-system. Our environment is fragile due to human activity, which is not only over-exploiting available resources, but also generating immense pollution as a result of using and extracting those resources. The imbalance has also led to immense biodiversity loss that has caused one of the biggest threats to human survival – climate change. It has now been described as a “code red for humanity.” The campaign will continue to cover issues like air pollution, waste management, plastic ban, manual scavenging and sanitation workers and menstrual hygiene. Banega Swasth India will also be taking forward the dream of Swasth Bharat, the campaign feels that only a Swachh or clean India where toilets are used and open defecation free (ODF) status achieved as part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014, can eradicate diseases like diahorrea and the country can become a Swasth or healthy India.
