That Moment Sparked a Movement: How Lakshmi’s Childhood Ignited a Menstrual Health Revolution

That moment — a question asked in the silence of tradition — was simple, yet it changed everything.

Born in an orthodox family in Karnataka, Lakshmi Iyer grew up in the quiet, disciplined company of her grandmother, a woman widowed at just 21 in the year 1930. Her grandmother’s life was one marked by ritual and restriction, especially around menstruation. She believed deeply in concepts of purity and pollution, and those beliefs shaped the household Lakshmi was raised in.

As a young girl, Lakshmi watched these customs unfold without understanding them — the isolation during periods, the prohibition from entering temples and kitchens, the hushed voices that surrounded anything related to menstruation. It wasn’t until Lakshmi herself began menstruating that the discomfort became personal. The shame. The silence. The deep-rooted taboo that made her feel less than whole for something natural.

One day, in frustration, she asked her grandmother: "Why are we considered impure during our periods?" Her grandmother’s answer was not scientific. It was a mix of fear, custom, and inherited beliefs — and it left Lakshmi unsatisfied.

That moment became her turning point.

Years later, after pursuing education and working in women’s development programs, Lakshmi turned her childhood confusion into a cause. In 2008, she founded "Stree Sudhaar" — an initiative focused on breaking menstrual taboos and educating rural and semi-urban communities across Karnataka and Tamil Nadu about menstrual health and hygiene.

She didn’t just distribute sanitary napkins. She conducted workshops, collaborated with schools and village panchayats, and trained thousands of women to manufacture low-cost biodegradable pads, creating sustainable income models. She encouraged mothers to speak to their daughters. She urged teachers to open up classroom discussions.

Over time, Lakshmi’s movement touched over 5 lakh women and girls, spanning 1,200 villages. The conversations that once happened behind closed doors were now being held on public platforms. Girls who once dropped out of school after puberty were now aspiring to become doctors, engineers, and social leaders.

Today, Lakshmi credits her strict upbringing not with holding her back — but with pushing her to ask why. Her grandmother’s silence had unknowingly given rise to Lakshmi’s voice.

From the shadows of stigma to the forefront of change, Lakshmi’s journey is a reminder that even the most rigid traditions can be questioned — and transformed — with courage and compassion.