On World Menstrual Hygiene day, PV Sindhu has the most uplifting message for young girls. As pubescent girls come to terms with their sexuality, the star tennis player, writing for The Times of India, reminds them to not let “something as normal as periods” come in the way of their dreams.
Sindhu, who is currently ranked at no 3 in world women’s singles, remembers the obstacles she had to overcome while training to become a badminton player.
Sindhu had to travel 56 kms to the training institute and then back everyday. She recalls that it was intense and demanding both mentally and physically, and more so when she would be on her periods.
Sindhu was at the training centre when she got her first period. She borrowed a sanitary pad from a senior and went ahead with the practice. Using this as an example, she reminds girls to not use menstruation as a reason to give up.
In India, a country where periods and menstruation are highly stigmatised, celebrities have been coming forward lately to talk about them, along with women’s health and hygiene. After Bollywood films and social media ‘challenges’ on menstruation, PV Sindhu’s write-up comes as one more voice fighting towards ending the taboo in the country.
(With inputs from The Times of India.)
(For more stories on women’s health, follow FIT.)
(Have you subscribed to FIT’s newsletter yet? Click here and get health updates directly in your inbox.)
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)