How periods became Neerja and Advaitesha Birla's priority

Shes only 19 when she sits in front of us and already a yearandahalf into project Ujaas which works to drive away the darkness surrounding menstruation She is Advaitesha the youngest of the three children in educationist Neerja and chairman of the multinational Aditya Birla Group Kumar Mangalam Birlarsquos nest We meet at the head office of the Aditya Birla Education Trust of which Neerja is founder and chairpersonWe are keen to know what drove a 17yearold to think of dispelling shame and secrecy around periods when everyone else was probably thinking of the next startup idea mixing AI sourdough bread handground coffee and Korean popNeerja says that at four or five years of age Advaitesha held an exhibitionsale of DIY arts and crafts projects she made to raise money for a charity Family and friends were invited and enough funds were raised to buy a fridge for Seva Sadan that distributes ration to the needyWhat kind of home environment gestates this sort of ambitionldquoTalking about periods is commonplace at homerdquo says Neerja ldquoas is having discussions about the realities of life I want my children to be grounded individuals with a realistic view of life There has to be a balancerdquoAdvaitesha says she has learnt to be empathetic and charitable from her elders whom she wishes to emulate She was close to her great grandmother Sarala Devi Birla whorsquod take her along on philanthropy trips to an India she was yet to meet Yet it was still uncommon for her to find out about girls being isolated during that time of the month about the use of ash and cloth for pads the skipping of schoolldquoOne of the things we heard was that if an animal eats a discarded sanitary pad the user becomes infertilerdquo she says Which is also why she is aware that it can get as dastardly as being killed by a brother who mistakes blood from menstruation for sexual activity A 30yearold security guard in Thane killed his 12yearold sister after he spotted blood stains on her clothes from her first period Advaitesha knows what shersquos up againstldquoI grew up listening to myths about menstruation and at first it confused me then I was intrigued to find out the truth Conversations with my mother helped me demystify these fallaciesrdquo she saysUjaas which means light in Hindi educates about menstruation in three age batches increasing the details of the biological changes with higher age groups It also informs about optionsmdashsanitary napkins cloth pads menstrual cupsmdashand provides access to them There is still hesitation to use anything intrusive such as tampons and cups but thatrsquos to be expectedldquoI grew up at a time when people considered periods as an unclean time for a womanrdquo says Neerja ldquoit was not something I wanted my daughters to grow up with I instead spoke to them about the importance of periods and helped them focus on their health which could mean eating the right foods I talk openly about skipping a workout or my moodrdquoAnd because these conversations took place in the presence of her middle child and only son Aryaman there is now a menstrual leave policy at Aditya Birla New Age which he helms ldquoWe also offer menstrual leave at Aditya Birla Education Trust because 80 per cent of our workforce is womenrdquo says Neerja ldquoBut despite having only 20 per cent women in their workforce such a policy is commendablerdquoAnd how many days is it ldquoWell each personrsquos cycle is different isnrsquot it It could be a week for somehelliprdquoMother and daughter sound ideas off each other requesting opinions on marketing plans and logo designs Neerjarsquos veneration in the mental health spacemdashshe is also founder of MPower along with older daughter singer Ananya that provides holistic solutions for mental health and wellbeing This is also an open conversation at homeldquoThere is an overlap between mood swings and depression during menopause and the shame and fear surrounding menarcherdquo says Neerja ldquoThe term PMS only came into existence during my generationmdash until then we hadnrsquot linked mood swings depression or physical illness to hormonal imbalancerdquoAll of this is now tackled effectively by team Ujaas who prepare children of grades five to eight for their first period and conduct sessions for students of grades eight to twelve on what to expect about the biological changes in the body ldquoAt first the boys react behaving surprised embarrassed and even uncomfortablerdquo says Advaitesha ldquothen they get curious and want to know why the girls canrsquot do housework or work in fields or have to skip schoolrdquo The fact that this is a natural cycle and that it can be so physically draining comes as a surprise to boys who have seen their mothers not going into the kitchen and temples on some days without knowing the actual reasonThe biggest learning for Advaitesha has been that permission for these sessions needs to come from the topmdashfrom principals and trustees of schools ldquoAt first they are not convinced how much of a difference a session can makerdquo she Advaitesha says ldquoBecause So many have come and attempted the same thing before us However there are also instances of teachers saying they found the session helpful and request it for another class or schoolrdquoAs we interview the Birlas this writer is on her first day with heavy flow dammed by a cup and period underwear Shersquos fervently hoping she doesnrsquot stain a chic dusty pink sofa Unimaginable that these two chic ladies could have working girl troubles such as theseWhatrsquos their soothing routine un dino mein ldquoI need the hot water bottle I crave salt and I refrain from a strenuous workoutrdquo says Neerja ldquoPizza is my comfort foodrdquo says Advaitesha ldquoThat and not getting out of bedrdquo