Being brought up in a broad-minded family, where everything was allowed to not only the daughter but the daughter-in-law too, I fell in an arranged-love marriage where my husband was from a traditional family. While I was informed of this, they left out the fact that he was from a conservative and narrow-minded family.

It was very difficult to adjust with my in-laws, especially when they treated me like an outsider in my own home when I had my periods. The entire process of my untouchable duration began with me sitting away from them during meals, sitting away from them during the day, not touching anything or anyone in the house, not to go near the kitchen, not to pray, or to go near the idols and definitely not to eat the prasad that would come from the temple.

I never went through this when I was in my own home. Doesn’t this harm the girl’s self-respect? Doesn’t it make her feel guilty about being a woman? Why do women treat their own children this way? To call someone impure… moreover, when you’re sitting separately when guests come over, is this what today’s generation talks about when they talk about empowerment?

A girl gets her periods almost every single month, all over the world, and yet, we as a society, choose to hurt a woman’s sentiment and feelings when it comes to this natural part of our system; and let’s not forget that it actually helps us reproduce!

I hate to say this, but a woman’s worst enemy is herself. Because if a mother-in-law or grand-mother-in-law does this to her own daughter or daughter-in-law, then who is our biggest enemy in society?

Do they not menstruate? Did anything happen to them? Isn’t it about time that people change their thoughts and start treating their daughters with respect, love and care? Especially during a time like this? In the name of religious beliefs, we hurt women’s sentiments without even thinking of the consequences for a second.

It’s time to change yourself and understand that these are just old thoughts, from the dark, ancient days. It’s time to stop looking at women as impure and unhygienic. We have all the facilities and hygiene methods today to stay clean. We’re aware of the changes our body goes through now, we know why we need rest and why we need to hydrate or eat right or even visit a doctor when required.

It’s time women, and men, raise their voices against these superstitious beliefs. To start with, mothers should change the way a family views their daughters or daughters-in-law.

To all those women who have been told that God doesn’t want us to touch him or enter his home when we have our periods, stop and think about this for a second, what about all our Goddesses?

Be proud to be a woman.

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