It was a very hot afternoon in summer. The heat was so strong that even crickets left their nests. I got off the school bus, looked around, and started walking. Usually, the bus would stop in the same place every day. I'd jump off, my school bag on my shoulder, and quickly walk into the street that led to my house after a couple of turns.
The wide road had shops on both sides. These shops were usually empty in the afternoon, and the shopkeepers, tired from the extreme heat, would be half-asleep, waiting for customers.
But on that afternoon, instead of going into my usual street, I turned towards a general store. In its front area, there were many display racks. Different companies put their products on these racks. Above each rack, there was a big advertisement for the product inside.
I stopped in front of the rack that had an advertisement of a beautiful woman smiling on a swing. Below, on the shelves of the rack, there were many packets.
Seeing me, the sleepy shopkeeper sat up straight. "Which chocolate do you want, dear?" he asked.
"No, Uncle, I don't want chocolate," I said confidently.
"Then what do you need, dear?" the shopkeeper asked kindly.
"That one!" My finger pointed to the rack with the smiling woman.
The shopkeeper looked at me in surprise. He probably thought my older sister or mother had asked me to buy it because women usually feel shy asking for such things. Also, that rack didn't sell much in his shop. Without saying anything, he put a packet in a plain brown envelope and gave it to me. I put the envelope in my school bag and quickly went down the steps!
Many years later, I found out from Josh Malihabadi's book Yadon Ki Barat (Procession of Memories) that in the old cultures of Delhi and Lucknow, menstruation and related items were called "silence."
After buying the pads, my situation was like a soldier on the war front, near the border, carefully waiting for the enemy
A few days ago, I was looking at the Johnson & Johnson company's website for something else. But there, I saw something that made me remember an old story and brought a smile to my face. I couldn't help but think, Wow! Even in the late 1970s, I was doing such brave things.
I was about twelve or thirteen years old. I had noticed that my classmates in school were whispering more and more. There were quiet talks, shy smiles, being careful and strict about wearing a chadar (scarf), and always shaking it and straightening the shirt from the back when sitting or standing. But there was also something else that was hidden, and I couldn't figure it out.
Now, the problem was that I looked more innocent and younger than most girls in my class. So, many topics were considered "forbidden" for me. Even though those who thought this didn't know that my knowledge and awareness were much higher than many of my classmates.
Sometimes, some girls would look at me with guessing eyes, as if trying to figure out if I had joined their group yet or not. The innocent girls didn't dare to spoil my innocence.
I had already guessed some things from reading books and magazines. So, one day, I kept pushing my older sister (Aapa) to tell me more details about these secret matters. I started talking to Aapa by saying that I didn't know why my classmates kept looking at me with searching eyes. They would talk among themselves, but when I came close, they would become quiet.
Aapa first tried to avoid the topic, but how long could she resist my stubbornness? Finally, she had to tell me that I would also face a sudden situation, but she didn't know when, where, or at what time.
Maybe I was a born planner, as I always thought about everything beforehand. Now, my mind was busy thinking and planning how I would face this "problem." According to Aapa, when the time came, I would be given a bundle of cotton with a medical bandage. Cotton as needed, and that net-like bandage wrapped around it... Oh, this is a completely useless idea! Preparing with cotton and bandage... there should be something else, I thought in my mind.
After thinking for a few days, I found the solution from a newspaper advertisement, which I used to read very carefully and with interest. Now, the next step was "from where and how." Because of my sharp eyes, I figured out that on the road where I got off the bus after school, there was a general store. And in its front area, on a rack, was the answer to my problem. This was my first introduction to sanitary pads, the Modess pads made by Johnson & Johnson!
And Johnson & Johnson tells its story like this:
In 1927, some trained nurses went door-to-door to understand women's problems. The biggest problem was related to menstruation. Based on this research, women designers created a pad called Modess for use during periods. This pad could absorb menstrual blood better and make women more comfortable.
The pads were made, but they couldn't be sold. This was because women felt shy and hesitant to buy menstrual items from the market. First, they thought about having a plain packet with the pad's name written on one side. But this method also didn't work because due to social pressure, it was difficult for women to ask the shopkeeper for pads and pay for them at the counter. Finally, Johnson & Johnson found a solution: they made coupons that were put inside different magazines with advertisements. By showing these coupons, pads would be given in an envelope without needing to ask or say anything, because the purpose was written on these coupons.
When I read this, I couldn't help but laugh. Without even knowing it, I had become a part of Johnson & Johnson's tradition in my childhood, and that too, in another unknown country on the other side of the world.
After buying the pads from the general store that day, hiding them at home was also a big achievement for me. I didn't want my mother (Aman) and Aapa to know about my preparations. After buying the pads, my situation was like a soldier on the war front, near the border, carefully waiting for the enemy. And the enemy was also one that was fighting a mental war.
Just a few months later, the time came for which I was ready. Without getting worried or crying, I handled the situation very well. And the funny thing is, my mother and Aapa didn't even know what was happening right under their noses for the next six months!
I had to reveal the secret when my mother got worried and planned to take me to the doctor. On their concern, I smiled and replied, "I am perfectly normal, and my periods started six months ago."
I can still remember my mother and Aapa's eyes, wide with astonishment, to this day! Their carefree, innocent daughter had started her own fight against social pressure.
Translated by Dr. Santosh Kamrani from Urdu.