17th-30th August
As I had to explore my research question, “Could cultural experiences help shift stereotypical perceptions surrounding menstruation in India?”, I decided to study the art, dance, and music forms in India.
ART
Asking around I found interesting insights. I found out that Loni women make Chhau masks. Even though Chhau masks are famous in Bihar, they are used extensively in Loni for dance programs and also as a source of income. Unfortunately, I could not see a chhau mask due to the pandemic.
Credit — Shubhi Bhardwaj, 2020 (Location — Bihar)
Another art form I uncovered which was very common in Loni was Warli art. Warli art is a style of the tribes of the North Sahyadri region of Maharashtra. This art type showcases simple geometric shapes that collectively tell a story.
Online research - Bhil art
Due to the pandemic, I could not explore all the crafts in Loni. I was a bit disappointed but decided to talk to people and get more information online. Bhil art was developed by tribals living in Maharasthra, Madhya Pradesh and Gujrat.
DANCE & MUSIC FORMS
Lezim is a folk dance form. This dance is frequently used as a fitness drill by schools in Maharashtra, militias and other institutions because it involves many calisthenic moves and can be quite strenuous. The photo shows a 'Miravnuk'. It is a celebration at festivals while dancing and playing drums - dhols.
Non- menstruators views on menstruation
After studying these art forms, I decided to explore non- menstruators views on menstruation. For this, I first started with a lit review of an overview of education.
Semi - Structured interviews with non-menstruators
I conducted semi structured interviews with 5 men (ages 22- 25). The goal of these interviews to find out the views and education, non- menstruators have on periods.
These were my questions -
A few clips from my analysis from the transcripts of the interviews -
Legend-
Green - Educational knowledge/lack of it
Yellow- Taboos
Purple- Community
Blue- Cultural adaptation
Red - Sanitary products
Insights from interviews with non-menstruators
Non-menstruators are very curious to know about menstruation since a young age.
They often seek knowledge elsewhere and end up getting the wrong information as it is not taught at educational institutions.
Most of the non-menstruators feel excluded from the biology lectures when girls are taught about periods privately.
Many young boys make fun of these concepts at the age of 13-15, and create a distorted image of period.
Non-menstruators also think that the blood is impure (more so because of wrong information rather than culture)
What should non-menstruators know about menstruation?
Biological reason
Have empathy toward
Cultural adaptation
I realized that there could be a lot of cultural experiences to choose from. I also studied how these experiences could have a good performative aspect to them.
References
FSG (2016.) Menstrual Health in India | Country Landscape Analysis, retrieved from http://menstrualhygieneday. org/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/FSG-Menstrual-Health-Landscape_India.pdf
Kalman, M.B., 2003. Adolescent girls, single-parent fathers, and menarche. Holistic Nursing Practice, 17(1), pp.36-40.
Vancouver
Mason, L., Sivakami, M., Thakur, H., Kakade, N., Beauman, A., Alexander, K.T., van Eijke, A.M., Laserson, K.F., Thakkar, M.B. and Phillips-Howard, P.A., 2017. ‘We do not know’: a qualitative study exploring boys perceptions of menstruation in India. Reproductive health, 14(1), p.174.
Omidvar, S., Begum, K. (2011). Factors influencing hygienic practices during menses among girls from south India-A cross sectional study. International Journal of Collaborative Research on Internal Medicine & Public Health. 2. 411-423.
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