- Tuesday, March 11, 2025
By: Shubham Ghosh
Menstruation is still a topic which is less discussed in public in several parts of India but recently, a unique initiative was undertaken to the southern state of Kerala, one of the country’s most educated, to normalise talks around it.
According to a report in BBC, organisers of the initiative took menstruation simulators to malls and colleges in Ernakulam district of the state to let males feel the cramps of the period.
A recent video also came out showing men screaming in pain as women saw in amusement.
“That was really painful. I never want to experience that ever again,” Sharan Nair, a social media influencer who tried the simulator at a mall, was quoted as saying by BBC.
According to the report, the simulator is part of a project named ‘Cup of Life’ which works on distributing free menstrual cups and shattering myths around periods.
It has been launched by Hibi Eden, an Indian National Congress parliamentarian from Ernakulam, along with the Indian Medical Association, a doctors’ body.
According to another report by The Hindu, the ‘Cup of Life’ on Wednesday (31) made it to the Guinness Book of World Records by distributing 1,00,001 free menstrual cups at more than 120 venues in just 24 hours.
Menstruation has remained such a challenge for women in India that they are kept away from social and religious events when having periods as they are considered impure. Even at home, they are barred from entering the kitchen at many places.
They feel uncomfortable discussing the intense physical pain that comes with cramps with their employers or even male members of the family. There are companies in the country that have started offering leave for periods but yet the taboo remains a predominant one.
The organisers of the unique campaign feel that they could bring a change in Kerala over the matter.
Lawyer Sandra Sunny, who was behind designing the #feelthepain event, told BBC that the simulator is the “easiest way” to encourage meaningful conversations over menstruation.
“If you ask college boys directly what they know about period cramps, they’d be reluctant to talk. But if you ask them questions like – ‘have they talked about periods with anyone, what makes them reluctant to talk about it’ – after using the simulator, they are more forthcoming,” she said.
The device has two wires that can be attached to two persons at the same time and a dial that can increase the pain level from one to 10.
Nair said while the girls who tried it “felt nothing”, men, including him, were screaming with pain and wanted to bring the level down.
“Women don’t even flinch at [level] nine while the men find it hard to make it past four, even though the simulator only transmits 10% of the actual pain,” Dr Akhil Manuel, joint secretary of the local chapter of the IMA and coordinator of the Cup of Life campaign, told the publication.
However, the organisers said that the pain served a purpose as open discussions were seen in colleges in the district.
The organisers say that the simulator sparked frank discussions at colleges in Ernakulam district.
“The simulator was simply a hook to break the ice and help people get into the conversation,” Dr Manuel told BBC.
This is not the first time that period pain simulators have left Indian men in deep pain.
Last year, two non-profit organisations used it at a period-themed event in northern India and ever since, they have been used at workshops to familiarise people, particularly males, with menstruation.
