The color "RED"



The color RED is often symbolized as auspicious in Indian rituals. No matter the age of a girl or woman, that same RED becomes impure when they are menstruating. The color of 'aalta' (red color pigment applied on hands and feet by girls and women on special occasions) and the color of menses are like two sides of a coin: one so pure that any ritual feels incomplete without it and one so impure that menstruating girls and women cannot enter a temple or be part of any ritual. Imagine a girl child who has just started menstruating and wants to attend a ritual but cannot; she is expected to follow a religious belief and act like a 'woman' even before she can understand or question the 'why' behind it. Apart from the religious aspect, the child also has to let go of her education because of lack of proper menstrual hygiene products, practices and knowledge. It is time that the mental pressure that is applied on a girl child is reduced when menstruation is in question.

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