A puja committee in West Bengal’s Kolkata has made a Durga Puja pandal based on the theme of ‘menstrual hygiene’.

“We have named this year’s theme ‘Ritumati’, which means menstruating woman. There are a lot of taboos and superstitions around menstruation. Women are not allowed to sleep on the bed or enter the kitchen during menstruation,” Ellora Saha, working president of the Pathuriaghata Pancher Pally Sarbojonin Durgotsab Committee, said while speaking to ANI.

“Menstruation is a normal biological process. We should stop seeing menstruation as taboo… It took 3 months to build this pandal, and the budget of this pandal is around Rs 18 lakh,” she added.

“The motive for this theme is simple: spreading awareness. Today, women in India are leading the Chandrayaan 3 project, but sadly, in some parts of the country, we see menstruation as a taboo,” Manas Roy, creator of the theme of the pandal, told India Today.

“It is extremely sad. A woman is made to go through a lot mentally. Our aim is to spread this awareness to as many people as possible,” he added.