Haryana Man Turns Pad Man on Diwali, Distributes 1000 Sanitary Napkins to Poor Girls!

A newspaper article about how an infection that occurred due to the usage of cloth instead of sanitary pads, resulted in a woman’s death, drove Faridabad resident Ajay Kumar Bahl to embark on a crusade.

The founder of Ek Sangharsh, a non-profit organisation, Bahl has engaged in humanitarian initiatives that focus on the betterment of poor and deprived communities, for several years now. He has also brightened up the lives of many children studying in government schools by providing them with stationery materials like notebooks, pens, pencils and schoolbags since 2007.

Bahl credits his mother, Chandrakanta, for instilling qualities like compassion and empathy for the underprivileged in him, which eventually led him to establish Ek Sangharsh.

Feeling that everyone should get a chance to celebrate the festival of lights, he has been spending every Diwali with children from slums in and around Faridabad for many years now. He also makes sure to pass along the message of celebrating it in an eco-friendly manner, sans crackers!

But this year, he wants to make Diwali better for women, especially those from poor and underdeveloped areas, who severely lack awareness about basic menstrual health awareness, and do not have access to commodities like sanitary napkins.

Keeping this in mind, he has already distributed over 21,000 packets of sanitary napkins to approximately 3,800 women and young girls in slums regions and public schools of Sahupura, Pali, Korali, Chhainsa, Ajronda, Fatehpur Billoch and Samaypur in Faridabad since March this year. And as reported by Navbharat Times, he aims to continue his campaign by distributing 1,000 more this festive season.

You may also like: Bengalureans Choose a Green Diwali, Cracker Sales Drop by 50%

The newspaper article was the trigger for Bahl to take his humanitarian endeavours a notch above. He has also helped install sanitary napkin vending machines in many public schools in the city as part of his crusade.

Here’s to everyday heroes like Ajay Kumar Bahl. He is not just brightening the lives of people from the underprivileged sections of the society, but is also beating the stigmatisation associated with menstruation—one sanitary pad at a time!

(Edited by Gayatri Mishra)

Like this story? Or have something to share?
Write to us: [email protected]
Connect with us on Facebook and Twitter.

Found Value in This Story?Pay What You Can to Support Impactful Journalism

If you found our stories insightful, informative, or even just enjoyable, we invite you to consider making a voluntary payment to support the work we do at The Better India. Your contribution helps us continue producing quality content that educates, inspires, and drives positive change.

Choose one of the payment options below for your contribution-

₹201
₹501
₹1001

By paying for the stories you value, you directly contribute to sustaining our efforts focused on making a difference in the world. Together, let’s ensure that impactful stories continue to be told and shared, enriching lives and communities alike.

Thank you for your support. Here are some frequently asked questions you might find helpful to know why you are contributing?