The Indian sanitary pad revolutionary (2014)

http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-26260978

by vezycash • 10 years ago

100 41 10 years ago

vezycash4• 10 years ago

My favorite parts of the article:

"I'd started the research for my wife and after 18 months she left me!"

"'The irony is, after five-and-a-half years I get a call on my mobile - the voice huskily says: Remember me?' It was his wife, Shanthi."

This dude is a real hacker!

77pt772• 10 years ago

Why does that make him a real hacker?

Seems to me the wife left him when there was no prospect of recognition/profit and came crawling back when that proved to be false.

vezycash4• 10 years ago

Why does that make him a real hacker?

If you replace the word Hacker with Tinker, the answer might become clear. He reverse engineered the "real thing" and came up with a cheaper solution that met his needs. Think Unix to Linux.

Also, his actions embodied the LEAN startup principles: Fail Fast, Fail Often.

* He asked for feedback immediately. "He fashioned a sanitary pad out of cotton and gave it to Shanthi, demanding immediate feedback."

* When he didn't get feedback fast enough, "I can't wait a month for each feedback, it'll take two decades!" He got 20 more volunteers. But it still didn't quite work out. On the day he came to collect their feedback sheets he caught three of the girls industriously filling them all in. These results obviously could not be relied on. It was then that he decided to test the products on himself.

* Test Driven Development - He created a "uterus" from a football bladder by punching a couple of holes in it, and filling it with goat's blood.

galtwho• 10 years ago

Wife left him in "rural india" means went back to her parents place... very rarely does it mean shacked up with another guy..

Based on how the story is described, I can understand Shanthi's decision and the guys acceptance of her back.

dalke2• 10 years ago

BTW, 268 comments from 2 years ago : https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7339092

hammock• 10 years ago

Back when "grit" was still a buzzword

dalke2• 10 years ago

1 comment with "grit" doesn't indicate much.

It's still popular. 4 postings with that in the title in the last month: https://hn.algolia.com/?query=grit&sort=byDate&prefix&page=0... .

smileysteve3• 10 years ago

But aren't Sanitary Pads worse in most ways than Menstrual cups?

Lower cost overtime

Less trash waste

cbhl• 10 years ago

Are menstrual cups socially acceptable in India? You need to be able to empty them and then wash them in a sink.

From the article:

There are still many taboos around menstruation in India. Women can't visit temples or public places, they're not allowed to cook or touch the water supply - essentially they are considered untouchable.

knicholes2• 10 years ago

Carry around an extra cup, empty current one into a toilet and place in a bag in your purse to wash later at home. The only time I know a woman is menstruating here in the US is when they tell me.

rck404• 10 years ago

That's partly true. Women visiting temples is a very old obsolete tradition which was before pads,etc for sanitary needs in the temple which needs to be scrapped off. All the remaining taboos are mostly non-existent.No one I know off does them. It's possible there are cases but, really rare (1 of 500). I had to clarify that because BBC takes liberties when trying to describe stuff from developing nations.

goodJobWalrus3• 10 years ago

Would you use a menstrual cup, if you menstruated, Steve? If other women are anything like me, that thing will remain a very niche product.

erikpukinskis• 10 years ago

Some women are similar to you and some are different. I know lots of women who swear by their menstrual cups.

smileysteve3• 10 years ago

I know that adoption is still low, but I do not know why, can you provide me more perspective?

My knowledge is based mostly on the diva cup ads that pop up here.

smileysteve3• 10 years ago

I don't know the con perspective, but I think it's important to point out, especially in the context of the article citing culture stigmas, the tampon was initially niche and the "original" invention first stalled.

infectoid2• 10 years ago

My GF swears by it. And I fully support her decision to use it. I'd use it if I was born with the bit and had the need.

Probably less of an option in rural India though as a sibling comment pointed out.

kidsthesedays3• 10 years ago

Not sure why you are putting down menstrual cup users. I use one and it really is great. I also told my sister about it and she got one too and likes it. I also use cloth pads on light days. Both beat disposables by a wide margin in comfort.

Everyone has their own preferences.

wtmt• 10 years ago

[Male here]

Some I know of swear by the comfort and convenience of the cup. They all started with a lot of doubt and hesitation about how it would work, leaks, handling and cleaning it, etc. But once they got the knack of putting it, they claim it to be the best thing since <insert your favorite sliced bread equivalent here>. Plus, there are washable and reusable pads available that are (apparently) a lot more comfortable than disposable ones.

There are at least a few groups in India on more environment friendly and women friendly menstruation products, since the growth of commercial disposable pads is becoming a big environmental issue.

Here are a couple of factors I have noticed/heard of that may affect the adoption of cups. Like tampons, inserting a cup inside requires the woman to be familiar with anatomy and not being scared. The idea of putting something foreign may be tough for women who haven't had vaginal intercourse. With "virginity" still being a "virtue" in India, more so in rural places, women would be shocked if they were asked to use tampons or cups that one has to insert inside. Pads or even reusable/washable cloth pads are a lot easier to sell.

irpapakons2• 10 years ago

I swear by my menstrual cup. I know it's a niche product but I have no idea why, a possible explanation is that some people are uncomfortable with their body or perhaps they've never heard of it - I had never heard of it until I saw a mention of it on reddit in my mid-twenties. Cups have much higher capacity that pads / tampons, you can't feel them, they are clean, nothing irritates your skin, it's impossible to run out as you only need one and it lasts for up to a decade.

telesilla• 10 years ago

You need clean water every time you empty this, which can be anything from every 2 hours to every 8. It's not really suitable when you are not sure if you are a) privacy and b) clean water. Pads should be biodegradable and tampons should ONLY use biodegradable plastic - that's the main issue these days. Same for men using disposable razors: if you won't use a straight blade, would you lobby for the plastic to be biodegradable?

machbio• 10 years ago

This is really old news - here is the video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4_MeS6SOwk

nordsieck• 10 years ago

What's super weird to me is that this invention reduced sanitary pads from 4 rupees to 2.5 rupees and is a huge success.

Either the real innovation is the female run businesses, or the whole thing is being subsidized by NGOs. Maybe both.

vezycash4• 10 years ago

or the whole thing is being subsidized by NGOs.

From another article in 2012: "Women pack around six to eight towels in a packet and sell them for as little as 13 rupees (16p). On average, each woman earns the equivalent of £30 to £65 a month;"

http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2012/jan/22/sanitary...

barbs• 10 years ago

"If you get rich, you have an apartment with an extra bedroom - and then you die." - Arunachalam Muruganantham

visarga• 10 years ago

Sounds like deep existential shit.

The Indian sanitary pad revolutionary (2014)

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