>Dewritech at 17:43, 15 January 2020

2020-01-15T17:43:10Z

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{{Orphan|date=January 2020}}

'''Happy To Bleed''' is a social movement to counter [[menstrual taboos]] and stigma in [[India]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://scroll.in/article/771449/the-open-discussion-on-menstruation-is-happy-to-bleeds-biggest-achievement|title=The open discussion on menstruation is #Happy To Bleed's biggest achievement|last=Sharma|first=Kalpana|website=Scroll.in|language=en-US|access-date=2019-01-19}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-34900825|title=Why are Indian women 'Happy to Bleed'?|date=2015-11-23|access-date=2019-01-19|language=en-GB}}</ref> It was initiated by Nikita Azad (originally from [[Jalandhar]], [[India]]), a women's rights activist and an undergraduate student of English honors at Government College Girls, Punjabi University, Patiala, .<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/indian-women-launch-happy-to-bleed-campaign-to-protest-against-sexist-religious-rule-a6748396.html|title=Indian women launch 'happy to bleed' campaign to protest against a 'sexist' religious rule|date=2015-11-25|website=The Independent|language=en|access-date=2019-01-19}}</ref> Azad's real name is Nikita Arora, who is a [[Rhodes Scholar]] for 2018-2020 at the University of Oxford, UK where she will read for the MSt in Women's Studies (2019) and the MSc in History of Science, Medicine, and Technology (2020).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.rhodeshouse.ox.ac.uk/scholars/rhodes-scholars-class-of-2018/nikita-arora|title=Rhodes House: Home of the Rhodes Scholarships}}</ref>

== History ==
On 13 November 2015, Prayar Gopalakrishnan, the Devaswom chief of the [[Sabarimala|Sabarimala temple]] in [[Kerala]], said that women would be allowed to enter [[Sabarimala]] after a [[machine]] has been invented to scan and judge a woman's purity in response to a question about women's entry into the temple.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://indianexpress.com/article/trending/trending-in-india/women-are-happytobleed-then-whats-the-problem/|title=Women are #HappyToBleed, then what's the problem?|date=2015-11-24|website=The Indian Express|language=en-IN|access-date=2019-01-19}}</ref> He said, "A time will come when people will ask if all women should be disallowed from entering the temple throughout the year. These days there are machines that can scan bodies and check for weapons. There will be a day when the machine is invented to scan if it is the 'right time' (not menstruating) for a woman to enter the temple. When that machine is invented, we will talk about letting women inside."<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|url=https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/let-machine-scan-purity-come-will-think-about-women-entering-sabarimala-devaswom-chief-35998|website=www.thenewsminute.com|access-date=2019-01-19}}</ref>

His statement received criticism.<ref name=":1" /> In response to this statement, 20-year-old Nikita Azad started the Happy To Bleed campaign on 21 November 2015.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.countercurrents.org/azad231115.htm|title=#HappyToBleed: An Initiative Against Sexism|website=www.countercurrents.org|access-date=2019-01-19}}</ref> Azad and her friends started a [[social media]] campaign, posting pictures of themselves with a sanitary pad that said Happy to Bleed.<ref name=":0" /> The [[Facebook page]] of the campaign describes it as, "a campaign against menstrual taboos, and commodification of women's menstrual health."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/Political-Organization/Mybloodmychoice/about/|title=Happy To Bleed|website=www.facebook.com|language=en|access-date=2019-01-19}}</ref> She wrote an open letter to Gopalakrishnan questioning his reasoning on not allowing women to enter Sabarimala.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.youthkiawaaz.com/2015/11/open-letter-to-devaswom-chief-sabrimala/|title='A Young Bleeding Woman' Pens An Open Letter To The 'Keepers' Of Sabarimala Temple|date=2015-11-20|website=Youth Ki Awaaz|language=en|access-date=2019-01-19}}</ref>

== References ==
<references />

[[Category:Activism in India]]
[[Category:Social movements in India]]
[[Category:Feminism and health]]
[[Category:Feminist organisations in India]]

Happy To Bleed - Revision history

>Dewritech at 17:43, 15 January 2020