Maniesh Paul bats for menstrual hygiene on Women's Day in Gurugram

On the eve of International Women's Day on Wednesday, Cyber Hub turned pink for the launch of Padbank, an initiative by the NGO Pinkishe Foundation. The concept of Padbank, which was launched by actor-anchor Maniesh Paul, includes establishing and placing boxes and kiosks in different areas and remote places to make sanitary pads available for free of cost. The initiative aims to spread awareness about menstrual hygiene.

The actor-anchor also danced with the ladies at the event

Maniesh danced and interacted with the women, most of whom were dressed in pink, at the event. The attendees had a great time when Maniesh got off the stage to get clicked with them. "I have not come here to stand on stage. I want to meet and greet each one of you, but only if the ladies allow me," he asked, to which the women hooted in consent. The evening also saw biker and off-roader Sarah Kashyap entering the amphitheatre on her superbike. "Maine bahut ladkiyon ko apne sath bike pe ghoomne ke liye bola hai, aaj pehli baar main kisi ladki ko pooch raha hu mujhe bike pe ghoomane ke liye," Maniesh remarked while welcoming Sarah.


Sarah Kashyap

Sarah added, “It was an overwhelming feeling to hear the entire crowd chanting my name when I entered the amphitheatre on my bike. I really feel this is the kind of confidence and power that every woman deserves. My support to all the people who have joined hands to support this cause.” Other women achievers present at the evening were, Simmi Dhamija, Global Head Transformation, Tech Mahindra, and Sunita Yadav, Deputy Mayor, Gurgaon. Apart from Padbank, other launches included, Paakhi: A lawyers' group to help women with legal aid; NAARI: A photo exhibition for creating awareness, Pinkishe Youth: A youth leadership initiative, Myra: An initiative by college students for environment conservation, and a magazine dedicated to women's empowerment.

Sunita Yadav and Simmi Dhamija

Sunita Yadav, Deputy Mayor, Gurgaon, said, "Movies like 'Pad Man' have encouraged people to come forward and work for issues like menstrual hygiene. Despite the fact that the country has progressed so much, girls don't have access to basic necessities such as sanitary napkins. As a Deputy Mayor, it's my responsibility to works towards women’s empowerment. It is very important to make people aware about such issues." Shalini Gupta, General Secretary, Pinkishe Foundation, said about their initiative, "Padbank is one of the first projects of Pinkishe wherein we are working to create awareness about menstrual hygiene among underprivileged girls, and providing them sanitary pads every month."

Maniesh clicks selfie with the ladies

--Aurushi.Goswami@timesgroup.com