Coimbatore college students come up with ‘Napkin Song’

COIMBATORE: Students of Coimbatore Government Arts College have come up with a single track album which speaks about menstrual hygiene and seeks to break the taboos around it. The album has been created entirely by students right from lyrics to recording.

The students said they had worked for around three months on the project and they chose the subject as it is normally not spoken about in independent music albums. While the album is titled 'Inidhi', the students have decided to call the song as ‘Napkin Song’.

S Thilak Kavikaran, 19, a B A public administration student in the college, has composed music for the song. What made them decide to compose a track on menstrual hygiene? “Usually independent albums speak of love and love failure. So we wanted to change the scene. That’s what made us compose a song on subject,” said Kavikaran, who has been playing keyboard and piano from Class III. However, this is his first alum, says the young musician who has also sung in the album.

The lyrics of the song use the euphemisms that are casually dropped to glaze over speaking about menstruation and sanitary napkins. Penning the lyric needed certain boldness, as it is a topic people hesitate to speak openly, said G Haripriya, 22, an MSc mathematics student at the college, the lyricist of the album.

“Usually women liberation is spoken by men in our society, Subramania Bharathi and Periyar are examples. I thought women need to start speaking up for themselves,” she said. “That’s why I took up the opportunity to write the lyric.”

The album was released in an event on the college campus on Thursday. Students said they would upload it on YouTube on Friday on the occasion of Women’s Day.