Bravo is quite concerned about the issue of menstrual hygiene: Muruganantham

The inventor of low-cost sanitary napkins and machines Arunachalam Muruganantham might be making waves across the world with his inimitable innovation, but when it comes to cricket, he is quite unapprised of the Gentleman’s game. Which is why when Trinidadian cricketer Dwayne Bravo arrived at his modest home in Coimbatore on Wednesday, Muruganantham didn’t quite recognize him. “My knowledge of the Gentleman’s Game is limited to the times of Kapil Dev and Sunil Gavaskar. I haven’t followed cricket since then. On Wednesday morning, a team from Trinidad and Tobago had come home. What surprised me was when Bravo arrived, he was mobbed by youngsters in the locality. Fans swarmed the cricketer for selfies and autographs. When I asked Bravo what he did for a living, he replied with a smile. “I play cricket at times’. It was only later that I realized how big a cricketer he was.”
Muruganantham had received a call from a team from the Caribbean Islands earlier. “Bravo had heard about my work and my Oscar-winning documentary short, Period. End of Sentence, when he had come down to Chennai for the IPL. Since menstrual hygiene is a major concern in his country as well, he wanted to know what I did to address the issue. He spent around three hours learning the technology and had an elaborate discussion about the issue. He also managed to churn out two sanitary pads. He was extremely happy after the meeting and said that he will definitely take the initiative forward. He also said how discussing menstruation was a taboo in his country, too and he hoped to changed it using these machines. I am sending one machine first to see how the initiative works. Based on the progress, I will be sending more machines. Sanitary napkins are exorbitantly priced in these islands which prevents many girls and women from using them.”
Bravo was so busy learning about the machines that he didn’t even think of lunch. Talking about his interaction with the ace cricketer, Muruganantham says, “By the time we sent him off from my home, we were all exhausted. There were too many fans and we had a tough time getting him into his car. I found Bravo extremely down-to-earth.”
He adds, “It’s good to see young celebrities taking up such social issues. Earlier, elders in the family would teach their children. Today, youngsters prefer social media for news. Celebrities too play a crucial role. If celebrities like Ajith and Vijay talk about these issues, it will create a huge impact, thanks to their fan following. They have a massive reach, especially among youngsters. It’s important that more and more people of repute take up social issues. Bravo is genuinely concerned about the problem and I look forward to working with him.”
And that’s not all. Bravo also shared some tips on travelling. “I have been travelling extensively for more than a decade now. By the time I come back from one trip, I am off to another. When I asked Bravo, how he looks after his health while travelling, he said, ‘Get a lot of rest and leave a gap of one week between every travel for the body to recuperate’.”
In the meantime, Muruganantham is gearing up to set up his machines in Afghanistan later this month. “We are focusing on places like Kabul and Kandahar. “The situation there is a quite adverse and its high time we spread awareness on menstrual hygiene. I will be closely working with Afghan women and teaching them the importance of menstrual hygiene and how to use these machines.”