How one man has been able to bring a taboo subject to light and help women.
Don't you just love finding gems in unexpected places. Last night I happened upon a film on Netflix entitled Pad Man. A film about a man who was inspired by the lack of sanitary conditions in India for menstruating women. He created a low-cost sanitary pad. This film and story were based on the real experience of Arunachalam Muruganantham.
So why this film?
Pad Man is a must-see film for many reasons --- Arunachalam Muruganatham saw a problem and created a solution. It took him years.
A man with limited formal education who is brilliant, resilient, resourceful, and creative. Arunachalam Muruganatham exemplifies entrepreneurial spirit in a way that most of us can only aspire to.
There is an amazing video on YouTube, an interview through #WeTheWomen, with Twinkle Khanna and Arunachalam Muruganatham. Twinkle is a reporter who wrote about this amazing story. As mind-blowing as it sounds to those of us today, throughout history women have been banished during the days of their period. Part of the problem was a mechanical problem. Hence, the use of unsanitary and ineffective rags. And, today, a financial problem. For many women in the world, the cost of sanitary pads is prohibitive. In many places in the world, it is also an issue of Taboos. Although his first concern was for the health of his wife, Arunachalam Muruganatham has created affordable manufacturing equipment which has created independent manufacturing jobs for many women across India.
Being an entrepreneur is a challenge that most people can never comprehend. For those of us who are entrepreneurs, time, money, and disappointment far outweigh success on most days. This story is inspiration. To look at a problem and find a solution.
I have had to learn how to look beyond my setbacks, change the language that I use, and embrace failure as a series of tests to be tweaked.
Who are some of your role models and why?
Anne Zuckerman
Edith's, Inc.