Movie time with Padman.....

Movie time with Padman.....

I was going for a movie in a theatre after a long time. My days of first day, third show had almost disaapeared from my life except for those rare viewings of children's movies or social films along with my son.
Today, was different. At the call of duty i was going to see the movie "Padman" along with school girls of class 8 to 10 of the Zilla Parishad schools of Palghar district.
There was so much of excitement in the air. Girls sitting in groups and talking animatedly. Waiting with baited breath for the movie to start.
My formal speech before that informing them about the scheme might have been a dampener for them but it was important to share the idea and ideology behind the scheme. Keeping it interactive and short, I thought I must make it as bearable as possible. They happily shared that for most of them this was their first viewing of a film in such a big theatre. Many of them were aware of the importance of menstrual hygiene and sanitary napkins. Some of them were even using it. However they were full of gratitude that they would be getting good quality sanitary napkins at rupees five in their school under the Asmita scheme.
Soon after the interaction we started the movie. It was so endearing to hear enthusiastic responses at appropriate places and peels of laughter on some joke akin to a family screening. We also gorged on samosas and cold drinks in the interval.
On chatting with them I found them to be having a good time.
The movie Padman is a sensitive and crisp potrayal of the efforts, struggle and perseverance of a man to facilitate menstrual hygiene.
Laxmikant is a loving and passionate husband who discovers the woes of a menstruating wife soon after marriage. He is aghast at the use of a unhygeinic and unclean cloth as protection during menstruation by his wife. The social taboos of being isolated from the house, inability to mingle due to impurity shock him. He takes it upon himself to ensure that his wife gets to use hygeinic products. His dilemma at the steep cost, his embarrassment due to various experiments including one on himself make him an outcaste in society. He is deserted by his family including mother and sisters. His wife is forcefully taken away by her brothers.
Yet undeterred he continues with his struggle, not hesitating to work as a domestic help in a professor's home to learn about making good quality cheap sanitary napkins. He is scorned by the professor but manages to get tips for manufacturing from his son through the internet and moves on.
He discovers the four important steps for manufacturing sanitary napkins and sets up a makeshift workshop by using his massaging skills to get a loan from a miserly moneylender. He successfully makes good quality sanitary napkins with no takers.
A desperate bunch of friends of a Tabla Player, unprepared for her menstrual cycle in search of sanitary napkins bump into him and his life gets transformed.
The lady not only uses his pad, terms them as good as the others but also introduces his machine at innovation forum, thanks to her IIT professor father. He goes on to win the President's award and laurel after laurel thereafter including a Padmashri and is declared to be a Padman by none other than the legendary actor Amitabh.
The tabla player, Pari, his well'wisher becomes his saleswoman sacrificing a hi-fi job. Together they create a network of women using and selling the pads he manufactures. They also learn to set up units by themselves and get empowered to take loans. The product is branded as "Pari" after the Tabla player.
Their success makes him an invitee to the United Nations. His "linglish" speech there discussing the social impact of menstrual hygiene tugs your heart. He innocently shares his name is Lakshmi but that he does not want to chase money unlike others. He confesses that India maybe a country full of problems but those problems gave him the opportunity.
While the whole world does R&D , research and design, he did T&F, Try and Fail till ultimately a fairy made him fly and he became LaxmiCAN from LaxmiCan't.
His pad at Rs.2 was an example for men who would probably die if they bleed for half an hour. He dreamt of making every women, mother, sister and his country strong since menstruation was natural and would continue forever so also would the pad business.
I came out of the theatre with a conviction as strong as his that with the launch of the Asmita scheme, Maharashtra would be a harbinger of good health for women. With the 4 "A"s of awareness, availability, accesibilty and affordability, the network of Self-help groups of MSRLM Umed, the state would become 100 percent pad using state. The lofty ideals of protecting women's health and providing her with the option of a sustainable livelihood of trading in sanitary napkins has seen light due to the valiant efforts of a dynamic leader and a Minister, Pankaja Munde and a tech-savvy Secretary Aseem Gupta.
The novel idea of screening of "Padman" for girls who never had this opportunity felt wonderful. With gratitude in my heart I mingled with the girls who were gung-ho after the movie. Watching this movie would certainly remain memorable.....