A Hell Prepared To Stay In Menstrual Periods Poem by Tulsi Shrestha

A hell prepared to stay in menstrual periods
Sounds weird and terribly painful to hear.
In remote areas of far western Nepal
Chaupadhi, menstrual exile is
Practiced as hindu custom.
Female are treated as
Untouchable and impure
During their periods.
They are asked to stay away from
Community and forbidden to touch
Others, restricted to enter temples & kitchen.
Since they are forced stay in isolation,
Risk of rape by culprits is higher.
Females are forced to stay in tiny hut
Covering less than 6 Sq meters.
Some are managed to stay
In a livestock shed with cattle.
Theologians have their own religious logic
To justify such heinous activity.
You might have heard of death
Due to suffocation accompanied by
Fire work during winter.
And victims of snake bite in summer.
Is it wise to sacrifice lives of
Teen aged girls in the name of
Rotten religious tradition.
The period that signifies
Eligible for fertility
Should be treated as
Natural process like
Breathing, urinating and beating
Essential to keep us alive.
Only Law against menstrual exile
Isn't enough to protect lives of
Innocent females.
No doubt chaupadi is against
Fundamental human right and justice
It is prevalent not only in uneducated family
But also stil, in some of
Highly educated family of urban region.
Psychological and
Cultural transformation programme
The state needs to launch to revive
Consciousness about anatomy of
Human body and its function,
Especially in remote zones.

Composed by Tulsi Shrestha
@copyright reserved