Another Indian doing the Unimaginable.The first man to wear the sanitary pad is Mr.Arunachalam Muruganantham. Man behind the low cost of sanitary pad in India.Here he is:
Who is Arunachalam Muruganantham?
Arunachalam Muruganantham (born 1962) is a social entrepreneur and inventor from Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu in India.He is the inventor of a low-cost sanitary pad-making machine and is credited for innovating grassroots mechanisms for generating awareness about traditional unhygienic practices around menstruation in rural India.His mini-machines are installed in 23-29 states of India.
Up to 1998,He was housebound husband.His world is Shanti(wife),A.Vanita(mother) and his small workshop working as a helper.
Reason behind the invention of sanitary napkin:
One day in 1998,He sat in house,after having lunch and relaxing,saw his wife carrying something to hide from him.Then he asked his wife-“What is that?”.She answered him by slapping on his cheeks as”It is none of your business”.Being a husband,he saw a very nasty and rag cloth.He understood that she is adopting an unhygienic method to manage the period days.Later he asked his wife-“why don’t you use sanitary napkins?”.She replied as”I also knew about it and am also watching tv”.But “if myself and other women in our family start using napkins,we have to cut our family milk budget,”she replied.
He shocked…What is the connection b/w sanitary napkins and cutting the milk budget?Then he understood,it’s a cost factor.Same day,he went to shop and brought a napkin packet and started to do research on it.Being a workshop helper,whatever he took in his hand,able to tell the weight of the material.He figured that packet weighs less than 10 grams.Those days 10 grams cotton price is only 10 paise.MNC is using 10 paise raw material and selling for 4 rupees.Profit margin is high.So he wanted to make a low cost napkin.
Research:
He need a woman volunteer for outcomes.So the available victim is his wife(Shanti).He bought the sanitary cotton in a reputed mill and made a sanitary napkin.He gave it to Shanti and waited for feedback immediately.She replied,”it’s not possible to give immediately but have to wait for sometime”.Then he came to know,period comes once in a month.After 15 days,he got feedback as a waste and nasty napkin.Shanti followed her cloth using method.He needs more volunteers,instead of waiting a month for a feedback.He went to his sisters and gets insulted for talking on this subject.
He came with an other idea,to contact medical college girls(students).He felt ashamed of it,but still managed to get something as he believed in his mission.He given various napkins to girls and waited for 4-5 days for a feedback.But they felt ashamed of talking on this subject with an adult,so he placed feedback forms.After some days,there he watched,3 students are filling all the feedback forms which resulted in fake feedback.
First man to wear a sanitary napkin,hence he called PADMAN:
Here comes the PADMAN.He questioned himself”why not check the napkin for myself?”.He bought a triangular shape underwear and wore a sanitary napkin.In a football bladder,there is a animal blood and a tube,while he walks and rides bicycle,used to press one dose which falls in the napkin.But he got dissatisfied with his idea.
By doing research,he came to know,a cotton filament and cellulose substance were used for the napkin.People called him as mad and psycho for his work.His wife divorced him.Know he came up with a risky idea i.e., “why not i can ask for a used napkin from a girl?”.He somehow managed in getting used napkins.While,he was doing research on that,his mother came and saw and gets shocked of his work.She cries and gets separated from him.He left alone.
He succeeded in realizing the material inside of the napkin.The cotton is from flower i.e., cellulose is derived from the bark of the tree called wood pulp.For this plant,it costs around 3.5 crores(700000USD) to make the sanitary napkin.He further done research for 4 and half years and invented a small machine.Finally,he invented a world class napkin at his home.
Success:
He sent to IIT for evaluation and trying to get a patent.In a IIT-Madras competition for”Best Innovation for the betterment of society”,he won the award for his invention among 943 entries.By this, he got patent and was the only unique product across the globe,to make sanitary napkin at low cost machine.He never thought of doing business for millions,billions.He wants to give the machines to rural India.
His Mission is to”Create a million employments for rural women in India“.He is currently planning to expand the production of these machines to 106 nations.
His highness rewards the greatness towards the country…!!!