Ahmedabad, 29 May 2026: This World Menstrual Hygiene Day, Stayfree®, a leading menstrual hygiene brand, along with Menstrupedia celebrated the occasion by bringing together marketing professionals, academicians, industry leaders, social workers, and young aspiring students for a transformative dialogue around the importance of changing the narrative around period conversations in India – from taboos to creating an inclusive environment for girls and women.
“Embodying the theme of Menstrual Hygiene Day “Together for a #PeriodFriendlyWorld”, the event emphasized the need for collective action to eliminate stigma around menstruation and improved access to hygiene products to ensure girls are able to fulfil their potential.
Hosted at the Narayana Business School (NBS), Ahmedabad, the event brought together eminent industry leaders for an insightful discussion on the crucial need to normalize conversations around periods in India. Traditionally shrouded in silence and stigma, this topic is now being increasingly addressed through open and inclusive dialogue. The session highlighted the importance of collective actions by brands, educational institutions, individuals in enabling meaningful societal progress.
The discussions reinforced the importance of brand purpose-led initiatives in advancing menstrual health awareness and fostering a more inclusive environment by encouraging greater participation from men as informed and supportive allies, spotlighting the role of Stayfree and its ‘It’s Just a Period’ campaign in normalizing period conversations among Indian households. Over half a decade, the campaign has aimed to positively turn cultural discomfort around periods into a regular discussion between a girl and her family. In this journey, Stayfree first encouraged fathers to be part of the period conversation with their daughters, which then extended to ‘Talk to your Sons’ campaign encouraging parents to tell their sons “It’s Just a period,” and then took another bold step, #BetaStayfreeLeAana to end generations of taboos with a simple action.
In a thought-provoking session with Supriya Srinivasa, Marketing Director, Stayfree India and Dr. Vishal Tiwari, VP-Growth & Strategy, Narayana Business School and moderated by Aditi Gupta, Co-Founder, Menstrupedia, the panellists highlighted the necessity for an inclusive discussion on menstrual health.
To further inspire young students, Stayfree led a real-world Marketing Challenge with NBS students around the theme of “How Boys and Men Can Play an Active Part in Normalizing Period Conversations in Indian Households”, where the top 3 winning teams were recognized by Stayfree and Menstrupedia for their impactful ideas and opportunity it presents to real cultural change.
Speaking on the occasion, Supriya Srinivasa, Marketing Director, Stayfree India said, “Periods for long have been a subject of hushed conversations and avoided even in private family settings where the girl needs to feel the most comfortable. At Stayfree®, we believe in not only providing women with superior and affordable menstrual hygiene products but also in encouraging healthy period conversations to bring real change within families first and society at large eventually. Engaging with young minds at NBS reaffirms our belief that this change is not only achievable – it is already in progress. Together with Menstrupedia, we are committed to fostering a world where no girl feels fear, shame, or discomfort about her periods.”
The occasion also marked a moment to celebrate Stayfree’s partnership with Menstrupedia, which began in 2020 with a shared mission to educate young girls and teachers on menstrual health and eliminate the stigma associated with it, through creative, culturally relatable tools like Menstrupedia’s signature comic books. Over the last five years, Stayfree® and Menstrupedia together have trained over 15,7600 teachers, distributed over 16,69,000 comic books, conducted workshops reaching 39,300 schools across India and educated over 5 million girls and boys on menstrual health and hygiene.
Aditi Gupta, Co-Founder, Menstrupedia said, “It is incredibly inspiring to see the energy and passion today. We cannot build a better future when we exclude half the population from the most basic period conversations. By working together with Stayfree and Narayana Business School, we are changing the way society thinks about periods. Watching these young students step up, especially the young men who took on the household challenge “Beta Stayfree Le ana” with such confidence and creativity, shows that the next generation is ready to lead with awareness instead of shame. When educational institutes and brands join forces like this, we don’t just change minds; we change the culture of our entire country.”
Editor’s Note: While the attached release focuses on the World Menstrual Hygiene Day activity at Narayana Business School, Stayfree has also released a digital campaign-extension film that captures the evolution of its long-running effort to normalise period conversations within families—from encouraging fathers and brothers to join the dialogue to fostering greater participation from sons and young men today.
This film can be viewed here: https://www.instagram.com/reels/DY4eWcihxr5/
About Stayfree®:
Stayfree® knows that periods can be difficult. That’s why it has a long heritage of creating products that provide comfortable protection to help women feel at ease during their periods. The brand has been striving to build a healthy relationship between a young girl and her periods so that she can continue to pursue their dreams.
About Menstrupedia:
Menstrupedia is a fast-growing startup that offers high social-impact educational materials in the form of comic books, workshops, and animated videos. The materials developed by Menstrupedia are used by over 36,500 schools and hundreds of NGOs, Corporations, and Government organizations across India and several other countries across the globe. Menstrupedia is a definitive step to initiate conversations around growing up and puberty which has long been neglected. Learn more about Menstrupedia
