‘Period Policy’ Launched In The Oldest Sikh Gurdwara In The UK- Professor Peter Virdee

1
?
?
Speak Up
This post has been self-published on Youth Ki
Awaaz by Binti Period. Just like them, anyone can
publish on Youth Ki Awaaz. Find out more
Period Policy Launched In The Oldest Sikh
Gurdwara In The UK
By Binti Period in Menstruation, Society 7th
March, 2019 Globally, and in the UK, we have
heard countless stories of women not being
allowed to perform religious tasks such as sewa
(sel??ess service) while on their period. The
charity collaborated with the Gurdwara to promote
awareness that any women of any faith or
background can go to the Gurdwara, take a pad and
have a free hot meal. On February 10th 2019,
Binti International, a charity focused on
smashing stigma and shame surrounding
menstruation, launched a Period Policy at the
Khalsa Jatha Sikh Gurdwara, Shepherds Bush,
London. This event was the ??rst of its kind
worldwide, with the Gurdwara Sahib being the
??rst in the world to talk openly about periods
and help to eradicate the stigma surrounding
menstruation. Why Do We Need A Policy In Place?
No woman should be restricted by anyone from
doing sewa in the Gurdwara while she menstruates.
Image via Getty
2
Did you know that 1 in 10 girls in the UK cannot
afford menstrual products? The Period Policy,
created by Manjit K Gill, Founder CEO of Binti
International, in collaboration with the Peter
Virdee Foundation, promotes and ensures equality
for everyone who visits the Gurdwara, from the
regular congregation to ??rst time visitors.
This means providing free menstrual products and
menstrual education to the Sikh Community,
including open discussions around menstruation to
eliminate shame, stigma and taboo. Globally, and
in the UK, we have heard countless stories of
women not being allowed to perform religious
tasks such as sewa while on their period. The
charity collaborated with the Gurdwara to
promote awareness that any women of any faith or
background can go to the Gurdwara, take a pad and
have a free hot meal. The Sikh community are
being encouraged to donate menstrual pads so that
all women can have access to free menstrual
products. We ??rmly believe that once we conquer
our own community, we can conquer the world. The
Day Of The Policy Launch I was part of a group of
women volunteers, along with the rest of the
Binti team who were from differing religious
backgrounds. Dressed in our red suits and red
scarves adorning our heads, we were ready to
answer any questions about the work of Binti. We
set up an informative, colourful stand in the
langar hall (open communal area in the Gurdwara
where free hot vegetarian meals are served) where
congregation usually gathered. There were
several branded items on sale to raise money to
send pads to Punjab, namely Binti mugs, badges,
t-shirts, reusable pads and greetings cards.
3

• Binti International, a charity focused on
  smashing stigma and shame surrounding
  menstruation, launched a Period Policy at the
  Khalsa Jatha Sikh Gurdwara, Shepherds Bush,
  London.
• Even as we were setting up the stand, passers-by,
  both women and men, stopped to ask questions
  about what we were doing. They were very
  receptive to hearing about Bintis work and
  understanding periods in a richer way, along with
  agreeing that the congregation can do more to
  support the cause. We also set up a Binti branded
  backdrop and asked members of the congregation
  to do the BintiRosePose Langar (free hot,
  vegetarian meal), which was prepared and served
  by the usual Sunday congregation, with the
  support from some of the Binti volunteers.
• Period Stories
• Many period-related conversations were shared
  between both women and men, with a few below.
  Although there was some push-back leading up to
  the event, where some of the community still
  disagrees with the fact that all Sikh women can
  do ALL Sewa whilst menstruating, we were very
  happy to get the support from Khalsa Jatha
  Sahib. Some of the stories below shared by our
  Binti volunteering team show that the day was
  mostly ??lled with love and positivity.
• A mother and daughter were on a pilgrimage in
  India when the daughter started her period. The
  mother was immediately concerned whether her
  daughter would be allowed to walk all the way up
  to the temple whilst menstruating so she found a
  nearby phone booth and called a family member
  asking for advice. The family member said that
  the daughter should not visit the holy place
  whilst she is menstruating and that she should
  stop the
• pilgrimage and walk back down. The obedient
  daughter listened to this advice and reluctantly
  left the pilgrimage.
• A mother shared how she and her family celebrate
  periods. When a girl in the family starts her
  period, the mother and aunties present care
  packages to the girl and celebrate the momentous
  occasion with joy.
• One man confessed to not knowing anything about
  periods and was initially avoidant to converse.
  Once the Binti volunteer started talking about
  periods in the context of what a mother, wife,
  sisters and daughters may experience, he felt
  more open and empathetic. The man was asked how
  he would feel if a menstruating

4
woman was at the Gurdwara doing sewa and he had
no problem with it. 4. Another man in his 30s
confessed to only ??nding out what a period was
last year. Binti believe that this is due to the
lack of awareness and information for girls and
boys in schools around menstruation.

• The taboo attitude towards period is mainly
  cultural rather than religious. Image via Getty
• A non-Sikh visitor mentioned that when she was a
  young girl and had her period, she felt like she
  was in trouble with her mother. The mother and
  daughter did not talk openly about periods as
  the family was orthodox and if the daughter ever
  mentioned it, the conversation would abruptly
  stop.
• It is only years later that this woman took a
  stand and started the conversation to normalise
  period talk. The visitor shared her frustration
  at how expensive menstrual products are, given
  that birth control is freely available, and
  excitedly purchased a Binti reusable pad, which
  she will be able to wash and reuse for up to 3
  years.
• A man approached the stand with praise, voicing
  that he supported the cause. When a Binti
  volunteer broached the subject of preparing and
  serving food whilst on our periods he said that
  it should not matter. He viewed the women around
  him as sisters and said that he would never want
  to restrict his sister and so the women in the
  congregation should be able to carry out
  religious tasks without judgement.
• One woman who regularly makes and serves food at
  the Gurdwara shared that a member of the
  congregation approached her just last week
  con??ding in her that she had just started her
  period and asked to borrow a pad. Unfortunately,
  the woman did not have a pad on her and felt
  bad. It is about time we have something like
  this, she said.
• A group of men approached the stand and felt
  proud that we chose to launch the

5
Period Policy at their local Gurdwara. One of the
gentlemen asked, So when will all of the other
Gurdwara and religious institutes follow suite?
Also read Menstruation A Word That Still Fans
The Fires Of Disgust And Discrimination
Overall, these stories are inspiring, and show
that despite initial reluctance and maybe even
embarrassment to talk about menstruation, people
very much support the cause and are aware that
the taboo attitude towards period is mainly
cultural rather than religious. Later that day,
we gathered the two shopping bags full of
donated menstrual pads and made our way to the
womens bathroom to ??ll a red Binti-branded bin
with the pads. Moving forward, the bin will be
kept stocked by the Gurdwara congregation. There
will be posters in the womens toilets, stating
that menstrual products are freely available
here and how to donate products so that other
women can menstruate with dignity. The day
concluded with a religious blessing and a
wonderfully inspiring Kirtan (hymns) performance
by the amazing Taran Kaur, who supports the Binti
campaign. No woman should be restricted by
anyone from doing sewa in the Gurdwara while she
menstruates. We also cut our Binti eggless cake,
marking the end of a successful Period Policy
launch, and another step closer to achieving our
mission. The Future Binti aims to get more
Gurdwaras and Temples on board in the UK with
the premise of taking this back to India too. We
are already planning to hold menstrual health
workshops and are sending a message out to the
congregation to add menstrual products to the
list of items that they already donate to the
Gurdwara. Together, lets smashshame
ILovePeriods Daleep Kaur Mann is a Binti
volunteer. They can be reached at
Hello_at_binti.co.uk www.binti.period.org Twitter
_at_Binti_Period Instagram _at_binti.period
Facebook.com/binti.period
6
You must be logged in to comment.
More from Binti Period
Similar Posts By Saathi These Sanitary Pads Are
Good For Your Body, Community And Environment By
Saathi The Different Words We Use Instead Of
Menstruation By Vidushi Singh Unexpected
Period Scares Can Be Avoided By Providing Pads In
Public Places
7
?
?
?
?
?
YKA Media Pvt. Ltd.
Home About Terms Community Guide Contact Us