Free Sanitary Pad Parab

Free Sanitary Pad Parab is a menstrual hygiene initiative launched in Palanpur, Gujarat, to provide sanitary pads free of charge to girls and women who require them unexpectedly in public places. The initiative was started by Nayan Chatraria in August 2025 as part of his work to promote menstrual hygiene awareness and improve access to sanitary products. The term parab refers to a public facility or distribution point where people can obtain a necessary item without payment.

History

The Free Sanitary Pad Parab was launched in Palanpur in August 2025. The initiative was introduced as an extension of Nayan Chatraria's activities related to menstrual hygiene awareness and free distribution of sanitary pads among girls in northern Gujarat.

Before establishing the Pad Parab, Chatraria had been involved in distributing sanitary pads to girls and conducting awareness activities in rural communities. The initiative sought to address situations in which a girl might unexpectedly require a sanitary pad while travelling or being outside her home.

The first Pad Parab was established at a public location near Chatraria's residence in Palanpur. The concept was designed so that a person could obtain a sanitary pad when required without having to pay for it or formally request assistance.

The initiative was launched on Chatraria's birthday in August 2025. Its introduction was reported as a community-based menstrual hygiene initiative intended to make sanitary products more accessible and encourage open discussion about menstruation.

Overview

The Free Sanitary Pad Parab is based on the principle of providing sanitary pads at no cost through an accessible public distribution point. It is intended particularly for girls and women who experience an unexpected need for a menstrual product while outside their homes.

The initiative addresses an everyday practical issue associated with menstruation. A person may begin menstruating unexpectedly or run out of available menstrual products while travelling, attending school, working, or visiting a public place. A freely accessible distribution point can provide an immediate source of sanitary products in such circumstances.

The initiative also has an awareness component. Its introduction has been associated with efforts to encourage conversations about menstrual hygiene and reduce embarrassment or hesitation surrounding access to sanitary products.

The Pad Parab concept was initially introduced in Palanpur, with the stated intention of extending similar facilities to other cities and villages of Gujarat.

Features / Functions / Principles

The principal feature of the Free Sanitary Pad Parab is free access to sanitary pads. Unlike conventional retail arrangements, the recipient does not have to purchase the product at the time it is needed.

Accessibility is another central feature. The distribution point is intended to be located in a place where a person can obtain a pad without having to visit a shop or disclose personal circumstances to another person.

The initiative is also based on privacy and dignity. Menstruation can be associated with social stigma or embarrassment in some communities. A freely available facility can reduce the need for a person to explain why a sanitary product is required.

Menstrual hygiene awareness forms another part of the initiative. The broader work associated with the Pad Parab includes providing information about menstruation and hygiene, particularly to adolescent girls in rural areas.

The initiative also represents a community-based approach to menstrual product access. Rather than relying exclusively on commercial distribution or institutional programmes, the Pad Parab creates a local point through which products can be made available to people who need them.

Importance / Applications

Access to appropriate menstrual products is an important part of menstrual hygiene management. Lack of immediate access can create difficulties for students, workers, travellers, and other people who menstruate.

The Free Sanitary Pad Parab provides a simple model for addressing emergency or unexpected menstrual-product requirements in public settings. Such facilities can be particularly useful in areas where shops are not immediately accessible or where individuals may feel uncomfortable purchasing menstrual products.

The initiative also has a social awareness function. By making sanitary pads openly available, it treats menstrual products as an ordinary health and hygiene requirement rather than an item that must be obtained privately or discreetly.

The Palanpur initiative is connected with wider menstrual hygiene awareness activities undertaken by Nayan Chatraria. Before the launch of the Pad Parab, he had conducted awareness activities in villages and distributed sanitary pads to girls. The Pad Parab extends this approach from organised distribution programmes to a continuously accessible public facility.

The model can potentially be adapted for other public locations such as schools, colleges, community centres, transport facilities, workplaces, and other places where people may need access to menstrual products.

See Also

• Menstrual hygiene
• Menstrual health
• Sanitary pad
• Period poverty
• Palanpur
• Banaskantha
• Padman of Gujarat