In a country that generates over 1.13 lakh tonnes of menstrual waste every year, one small village in Jharkhand has quietly achieved what many cities are still struggling with — becoming completely menstrual-waste-free. The credit goes to Tarun Kumar, a 33-year-old social worker now widely known as the “Padman of Jharkhand.”
The transformation began in Dhatkidih village, where plastic sanitary pads have been entirely replaced with reusable menstrual kits, eliminating waste while restoring dignity, awareness, and confidence among women and girls.
A Classroom Moment That Changed Everything
Tarun Kumar’s journey into menstrual health activism began during his work at a rural school in East Singhbhum’s Potka block. During a workshop, a teenage girl suddenly ran out of the classroom in distress. She had started menstruating — without any prior knowledge of what was happening to her body.
That moment exposed a harsh reality: menstrual ignorance, stigma, and lack of access were pushing young girls into fear and isolation. Tarun decided that silence around menstruation had to end.
From Free Pads to a Full-Scale Movement
In 2017, Tarun founded the Nischay Foundation and launched his first campaign, distributing over 5,000 sanitary pads to adolescent girls. During the Covid-19 lockdown, when access became even more difficult, his foundation reached 5,240 women across 120 villages — an effort that earned a place in the Limca Book of Records.
He also established pad banks in schools, conducted menstrual health workshops, and spoke openly about hygiene, early marriage, and reproductive health — often facing resistance from conservative communities.
When Hygiene Met Sustainability
While distributing pads solved an immediate problem, Tarun soon realised another issue — plastic waste. Conventional sanitary napkins take hundreds of years to decompose.
This led to the launch of ‘Ek Pad, Ek Ped’ (One Pad, One Tree) — an initiative that linked menstruation with environmental responsibility. Under this programme, 30,000 saplings were planted across Jharkhand’s Kolhan region.
The real breakthrough came with Project Bala, which introduced reusable menstrual pad kits. Nearly 5,000 kits were distributed across 100 villages, including Dhatkidih. Within two years, the village achieved something rare — zero menstrual waste.
Innovation at the Grassroots
To ensure safe disposal where needed, Tarun installed a pad incinerator in a school. When costs became a challenge, students themselves innovated, modifying a cemented chulha into a low-cost disposal unit — proving that change thrives when communities are empowered.
Breaking Taboos, Building Confidence
Years of consistent engagement have reshaped attitudes. Menstruation is now discussed openly. Girls attend school without fear. Women manage their cycles safely, affordably, and sustainably.
Despite funding much of the work from his personal savings, Tarun Kumar remains determined. His vision is bold yet simple — an India where no girl is shamed, uneducated, or environmentally burdened because of menstruation.
Dhatkidih stands today not just as a village, but as a model for the nation — showing that with awareness, innovation, and courage, even the most deeply rooted taboos can be transformed into stories of progress.
