A file picture of Sneha and Suman being felicitated after the film won an Oscar

Sandeep Rai (THE TIMES OF INDIA; June 2, 2019)

Kathikeda to Delhi is a 120-km journey which not many from the rough village in the heart of western UP make. In February this year, two women from there flew to Los Angeles, the place that cradles Hollywood—the heart of America’s glamour world.

Sneha and Suman had just starred in ‘Period. End of Sentence’ which won an Oscar and they thought it was the beginning of a fairy tale.

The documentary was filmed on the sanitary pad-making unit in Kathikeda and spoke of the taboo associated with menstruation in rural India.

Set up in 2017, the “factory” had begun with negative comments from villagers. Some made fun of the people who worked there while others said the work was “dirty”.

But the Oscar changed all that. Soon after news of the recognition broke, men and women from neighbouring towns and villages trooped into Kathikeda, congratulating those that made the anonymous village famous around the world. That continued for days.

If the two women, who are relatives, at the centre of the story are to be believed, the Oscar has changed their lives yet again. They told TOI on Saturday that they are in deep financial crisis and that they have lost their jobs at ‘Fly’, where the pads that are sold for Rs 20 per packet are made.

“My husband works as temporary guard at a local bank’s ATM facility and is unable to meet monthly expenses of the family,” 28-year-old Suman said.

Sneha, 22, who in the film talks passionately about her desire to become a cop, added that she will have to leave the institute where she’s taking coaching classes that will equip her to join the Delhi Police one day. “There’s no money now,” she said.

Each woman at the unit is paid Rs 2,500, which was Rs 2,000 till February and was increased after the Oscar nod. ‘Fly’ was set up after funds were raised by English teacher Melissa Berton and 10 girl students from a school in Los Angeles to donate a padmaking machine in collaboration with NGOs Girls Learn International and Action India.

According to the two, ‘Fly’ asked them to leave because they refused to hand over the money — ₹1 lakh each — that former UP CM Akhilesh Yadav had rewarded for their achievement. Another ₹50,000 each had come from the state’s governor Ram Naik. “The NGO that runs the unit says that because the film revolved around its facility and initiatives, the money belongs to them,” said Suman.

Devender Kumar, project manager for Action India, Hapur, refuted the charges. “The reality is something else,” he said. “After returning (from the Oscars), they got a grand welcome and were so engrossed with the festivities that they began neglecting work.” He added, “Suman and Sneha accepted the money and were hence asked to deposit it for the cause that made them so famous. Ours is a small unit of six people. When two don’t work, it hurts business. Despite repeated meetings with them, they showed no inclination to make amends.”

Ishita Bhatia (THE TIMES OF INDIA; February 26, 2019)

Kathikeda (Hapur): Tucked away in a corner of Hapur district in UP, some 120km from Delhi, Kathikeda was an obscure village - till Monday. As news spread about the film ‘Period. End of Sentence’ winning an Oscar for best documentary, people from adjacent villages began arriving to celebrate.

The movie has been filmed on the sanitary pad-making unit here. Ironically, when the unit was set up in 2017, it had led to negative comments from villagers. Some made fun of the people employed here while others said the work was ‘dirty’.

“I dropped out of school after Class IX due to lack of funds. I always wanted to complete my education and become a singer. However, I could not contribute to the family’s income. Then, the unit was started. At first, I told my family that I used to make diapers for kids; I told them the truth much later. They eventually allowed me to continue working, although they protested at first. I get Rs 2,500 a month now and I am saving the money to complete my education and fulfil my dream of becoming a singer,” said 18-year-old Ruksana.

She is among the several whose dreams have got wings thanks to ‘Fly’ sanitary napkins made here. Currently a workplace for seven women, the unit operates from the house of Suman, who was in Los Angeles for the Oscar ceremony on Monday, along with the film’s lead figure, Sneha.
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Ishita Bhatia (THE TIMES OF INDIA; February 26, 2019)

Things have changed in the village of Kathikeda in Hapur district – for the better – after a sanitary pad-making unit was set up and the movie ‘Period. End of Sentence’ was filmed. The village women, who did not know about sanitary napkins and used cloth during their periods, now use pads. The pads are now distributed from door to door. They are also made available at shops, priced at Rs 20 for a packet of six. Each woman at the unit is paid Rs 2,500 – which was Rs 2,000 till last month, and was increased only after their movie got nominated for the Oscars.

Rakhi, the manager of the pad-making unit, said, “Earlier girls used to drop out of school once their periods started because it became embarrassing for them when their clothes got stained. I was so shy that I couldn’t even tell my father that I worked at a pad-making unit. My mother had to tell this to him. But now, menstruation is no more a taboo.” She has completed her BA and plans to become a teacher. The other women working at the unit include Sushma (32), Preeti (20), Neeshu (18), and Arshi(18), apart from Sneha and Suman who were in Los Angeles on Monday.

The villagers were shown the movie on a projector by the filmmakers some months back. “When we used to talk about menstruation or sanitary napkins, people would abuse us and call us ‘bad women’. But when the movie was shot and interviews taken even from the men, people opened up about the issue,” said Shabana Khan, area coordinator (Hapur), Action India NGO. Now, another pad-making unit has been set up in Sudhna village of Hapur. The unit was set up after funds were raised by an English teacher Melissa Berton and 10 girl students from a school in Los Angeles to donate a pad-making machine in collaboration with NGOs Girls Learn International and Action India.

With the movie winning an Oscar, the village has become world-famous, said Poonam, Sneha’s cousin. “Earlier the relatives of my in-laws used to ask where was Kathikeda. Now we can pick up any newspaper and show them on page 1.”