New Delhi: Tata Trusts has launched a new social and behaviour change campaign titled Maheena Aa Gaya, aimed at reshaping how menstruation is discussed and understood across India. Rooted in extensive ethnographic research in rural parts of Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat, the campaign reframes menstruation as a regular health sign rather than a marker of fertility or readiness for marriage.

Despite the fact that 71 per cent of girls in India first learn about menstruation only when they get their first period, many harmful beliefs around impurity and shame persist. The new campaign from Tata Trusts tackles this by featuring short films that depict everyday families openly discussing common menstrual symptoms like cramps, tiredness and mood changes as normal health experiences. These stories are tied together with a memorable jingle—Maheena Aa Gaya—to create recognition and empathy across generations.

Alongside digital efforts, the campaign includes grassroots interventions in seven states. These involve sensitising and equipping key influencers—mothers, husbands, in-laws, ASHA workers and health staff—with language and resources to break existing taboos.

Divyang Waghela, Head of WASH at Tata Trusts, points to the wider environmental issues that add to stigma. “Our goal is to tackle beliefs, environments and agency, so girls view periods as health, not hidden,” he says.

The films were shot in real households, with Creative Director Keigan Pinto explaining, “We filmed in real homes to replace fear with familiarity and shame with science. This isn’t radical change—just a reminder that menstruation is a natural barometer of health.”

The campaign content is now available across YouTube, LinkedIn, Instagram, X and Facebook, with the aim of triggering open, multi-generational conversations among India’s 355 million menstruators and their communities.

BI Bureau