We don't know if the stigma around menstruation will disappear any time soon, but do we really need to wrap pads in newspapers when we take them from our bag to the restroom? You might be doing it for hygiene purposes, but let us have you know that it isn't doing you any good on that front either. Here's an alternative — upgrade to this pad pack being offered by Viram. Think of it as a mini purse for your sanitary napkin. You can carry two of them inside this functional pack and also carry tissue paper too. But here's the USP, it is made from Ayurvastra.
In the days of yore, all natural fabrics were infused with different herbs to keep allergies at bay. This is Ayurvastra. For example, boiling the fabric with eucalyptus leaves didn't just lend it a brown shade but also properties that don't elicit any reaction when it comes in contact with your skin. "Nowadays, we use chemical dye and if we sweat, these tend to cause allergies for some. With Ayurvastra, the chance of that happening is a lot less," informs Ram Kumar (26) who started this initiative with Vijaya Kumari (25) last year. The duo first met in Patna when they were preparing for the NIFT entrance exam in 2013. While Ram went on to study in NIFT Bhubaneswar, Vijaya got into NIFT Kolkata the next year.
.jpg?w=640&auto=format%2Ccompress)
It is while on a collage field trip that Ram first found out about Ayurvastra in a village about 13 km from Thiruvananthapuram. "After learning the very basics from the friendly community there, I started experimenting on my own and properly started my research during my second year of college, in 2014 itself," says the youngster. Last year, the former Fashion Design students, who are now based out of Delhi, decided to put their plan in action. They had stayed in touch and their similar ideas united them. "The plan was that at least one of us will pursue a job to keep our company’s finances in check, which Vijaya does while I work on our start-up full time," informs the entrepreneur.
Why a pad pack though? Well, it's just a start. Plus, making clothes right away would be expensive so they are starting small and unique, "It was actually Vijaya's idea," shares Ram. On his second trip to the village, Ram purchased ingredients like the bark of red sandalwood, wild turmeric and a whole lot more. What they do is use turmeric and rock salt to achieve a nice brown shade, turmeric and neem leaves for a slightly darker shade, indigo (the dye) for a light blue shade and so on. The white cloth inside the pad pack is treated with aloe vera. They use natural cotton and soak it in hot water with the leaves or other ingredients that give one the desired medicinal and herbal properties. The details of the process they chose to keep to themselves, however.
The duo has begun the process of registering the company and hopes to expand their product base soon. "We are happy with the responses we are getting for the pad packs and are already working on the next set of products we'd like to offer," says Ram and signs off.
For more on them check out theviram.com
