Pad Yatra & Period Fest: Bringing Menstrual Health Conversation to Delhi’s Public Spaces

A public march through Connaught Place, followed by a menstruation-themed festival in central Delhi on February 5, sought to break long-held silence around menstruation and place it firmly within conversations on health, dignity and shared social responsibility.

The initiative, ‘Period Fest & Pad Yatra’, was organised by Federal Bank in association with ‘Sachhi Saheli’, with NDMC as the venue partner, to mark Menstrual Health and Awareness Day and amplify dialogue on menstrual health in the Indian context.

The ‘Pad Yatra’ - a play on the Hindi ‘pad yatra’ (foot march), reimagined as a pad (sanitary pad) yatra - is designed as a visible public intervention. By moving through one of the capital’s most prominent civic spaces, the march sought to challenge the notion that menstruation must remain hidden, reframing it as a natural process linked to health, dignity and rights.

Nearly 300 students from NDMC and private schools, along with women from local communities, participated in the march from the Inner Circle of Connaught Place to the NDMC Convention Centre, carrying pad-shaped placards with messages calling for awareness, access, and normalisation.

Speaking at the event, Satya Sharma, Chairperson, Standing Committee, MCD, said, “I am excited to see such efforts being put towards this cause and I appreciate the work being done on the ground. To further amplify the impact, I extend my full support to ‘Sachhi Saheli’ on behalf of MCD for more such initiatives to be organised.”

The march was followed by the Period Fest, Sachhi Saheli’s flagship engagement format, where all activities are menstruation-centred and designed to enable learning through participation. Cultural performances by community women, school students and artists associated with Sahitya Kala Academy were complemented by interactive stalls featuring menstrual health education, displays of different menstrual products, period-themed games and a ‘Wish Tree’, where students shared their experiences, questions and aspirations. The main highlight of the event was the ‘nukkad natak’ production called ‘Wo Din’ performed by the popular Asmita Theater Group on the theme with its central message of dismantling silence and stigma around menstruation.

Keshav Chandra, Chairperson, NDMC, said, “This is a unique event, where the energy of students is palpable. If we really want girls and women to continue making strides in the world, it is important to shift the narrative from shame to education so that menstruation as a concept can be normalised.”

The event was held against the backdrop of recent Supreme Court proceedings, which have underscored menstrual health as integral to dignity, equality and access to education, strengthening the call for informed and supportive environments in schools and communities.

Addressing participants Dr Surbhi Singh, President of ‘Sachhi Saheli’ said, “Menstrual health directly impacts education and well-being and in our experience of over 10 years of working on the cause with thousands of girls and women, right knowledge equips them with the confidence to not feel burdened by the stigma attached to menstruation and that is why ‘Period Fest & Pad Yatra’ brings this dialogue right at the centre. This event gives voice and amplifies this movement of change.”