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Archive for the ‘Call to Action’ Category

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Seven Fallacies about Menstruation and Culture

In Call to Action on 3 April 2014 at 11:15 am

Several people have forwarded to me an article, written by an educator, connecting “ancient wisdom” to the practice of menstrual taboo, and pitying the misguided women who expect modern ideas of gender and feminism to empower them.  After cataloguing popular justifications for menstrual untouchability and suggesting that they come from a time when women enjoyed respect, indeed worship, in contrast to the present context of crimes against women, the author concludes that menstrual taboo is a matter of “personal choice.”

I don’t know whether to laugh or cry.  Would those who condone menstrual untouchability extend their reasoning to untouchability that is not limited to women?  Is it also a personal choice for us to connect to the “ancient wisdom” through the practice of untouchability and caste segregation?  With more than enough relatives who would be all too happy to think so, I take this as a wake-up call Read the rest of this entry »

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Menstruation is the New Black

In Call to Action on 31 March 2014 at 8:05 pm

First, the bright side.  People are talking about menstruation.   Nearly 10 years ago when I submitted “Greeting Aunt Flo” to a daily Indian newspaper, the editor replied:

A fascinating story!  But I doubt if our conservative paper would use
it…. Too bad, though, because many women would find it really interesting!

In 2008 during a session on Gender issues at the AID conference we reached back 30 years and read aloud from Gloria Steinem’s what-if scenario “If Men Could Menstruate.”  She wrote that in 1978!  Oddly enough it begins, “Living in India …”  Could we ever imagine to find something discussing menstruation so boldly, written in India today?

In 2010 when we started manufacturing and marketing cloth menstrual pads in the villages of Srikakulam District some of the village level workers balked at the idea Read the rest of this entry »

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The Milky Way

In Call to Action on 8 June 2013 at 3:36 am

From The Milky Way Movie ….

The Mythic Origins of the Milky Way

The Origin of the Milky Way is a painting by the Italian late Renaissance master Jacopo Tintoretto (1575-1580)
The Origin of the Milky Way is a painting by the Italian late Renaissance master Jacopo Tintoretto (1575-1580)

Our own Milky Way Galaxy was named after mother’s milk! The word galaxy derives from the Greek term galaxias, “milky one”, or kyklos and galaktikos, “milky circle,” because it looks a milky spiral in the night sky. In Greek mythology, Zeus places his son, Heracles, born by a mortal woman, on Hera’s breast while she is asleep. Zeus wanted the baby to drink her milk so he could become divine. Hera wakes up to an unknown baby nursing at her breast. She unlatches him in surprise, and the milk having let down, sprays across the night sky, creating the Milky Way.

From The Milky Way Movie .  Please visit the site to support (kickstart) the movie.

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We are the mothers of food sovereignty

In Call to Action on 8 June 2013 at 3:32 am

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(Jakarta, June 7, 2013) Cheers of “Hooray for peasant women! We are the mothers of food sovereignty!” launched the IV Women’s Assembly of La Vía Campesina

IV International Women’s Assembly for the construction of a peasant-based and popular feminism.

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Truth and Lies in Baby Food Advertising

In Call to Action on 4 September 2012 at 3:21 pm

Dear friends, we have talked about food security, food traditions and the rise of industrial food, packaged food, food-substitutes.  Often these are based on false advertising, unverified health claims, pseudo-science or violation of advertising standards.  This is true not only in India but around the world – but in countries where regulations are regularly updated and enforced, these ads are challenged and in some cases banned.  

Readers, now is the time to collect every specimen you can find of advertisements and promotions for “baby food.”  This includes 

  • breastmilk substitutes – infant formula
  • complementary food substitutes  – other powders and edible food-like substances that are marketed for young children in lieu of breastmilk and solid food.

What you need to do:  Find these ads in any language and submit them to Nupur Bidla at nupur@bpni.org

who will present on this issue at the World Breastfeeding Conference taking place in Delhi this December.   Deadline is Sept 20.

While we will try to collect as many as we can from India, but please note that this is a GLOBAL conference – the ads may be from ANY COUNTRY.  

You may use the attached Submission Form to indicate where the ad appeared and what inappropriate content was included.

Just in case you are curious:

Marketing of infant milk substitutes is governed by the IMS Act 2003
Infant Milk Substitutes, Feeding Bottles and Infant Foods.  Its points are summarised by the infant milk industry here.

Advertisements for the edible-food-like substitute, Horlicks, was banned from airing in the UK because of its unverified claims to increase children’s height, strength and brain power.    
 Ban for Horlicks and noodle ads
TV ads banned for being ‘too strong’  

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) of UK commented:

“The health and nutritional claims made by GSK and Nestle may be allowed in other parts of the world, but they breach the strict rules in the UK and we have seen no evidence to substantiate them,” he said. 

Yet these ads continue to air unchallenged in India today.  

I hope that this effort to document the appearance of these ads will encourage more fact-checking and will compel the government to enforce standards for advertising in India.

Deadline is 20 Sept 2012.  Please use the attached form to send in the copies of ads that you find.  A sample ad with the inappropriate claims highlighted is included in the form. 

Many of you have asked me how we can fight false advertising of the packaged food and food-substitute industry.  Please let us make use of this invitation from the World Breastfeeding Conference. 

enclosed:  Letter from Breastfeeding Promotion Network of India Member (cover letter to submission form)

Dear Friends,

Greetings from BPNI!

There is good news for you!!

Deadline for Submitting your entry for the “ATLAS of Baby Food Promotion” has been extended.

Now you can submit /report your contribution by 20th of September 2012.

To send  your entry  please click here to see the guidelines.

We wish you could be a part of this historical Atlas, we would be happy to hear from you through a confirmation mail.

Warm Regards,

Dr. Arun Gupta MD FIAP
Regional Coordinator IBFAN Asia,
Member, Prime Minister’s Council on India’s Nutrition Challenges,
Phone 91-9899676306