Mulgao (Goa) 

When Akshay Kumar starring movie Pad Man was released in the theatres this week, the excitement was palpable in the small town village of Mulgao in Bicholim taluka, 45 kms away from here.

A group of women who have  following the footsteps of Tamil Nadu based real pad man Arunchalam Muruganathan are all excited to see the story of their mentor being played on the screen.

Three years back, the nondescript group of women from Mulgao inspired from the story of Muruganathan began their small time venture of producing bio-degradable sanitary pads.

“We saw the movie on the second day of release in a theatre at Bicholim. Entire group went to watch the film. Muruganathan has been an inspiration for us and it was a treat to see his story being played on the screen,” said Jayashree Parwar, who is heading the Self help group that produces the sanitary pads in the name of ‘Sakhi.’ 

The brand is registered in the name of Teerathan Enterprises, with its headquarters in Bicholim taluka and now has buyers across the globe.

“We knew that the movie is being produced. Muruganathan himself called us to inform about it. We were all waiting for its release, but due could not watch it on the first day of its release,” she said.

The real Pad Man was introduced to this group of women through a common friend. Parwar recalls how their initial phase was marked with the struggle when they had to learn the art of making the biodegradable sanitary pads.

Parwar put together a group of ten women from the village who agreed to join hands, after initial reluctance.

Though the pads were ready, the group had no buyers, as they struggle to convince the users about their products which could not find the space in the shelf amidst the nationally famed products.

Parwar says that there were few well-wishers who gave the initial push and then came online platforms. The product is now sold online and has reached the international buyers.

“There is no overwhelming response from the locals. It is moderate. But online demand is huge,” she says. 

“The basic problem with regular sanitary pads is that they are not easily degradable in soil after use. But the pads we manufacture, are made of pine wood paper. So, these pads after used are buried in mud and gets degraded within eight days,” she said.

Different from the usual plastic-made pads, this product has pine wood paper, silicon paper, butter paper, non-woven cloth and cotton, she said.

The firm currently has four machines which can make 100 pads a day.

In the last two years, the group has produced and marketed 2,000 pads, she said.

The pipe wood paper is imported from Tamil Nadu, she adding that the napkins are treated with UV radiations before they are packed.

For Parwar, it was not an easy beginning as marketing the product became difficult due to availability of similar non-bio degradable products in the market, which are heavily advertised through television media.

“When we went to market the product, we were told that no one will buy it as it is not advertised on TV. Few of our known people helped us in marketing, but on a small scale,” she said.

Parwar feels that the release of the movie will not only encourage her comrades but will also fuel the demand of such product in local market too.