PERIODS. There, I said it out loud. It is both sad and annoying that half the population of our nation thinks that the totally natural phase that women go through every month is a taboo. Channels are still changed when a sanitary napkin ad plays and conversations turn into murmurs when people talk about periods in the open. A case in point, at a press conference held for Whisper recently, a misinformed journalist was too shy and embarrassed to ask Parineeti about periods, and the actress, who is known for her unabashed nature, cleared all his queries about the 'problem' of periods. Hats off to Parineeti! Sadly, it is not just men but even a large section of women, who still adhere to these age old period taboos: not entering the kitchen, not sleeping on the bed, not wearing white & not even touching something as simple as a pickle! For us to move forward, these age old taboos that hold us back must end. The recently launched Touch The Pickle campaign has truly become the voice of millions of women in India & has already taken its first steps towards positive change in this direction. We hope it brings about a change we all wish to see.