Sanitary Waste Disposal

What is it and why we need to act now

-Ishita Desai

While there is no question of the importance of raising awareness about menstrual health and hygiene, there is always a rebuttal to raise the issue of waste produced as a result of unhygienic sanitary napkin disposal. Both of these issues are part of our list of concerns and one cannot be ignored for the sake of the other.

It calls for an all-encompassing solution, because the current practise of disposing of menstrual hygiene products existing in India is only going to worsen the garbage situation in the future.

Approximately 200 tonnes of sanitary napkin waste is generated daily for a population of 350 million menstruating women in India, assuming that 35 percent of women regularly use sanitary napkins at an average of 8 pads per month.

Even when sanitary napkin disposal constitutes only less than 1% of the total amount of plastic waste produced, it does not amount to less than 25000 tonnes per day, which, due to its enormous size, is in no case inconsequential. It is therefore no mystery that we are in dire need of sustainable alternatives for disposing of sanitary pads in India.

Thanks to sustained effort at many tiers, the feminine hygiene industry is growing rapidly, but this is creating a detrimental effect on the waste management industry, where 85 per cent of the waste is not managed due to inadequate efforts by the public health department.

This advocates for a comprehensive examination of the sanitary napkin disposal methods. A trend is observed in the methodologies according to the area inhabited by the woman. Most women residing in metropolitan areas dispose of sanitary napkins in a dustbin that ultimately ends up in landfills, while rural women prefer to wash their napkins and dump them in a pit.

Methods of disposal are also heavily reliant as to whether the napkin was disposed of at home or at work/school. In public washrooms, often due to poor infrastructure, sanitary napkins are flushed or left in corners or in other open areas. Few other women actually burn discarded sanitary napkins. This scene certainly indicates making progress to educate the masses on how to dispose of sanitary pads at home is necessary.

The Indian Government's CPCB has set standards for the dumping of sanitary waste and has clarified the responsibility of all relevant parties in the disposal of the product. Strongly advised methods for disposing of sanitary napkins vary depending on the area. For example, in rural areas low-cost incinerators are used and sanitary napkins are produced preferably without SAP. Electric incinerators are used in rural or urban setups. Some other methods are:

1. High temperature incinerator for bio-waste – Urban setup with central collection and disposal with other bio waste.

2. Deep burial – Rural setup – Compostable materials only

3. Composting – Compost site – Compostable materials only

4. Pit burning – Rural area


Per the regulations, waste can be disposed of by incineration or by disposal in landfills. Both of which are entirely feasible, and have to be applied consistently throughout all stages. In particular on rural fronts, the necessary facilities and infrastructure should really be made accessible. While these techniques sound perfect, they also have their very own challenges.

In general, incineration may not be the recommended approach, since carbon contained in fossil fuels is released to the atmosphere among other pollutants, whereas ground filling is a significant cause of waste and plastics have not been degraded for many years. We therefore ought to find alternative ways to manage our sanitary napkin waste either by storing it or using environmentally friendly items.

Though solutions such as recycling and composting exist, the handling of used sanitary napkins continues to be an issue across India since these processes have still not been widely accepted. There are, however, a few actions that a person may take to support the cause.

When one lives in an urban area, the best way of disposing of any kind of sanitary napkins will be to incinerate in a central incineration plant which are used by hospitals to dispose of sanitary and bio-waste. One must explore and locate the nearest central incineration device in their town. In order for this system to be successful, the separation of sanitary waste at person level, the processing at community scale and incineration at central incineration facilities will be necessary.

When one of them disposes of another waste in a garbage bin, the least they can do is cover the used sanitary napkin in a plastic wrapper supplied by most of the pad companies. This is vital to the hygiene and welfare of waste collectors.

In rural communities in which there is a shortage of segregation, incineration, as indicated by CPCB, will be the safest choice. Low-cost manual incinerators or electrical incinerators should be used for this function. This, as we can all bear in mind, will not solve the problem, it can only manage it better. There is space for a lot of progress in the future.

As customers are more mindful of the environmental effects and continue to make responsible buying choices, some companies have taken advantage of that fact either by falsely stating that their goods are environmentally conscious or by misleading consumers with words that they do not fully comprehend. Therefore, the few that pretend to be organic sanitary pad producers must be cross-checked.


The need for an hour is knowledge, understanding and availability of environmentally sustainable practises when it comes to treating menstrual waste effectively. When that's taken care of, it'll be easy for us to make a green change.

Is The New Education Policy A Game Changer : A Student's Perspective

 NATIONAL EDUCATION POLICY 2020

A Student's Perspective

On July 29 2020, the government announced a new National Education Policy (NEP) proposing drastic changes in school and higher education. 

The policy is worded quite complicatedly for the average student to fully understand. So , I would like to talk about the New Education Policy (2020) from a student’s perspective.

Let's start with the definition of NEP.     

An NEP is a comprehensive framework to guide the development of education in the country. NEP is not a compulsory law which all states have to follow , it is more  of a guideline . New education policies are implemented every few decades. So far India has seen a total of three NEPs, that is not counting the revisions made to the pre existing policies. 

The first one being in 1968 , under then PM Indira Gandhi. The 1968 policy called for fulfilling compulsory education for all children up to the age of fourteen and focus on learning of regional languages, outlining the three language formula to be implemented in secondary education - the instruction of the English language, the official language of the state where the school was based, and Hindi.

The second NEP was implemented in 1986 , under then PM Rajiv Gandhi. This national policy for education focused on the removal of disparities and to equalise educational opportunity, especially for women, Schedule Tribe (ST) and the Schedule Caste (SC) communities. The policy expanded the open university (university with an open door academic policy, with minimal or no entry requirements) system with the Indira Gandhi National Open University. The 1986 policy was revised in 1992 by then PM P.V. Narsimha Rao.

Now coming back to the latest national education policy of 2020, announced by PM Narendra Modi. This policy brought forward some sweeping changes ,  one being the change in structure of school education , which until now was 10+2 (ages 6-16 and ages 16-18, with pre-school not being recognised as “formal education”) , has been changed to a 5+3+3+4 design . In this ages 3-8 is foundational stage , 8-11 is preparatory , 11-14 is middle and 14-18 is secondary. Now pre school too will be recognised as formal education .

The NEP also puts emphasis on importance of regional languages, it says students until class 5 should be taught in their mother tongue or regional language.

In school education, the policy talks about mending the curriculum, easier Board exams, a decrease in the syllabus to retain “core essentials” and focus on experiential learning, critical thinking and overall holistic development of the student as a person.

 The New Education Policy includes extension of Right to Education Act 2009 to cover children of ages 3 to 18.

 Vocational education will be integrated into all schools and higher education institutions (HEI) in a phased manner over the next decade. 

Let's talk about the timeline of implementation of National Education Policy 2020 (for classes 9 , 10 ,11 and 12).

The implementation of new assessment pattern for class IX will roll out from 2021-22 session and class XI from the session 2023-24.

 Implementation of new curriculum, assessment pattern and new Board exam patterns for class X rolls out from 2022-23 while for class XII from 2024-25

By 2040 , the policy expected to be fully operational .

Education being on the concurrent list , requires the cooperation of both state and centre , this implies that there a chance that the projected timeline may be delayed.

This new educational policy seems like a game changer. It can bring India’s education to the standard to that of a developed nation and catapult India into the big league. However , the devil lies in the details . We can't make a conclusive analysis until a more details of this bill have been provided. Strict and effective execution too plays a major role in the success of this bill , in the past similar seemingly radical acts have fizzled out due to the lack of proper implementation.

Hinduism And Modern Issues , Part II

Hinduism On The Role Of Women

Conflicted Views And Progress

Women have fought for equality and freedom for a long time. Many religions and cultures see women as inferior to men, which we know, is a false notion. But the question I will be trying to answer today is, "Is Hinduism an inherently misogynistic religion?"

Hinduism is the world's third largest religion, with approximately 1.1 billion Hindus worldwide, and constitutes 15% of the world population. Hinduism is a prominent religion in the Indian subcontinent and surrounding islands. Roughly 95% of the world’s Hindus live in India.

To gain a proper understanding of the views of Hinduism on the role of women it is important that there is a distinction between the religion and the religious society. I will be discussing specifically about the perception of women in Hinduism, the religion itself not the religious society. To draw a clear distinction between religious society and religion I will talk about the writings in holy texts, holy books and the general philosophy of Hinduism. Note that Hinduism is unique in that it’s not a single religion but a compilation of many philosophies and traditions. So it is inevitable that there will be contradictions even if I only talk about the philosophies and views which have been recorded in literature.

The first thing that comes to mind when I say sexism in Hinduism is the Manusmriti. Though it is more of a code of conduct for the religious society I will still express my opinion about it. Multiple manuscripts of Manusmriti have been found, all of which conflict and contradict at a certain point. Such is the case when it comes to the treatment of women. The text mentions that women should be autonomous (9.11 and 9.12), but at the same time asks women to be subservient and never seek to live independently (5.147-5.148). But it is important to keep in mind that Manusmriti is composed based on various teachings of the Vedas themselves, and the vedas aren't misogynistic, so it is very much possible that certain parts of the Manusmriti, which are considered sexist, were added in later.

The Vedas are much more progressive than any other holy books of their times. The Rig Veda grants women the right to property (Rig 3.31.1) and asks to grant your daughter knowledge (Rig 10.85.7), Atharva Veda asks for women to be kept happy and never to make them weep (Atharva 12.2.31). There is no restriction in Hinduism which prevents a woman from becoming a priestess. Brahmavadini is a woman who studied the Vedas after the Yajnopaveetam, and either married or stayed a spinster in further pursuit of Vedic knowledge. The prominent among them were Vak Ambhrini, Lopamudra, Vishwawara, Sikta, Ghosha, Gargi and Maitreyi. Women have also been portrayed as fearless and ferocious warriors. Satyabhama, the wife of Lord Krishna, killed the demon Narakasura, after her husband fell unconscious to the demon's attack. In The Hindu epic Mahabharata, Uloopi was a warrior princess married to Arjuna, Shikhandini too was a fierce warrior who was born female but later transitioned to a male. There are also many women scholars Gargi, Vadava Pratitheyi and Sulabha Maitreyi.

The general Hindu belief is that all creatures living or dead are a part of the Brahman, the ultimate cosmic reality. Brahman, not to be confused with Brahmin (part of the Varna system), transcends all empirically discernible categories, limitations and dualities. This Brahman is genderless, and all beings' souls or Atman are a product and part of this ultimate cosmic being. This means that the soul of every person is genderless and equal to every other person's, suggesting that when we look at the world from a different angle, one that shows us picture much grander the male and female binary, we all are spiritually equal. Hinduism, though it does view the souls of men and women equal, it has contradicting statements when it comes to the role of women, ranging from subservient wives who worship their husbands to knowledgeable scholars and fierce warriors, in each of the holy books and holy texts, making it susceptible to be labelled as misogynistic. Sometimes the misinterpretation or incorrect translation of a single word or prose can change the entire theme. There have been theories that some specific verses and extracts have been added in many holy books much later in the course of time. This could explain the blatant contradictions within the texts.

There are obvious differences between men and women, but these differences do not mean one is superior to the other. The Vedas loudly proclaim that intelligence is God himself (prajnanam brahma). Intelligence should be the rightful guru in this world of conflicting interests and approaches. We should put intelligence or discerning wisdom on the high pedestal in our public and private lives and discard superstition, blind belief and obscurantism. Meaning that there is nothing wrong about rejecting certain  parts of Hinduism which we do not agree with or condone. Hindu holy texts can be simply used as advice and suggestions, or rules and codes to live by. It is a religion which let's the devotees depend on  their own moral and intellectual capabilities when it comes to living life. A composite religion such as Hinduism is flexible and gives you freedom to take responsibility for your life and actions. So to conclude, Hinduism does not view women as inferior , but it does not believe in women being the same as men either. The Purusha (male archetype) and the Shakti (female archetype) are both important but have different roles in the universe.

Hinduism being more of a philosophy rather than religion gives it the distinct quality which not many other faiths can claim, it is ever evolving. Hinduism is not inherently sexist or misogynistic even though it has been , wrongfully, interpreted so. As the perception of the world has progressed , so has Hinduism.

The Future of AI and Humanity

The Future of AI and Humanity

- Ishita Desai

When I talk about AI what comes to your mind? A futuristic society with robot butlers and flying cars or a doomsday scenario where humanity has been over run by AI and robots.

If it is the latter then let me tell you an interesting fact , experts predict robots will take the place of  surgeons as early as 2053, and within 43 years  machines will be competing with mathematicians for space in top academic journals. So your concerns, about AI taking over the human society, are perfectly reasonable .
Almost all of us use a smartphone . We talk to Siri , Google assistant and Alexa ,this means that we are already using AI on a daily basis. But Alexa isn't evil , she just plays music when I ask her to.

And that exactly is my point.


I believe there is no need to be afraid of AI itself , though we should be concerned as to who uses it. Russia , South Korea and USA have already begun the formation of AI controlled weapon systems . The Chinese government rates its citizens as good or bad using an intelligent system that scans through their financial history and credit scores , there have also been attempts to monitor the emotions of school children and reward or punish them on this basis .

The youth in our country is already suffering from unemployment , the interference of AI would only further worsen the situation. Creation of jobs is a slow process , but the advancement of AI is not . Artificial intelligence can and will take over our livelihoods . Private sectors will prefer to employ AI over humans as AI is an one time investment and can do the work of multiple humans at once , people require monthly salaries , breaks and health benefits . AI is a non stop working machine humans are not.

In all of these situations it is not the AI itself which has turned malicious but the people behind it .

So , once an AI which is perfectly capable of deciphering good from bad and having an independent thought process, instead of parroting its creator , is created then only can we judge wether AI itself is evil or not . But until then precautions and limits are necessary , because if and when we reach that point it will be too late . AI can be perfect , but man can never be flawless,

A perfect weapon in the hands of an imperfect man can only lead to doom and destruction.

Humanity has achieved many of its dreams but this is one we should not dare to dream about , for AI is a destructive dream.

That is why I believe that the development of AI will do more harm than good towards humanity.