Advaitesha Birla’s initiative is challenging India’s menstrual hygiene issue

All of 19, Birla has found her calling in creating menstrual hygiene awareness in India through her initiative, Ujaas

She’s the youngest daughter of Kumar Mangalam Birla, the chairman of the Aditya Birla Group, and Neerja Birla, the founder of the Aditya Birla Education Trust (ABET). Her elder sister Ananya is a successful singer-songwriter while her brother Aryaman is a sportsperson and one of the directors of Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail. The legacy of her surname is, however, something Advaitesha Birla doesn’t take lightly. 

All of 19, Birla has found her calling in creating menstrual hygiene awareness in India through Ujaas, the initiative she founded at 17. Now a second-year psychology student in London, Birla grew up around business tycoons, not to mention some of the most renowned names in the country. But talking about her childhood, Birla says that she had a “very simple and ‘normal’ upbringing, if I can say that. Spending time together as a family has always been very important and that's what my childhood was all about. I'm the youngest, so I get pampered a lot, which I love, but that also means that I have three levels of parenting that I have to go through.  As we grew up, our parents made sure that we knew about the responsibilities we have. But at the same time, we were very close-knit, very sheltered, and I think my parents tried their best to keep us away from the limelight so we can have a very—like I said—simple upbringing.”

Attempting to tackle a stigma

Advaitesha’sbiggest inspiration and influence, however, has been her mother Neerja, the founder and chairperson of the Aditya Birla Education Trust, whose work for gender parity in the workplace and women’s mental health set the foundation for Ujaas, shares  Birla. “Growing up, I was closer to my mom. I spent more time with her and it was she who helped me find my calling. I always wanted to do something that gave back to society, and she always knew that.”

Ujaas, the latest vertical under ABET, works with NGOs across ten districts in Maharashtra to destigmatise menstrual health. But stigma around menstruation is something Birla says she was oblivious to while growing up “because we didn’t have any discriminatory practices as such,” until she started to realise that people do shy away from talking about it, whether it was her friends or family members. “Even in our own circles, there are so many people who still believe age-old myths. If well-educated people think like this, what would the menstrual health landscape be in the interiors of India? So I started researching a bit, and was really startled when I began to understand the reality and gravity of the situation. My mother saw that I was getting intrigued by this and suggested I do something in this space, in whatever small way, in whatever capacity I can.”

Birla explains that Ujaas works with three verticals: Awareness, distribution, and sustainability. “We conduct awareness workshops not only with girls, but also their mothers, teachers, as well as with boys to create a holistic support system. We distribute free sanitary napkins because a large part of the problem is that people don't have access to affordable sanitary products. Through sustainability, the third vertical, we try to find positive and sustainable interventions. A big part of this is sustainable cloth napkins, and teaching these girls how to make reusable sanitary napkins is something that we're working on. We are also targeting schools, communities, NGOs, and other different organisations.”

One such organisation Birla has collaborated with is the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to work on women’s health and economic empowerment, an initiative through which Ujaas aims to train 100 Women Self–Help Groups (SHGs) to manufacture cloth pads and help generate income for women in rural Maharashtra. At the grassroot level, Ujaas works in 10 districts of Maharashtra. Since its inception, Ujaas has conducted 4,387 awareness in 523 schools, distributing over 24 lakh sanitary napkins.

A legacy to live up to

For now, and for the foreseeable future, this is how Birla says she envisions carrying on the legacy of her family—by giving back. “The surname definitely carries weight. And there are a lot of responsibilities that one has to be very cognisant about. When it comes to the legacy, I think giving back to society is a huge part of it. I've seen my great grandparents do it very closely; they've also been a great influence. So with Ujaas, in a sense, it is carrying on that legacy. Of course, business is the other part of it, and I have it in my blood. But it's something I want to look at at the right time.”

Before speaking to The Established over a video call, Birla had just come back from her ballroom dancing class, part of the prep for the biggest social event of her career so far. This year, she is all set to be India’s debutante at the grand le Bal des Debutantes, popularly known as le Bal, where 20 young women aged between 16 and 22 years from around the world are invited to Paris to attend the charity event along with their cavaliers. From India, Isha Ambani, Ashna Mehta, Princess Adishree Singh, Princess Gauravi Kumari, Princess Akshita Bhanjdeo, Ananya Panday, and Shanaya Kapoor have previously been invited to attend the ball over the years. “I think it's a great platform to not only shed light on my work, but also represent my country. I'm also excited about meeting the other debutantes, and networking and creating connections with them. It’s going to be a really interesting opportunity to accelerate the work we’ve been doing at Ujaas,” shares Birla. 

In recognising the privileges inherent in being a Birla and in navigating opportunities such as attending the le Bal, Birla notes, “I think we are, of course, very aware of our privileges and we are very grateful. But at the same time, I think that hard work has always been a part of us. Even for my siblings, I can say this—we've all worked really hard in whatever field that we've chosen. At the end of the day, you have to perform, no matter how privileged you are. Your privilege is not going to perform for you.”

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