6 ms·

The Indian sanitary pad revolutionary (2014)

100 points by vezycash 11y ago

vezycash 11y ago
My favorite parts of the article: "I'd started the research for my wife and after 18 months she left me!" "'The irony is, after five-and-a-half years I get a call on my mobile - the voice huskily says: Remember me?' It was his wife, Shanthi." This dude is a real hacker!
- 77pt77 11y ago
  Why does that make him a real hacker? Seems to me the wife left him when there was no prospect of recognition/profit and came crawling back when that proved to be false.
  - vezycash 11y ago
    >Why does that make him a real hacker? If you replace the word Hacker with Tinker, the answer might become clear. He reverse engineered the "real thing" and came up with a cheaper solution that met his needs. Think Unix to Linux. Also, his actions embodied the LEAN startup principles: Fail Fast, Fail Often. * He asked for feedback immediately. "He fashioned a sanitary pad out of cotton and gave it to Shanthi, demanding immediate feedback." * When he didn't get feedback fast enough, "I can't wait a month for each feedback, it'll take two decades!" He got 20 more volunteers. But it still didn't quite work out. On the day he came to collect their feedback sheets he caught three of the girls industriously filling them all in. These results obviously could not be relied on. It was then that he decided to test the products on himself. * Test Driven Development - He created a "uterus" from a football bladder by punching a couple of holes in it, and filling it with goat's blood.
    - 77pt77 11y ago
      I agree completely with what you wrote. I still don't see the relation with his wife abandoning him and then wanting to get back together.
      - vezycash 11y ago
        Oh... my bad. The two sentences above the "Real hacker" statement were my favorite parts of the article. It has no relation to him being a hacker. Sorry for the confusion.
    - talideon 11y ago
      Not 'tinker', but 'tinkerer'. A 'tinker' is an historical term for a tinsmith, and now it's an offensive term in certain parts of the English speaking world.
  - galtwho 11y ago
    Wife left him in "rural india" means went back to her parents place... very rarely does it mean shacked up with another guy.. Based on how the story is described, I can understand Shanthi's decision and the guys acceptance of her back.
    - infectoid 11y ago
      Yeah that's what I pretty much got from the story as well. I suppose it's hard as we always default to the western perspective. Sounds like that whole time was hard for both of them and they were both mature enough to understand this and get past it.
dalke 11y ago
BTW, 268 comments from 2 years ago : https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7339092 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7339092
- hammock 11y ago
  Back when "grit" was still a buzzword
  - dalke 11y ago
    1 comment with "grit" doesn't indicate much. It's still popular. 4 postings with that in the title in the last month: https://hn.algolia.com/?query=grit&sort=byDate&prefix&page=0&dateRange=all&type=story https://hn.algolia.com/?query=grit&sort=byDate&prefix&page=0... .
smileysteve 11y ago
But aren't Sanitary Pads worse in most ways than Menstrual cups? Lower cost overtime Less trash waste
- cbhl 11y ago
  Are menstrual cups socially acceptable in India? You need to be able to empty them and then wash them in a sink. From the article: > There are still many taboos around menstruation in India. Women can't visit temples or public places, they're not allowed to cook or touch the water supply - essentially they are considered untouchable.
  - knicholes 11y ago
    Carry around an extra cup, empty current one into a toilet and place in a bag in your purse to wash later at home. The only time I know a woman is menstruating here in the US is when they tell me.
    - r00fus 11y ago
      > The only time I know a woman is menstruating here in the US is when they tell me. You and me. I did know a few people who told me they can smell menstruating women... I simply didn't ask how that's possible.
    - goodJobWalrus 11y ago
      Would you carry an extra cup of your own blood, mucus, tissue pieces, piss and bacteria in your purse, though?
    - chongli 11y ago
      Emptying into a toilet is not easy to do when you live in a remote village and have to walk several miles to fetch the day's water from a well. Any product that's low on water use is going to be highly preferable for these women.
    - kidsthesedays 11y ago
      Its not critical to clean the cup because you emptied it. http://divacup.com/how-it-works/care-and-cleaning/ http://divacup.com/how-it-works/care-and-cleaning/ "Remember to empty and wash your DivaCup at least twice a day, a minimum of every 12 hours. If you are unable to wash The DivaCup after removal (for instance when using a public restroom), wash your hands thoroughly before entering the stall, empty the contents in the toilet and simply use a dry or damp tissue to clean the cup. At the next convenient time, clean as per the above instructions." As far as how it would work in rural India, dunno, as long as you have regular access to soap and portable water.
machbio 11y ago
This is really old news - here is the video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4_MeS6SOwk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4_MeS6SOwk
nordsieck 11y ago
What's super weird to me is that this invention reduced sanitary pads from 4 rupees to 2.5 rupees and is a huge success. Either the real innovation is the female run businesses, or the whole thing is being subsidized by NGOs. Maybe both.
- deleted 11y ago
  [deleted]
- vezycash 11y ago
  >or the whole thing is being subsidized by NGOs. From another article in 2012: "Women pack around six to eight towels in a packet and sell them for as little as 13 rupees (16p). On average, each woman earns the equivalent of £30 to £65 a month;" http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2012/jan/22/sanitary-towels-india-cheap-manufacture http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2012/jan/22/sanitary...
barbs 11y ago
"If you get rich, you have an apartment with an extra bedroom - and then you die." - Arunachalam Muruganantham :)
- visarga 11y ago
  Sounds like deep existential shit.
ordbajsare 11y ago
>e villagers became convinced he was possessed by evil spirits, and were about to chain him upside down to a tree to be "healed" by the local soothsayer.

100 points by vezycash 11y ago

My favorite parts of the article: "I'd started the research for my wife and after 18 months she left me!" "'The irony is, after five-and-a-half years I get a call on my mobile - the voice huskily says: Remember me?' It was his wife, Shanthi." This dude is a real hacker!

77pt77 11y ago
Why does that make him a real hacker? Seems to me the wife left him when there was no prospect of recognition/profit and came crawling back when that proved to be false.
- vezycash 11y ago
  >Why does that make him a real hacker? If you replace the word Hacker with Tinker, the answer might become clear. He reverse engineered the "real thing" and came up with a cheaper solution that met his needs. Think Unix to Linux. Also, his actions embodied the LEAN startup principles: Fail Fast, Fail Often. * He asked for feedback immediately. "He fashioned a sanitary pad out of cotton and gave it to Shanthi, demanding immediate feedback." * When he didn't get feedback fast enough, "I can't wait a month for each feedback, it'll take two decades!" He got 20 more volunteers. But it still didn't quite work out. On the day he came to collect their feedback sheets he caught three of the girls industriously filling them all in. These results obviously could not be relied on. It was then that he decided to test the products on himself. * Test Driven Development - He created a "uterus" from a football bladder by punching a couple of holes in it, and filling it with goat's blood.
  - 77pt77 11y ago
    I agree completely with what you wrote. I still don't see the relation with his wife abandoning him and then wanting to get back together.
    - vezycash 11y ago
      Oh... my bad. The two sentences above the "Real hacker" statement were my favorite parts of the article. It has no relation to him being a hacker. Sorry for the confusion.
  - talideon 11y ago
    Not 'tinker', but 'tinkerer'. A 'tinker' is an historical term for a tinsmith, and now it's an offensive term in certain parts of the English speaking world.
- galtwho 11y ago
  Wife left him in "rural india" means went back to her parents place... very rarely does it mean shacked up with another guy.. Based on how the story is described, I can understand Shanthi's decision and the guys acceptance of her back.
  - infectoid 11y ago
    Yeah that's what I pretty much got from the story as well. I suppose it's hard as we always default to the western perspective. Sounds like that whole time was hard for both of them and they were both mature enough to understand this and get past it.

dalke 11y ago

BTW, 268 comments from 2 years ago : https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7339092 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7339092

hammock 11y ago
Back when "grit" was still a buzzword
- dalke 11y ago
  1 comment with "grit" doesn't indicate much. It's still popular. 4 postings with that in the title in the last month: https://hn.algolia.com/?query=grit&sort=byDate&prefix&page=0&dateRange=all&type=story https://hn.algolia.com/?query=grit&sort=byDate&prefix&page=0... .

smileysteve 11y ago

But aren't Sanitary Pads worse in most ways than Menstrual cups? Lower cost overtime Less trash waste

cbhl 11y ago
Are menstrual cups socially acceptable in India? You need to be able to empty them and then wash them in a sink. From the article: > There are still many taboos around menstruation in India. Women can't visit temples or public places, they're not allowed to cook or touch the water supply - essentially they are considered untouchable.
- knicholes 11y ago
  Carry around an extra cup, empty current one into a toilet and place in a bag in your purse to wash later at home. The only time I know a woman is menstruating here in the US is when they tell me.
  - r00fus 11y ago
    > The only time I know a woman is menstruating here in the US is when they tell me. You and me. I did know a few people who told me they can smell menstruating women... I simply didn't ask how that's possible.
  - goodJobWalrus 11y ago
    Would you carry an extra cup of your own blood, mucus, tissue pieces, piss and bacteria in your purse, though?
  - chongli 11y ago
    Emptying into a toilet is not easy to do when you live in a remote village and have to walk several miles to fetch the day's water from a well. Any product that's low on water use is going to be highly preferable for these women.
  - kidsthesedays 11y ago
    Its not critical to clean the cup because you emptied it. http://divacup.com/how-it-works/care-and-cleaning/ http://divacup.com/how-it-works/care-and-cleaning/ "Remember to empty and wash your DivaCup at least twice a day, a minimum of every 12 hours. If you are unable to wash The DivaCup after removal (for instance when using a public restroom), wash your hands thoroughly before entering the stall, empty the contents in the toilet and simply use a dry or damp tissue to clean the cup. At the next convenient time, clean as per the above instructions." As far as how it would work in rural India, dunno, as long as you have regular access to soap and portable water.

machbio 11y ago

This is really old news - here is the video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4_MeS6SOwk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4_MeS6SOwk

nordsieck 11y ago

What's super weird to me is that this invention reduced sanitary pads from 4 rupees to 2.5 rupees and is a huge success. Either the real innovation is the female run businesses, or the whole thing is being subsidized by NGOs. Maybe both.

deleted 11y ago
[deleted]
vezycash 11y ago
>or the whole thing is being subsidized by NGOs. From another article in 2012: "Women pack around six to eight towels in a packet and sell them for as little as 13 rupees (16p). On average, each woman earns the equivalent of £30 to £65 a month;" http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2012/jan/22/sanitary-towels-india-cheap-manufacture http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2012/jan/22/sanitary...

barbs 11y ago

"If you get rich, you have an apartment with an extra bedroom - and then you die." - Arunachalam Muruganantham :)

visarga 11y ago
Sounds like deep existential shit.

ordbajsare 11y ago

>e villagers became convinced he was possessed by evil spirits, and were about to chain him upside down to a tree to be "healed" by the local soothsayer.