What started with one uncomfortable question became a movement reaching more than 700,000 lives.
Most teenagers spend their free time thinking about exams, careers, or social media. But when 16-year-old Khyati Gupta witnessed something that would change her perspective forever, she chose a different path.
One day, she noticed a blood stain on the dress of Deepa, the daughter of her family’s domestic helper. Curious, she asked if the young girl used sanitary pads. The response shocked her.
Deepa didn’t know what a sanitary pad was.
Her mother explained that they simply couldn’t afford them and relied on old cloth instead.
For Khyati, who had always taken menstrual products for granted, the reality was impossible to ignore. Millions of girls and women across India were navigating menstruation without proper products, education, or support.
Instead of moving on, she brought the issue to someone she trusted most her father.
And unlike many parents who might have dismissed it as teenage idealism, Arun Gupta listened.
That single conversation would eventually spark one of India’s most impactful menstrual health movements.
What began as a simple conversation between a father and his teenage daughter has grown into one of India’s most impactful menstrual health movements.
In 2017, Khyati Gupta was shocked to learn that many girls could not afford sanitary pads and lacked basic menstrual health education. Instead of ignoring the problem, she shared her concerns with her father, Arun Gupta. Together, they launched Pinkishe Foundation to tackle period poverty and break the stigma surrounding menstruation.
Today, Pinkishe has reached over 700,000 girls and women, conducted more than 5,000 awareness sessions, distributed 4.12 million sanitary pads, and expanded across 150 districts in India.
The foundation’s flagship initiative, Shakti Shala, combines menstrual health education, community engagement, and IoT-enabled sanitary pad vending machines in government schools. The programme empowers teachers, students, and healthcare workers to become local champions for menstrual health.
Working with leading organisations and government bodies, Pinkishe is helping create lasting change in communities where menstruation was once considered a taboo topic.
For Arun and Khyati, the mission goes beyond distributing pads. Their vision is a future where every girl has access to menstrual health education, essential hygiene products, and the confidence to talk openly about periods—without shame or barriers.
