Conversations
Bablu and Gowri — The First Gift
Setting: Bablu has just returned home and secretly hands Gowri the sanitary pad packet.
- Bablu: Gowri, I brought something for you.
- Gowri: What is it?
- Bablu: Just open it and see.
- Gowri: (opens packet) Sanitary pads? Why did you buy these?
- Bablu: I saw you using a rag. I thought this might help.
- Gowri: But Bablu, these are too expensive.
- Bablu: I know. But I wanted you to have something better.
- Gowri: If Shalu and I use these every month, we’ll have no money left.
- Bablu: I didn’t think of that. I just wanted to help.
- Gowri: I understand. But we must be careful with money.
Bablu and His Mother — The Family’s Shame
Setting: Bablu’s experiments have become known in the village. His mother confronts him.
- Mother: Bablu, stop this nonsense now.
- Bablu: But Ma, I’m trying to make something useful.
- Mother: People are talking. They say you’ve gone mad.
- Bablu: Let them talk. I’m doing this for women like Gowri and Shalu.
- Mother: You are bringing shame to our family.
- Bablu: Shame? For trying to help?
- Mother: This is not a man’s work.
- Bablu: Then who will do it? No one else cares.
- Mother: You’ve lost your wife. Do you want to lose us too?
- Bablu: I don’t want to lose anyone. But I can’t stop now.
Bablu and Gowri — The Goodbye
Setting: Gowri decides to leave Bablu after the rumours spread.
- Gowri: Bablu, I’m leaving.
- Bablu: What? Why?
- Gowri: I can’t live like this. Everyone is laughing at us.
- Bablu: I didn’t mean to hurt you.
- Gowri: You didn’t listen. You kept going with your experiments.
- Bablu: I was doing it for you. For all women.
- Gowri: I didn’t ask for this. I just wanted a normal life.
- Bablu: Please don’t go. I need you.
- Gowri: I’ll come back only if you stop this madness.
- Bablu: Then I guess I’ll be alone. But I won’t stop.
Letters
Letter to Mrs Sharma, Bablu’s Science Teacher
15 August 2025
Mrs Sharma
Government High School
Dear Teacher,
I hope you remember me—Bablu Kewat, your old student. I still recall the egg incubator we built together. You taught me how science can solve real problems. That memory stayed with me.
After my father passed away, I left school to support my family. I became a welder and slowly built a small workshop. But recently, I started a new project—making low-cost sanitary pads. I saw my wife and sister using rags, and I wanted to help. It’s been hard. People laugh, and my family left me. But I still believe in this work.
Do you think science should be used even when society doesn’t accept it? Yes, I believe it must. Science is for solving problems, not just for exams. You taught me that.
Thank you for planting that seed in me. I hope one day, my work will help girls stay in school and live healthier lives. I just wanted you to know that your lessons mattered.
Warm regards,
Bablu Kewat
To Gowri, Bablu’s Wife
15 August 2025
Gowri Kewat
C/o Ramesh Kewat
Dear Gowri,
I hope you are safe and well. I miss you every day. I know you left because of the shame and trouble my work caused. But I want you to understand why I couldn’t stop.
That day when I saw you with the rag, something changed in me. I wanted to give you something better. I didn’t know it would cost us so much—money, peace, even our family. But I still believe this work matters.
Do you think I chose this project over you? No, I chose it because of you. You were the reason I started. I wanted to protect you, and others like you.
I know I’ve made mistakes. But I’m still trying to make something good out of this pain. If you ever feel ready, I’ll be here. Not just as a husband, but as someone who still believes in your strength.
With love, Bablu
To a Local NGO Leader
15 August 2025
Ms. Anjali Menon
Director, Women’s Health Foundation
Kannur, Kerala
Dear Ms. Menon,
I am Bablu Kewat, a welder from Iritty. I’m writing to share my story and ask for your guidance. I’ve been working on making affordable sanitary pads for women in my village. It started when I saw my wife using a rag. I tried to help, but my efforts caused shame and isolation.
I’ve lost my family and friends, but I haven’t lost hope. I believe every woman deserves safe, affordable menstrual care. I’ve made many prototypes and tested them myself. Now, I want to take this further.
Can someone like me—untrained and poor—make a difference in women’s health? Yes, I believe I can. I’ve seen the need. I’ve felt the pain. I just need support and direction.
If your organization can guide me or connect me with others working in this field, I would be grateful. I may be just a welder, but I have a dream that could help many.
Sincerely, Bablu Kewat.
Invitations
Question: Write an invitation to a workshop on low-cost sanitary pads:
Dear Students and Teachers,
You are invited to attend a special workshop led by Mr. Bablu Kewat, a local innovator. He will share his inspiring story and demonstrate how to make low-cost sanitary pads using simple materials. This session will help raise awareness about menstrual hygiene and health.
Program Details
Awareness Workshop on Low-Cost Sanitary Pads
Purpose: To share Bablu Kewat’s journey and teach how to make affordable sanitary napkins
Date: 25 August 2025
Time: 10:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Venue: Government Higher Secondary School, Iritty
Organised by: Health Club and Science Department
All are welcome. For details, contact: Mr. Rajesh, Science Teacher.
RSVP: 9810740061
Community Talk by Bablu Kewat
Dear Friends,
We invite you to a special talk by Mr. Bablu Kewat, a welder who worked hard to create affordable sanitary pads for women in his village. His story shows how one person can bring change through courage and care.
Name of the Event: A Phoenix Rises – A Talk by Bablu Kewat
Purpose: To hear Bablu’s story of courage and innovation
Date: 30 August 2025
Time: 4:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Venue: Panchayat Hall, Kottiyoor
Organised by: Local Youth Club
Please join us and be inspired.
RSVP: Youth Club Secretary – 9810740061
Question 3: School Exhibition – Science for Social Good
Dear Students and Parents,
You are invited to our annual science exhibition. This year’s theme is “Science for Social Good.” A special corner will feature Mr. Bablu Kewat’s work on low-cost sanitary pads. Students will also present models and posters on health and hygiene.
Name of the Event: School Science Exhibition – “Science for Social Good”
Purpose: To showcase student projects and Bablu’s sanitary pad model
Date: 2 September 2025
Time: 9:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Venue: Government Vocational Higher Secondary School, Thalassery
Organised by: Science Club
Come, learn, and support innovation.
RSVP: Ms. Leena, Science Club Coordinator, 9810740061
Biography
Bablu Kewat: A Welder with a Mission
Bablu Kewat is a welder from Madhya Pradesh who turned a personal challenge into a mission to help others. When his sister faced health problems due to poor menstrual hygiene, Bablu was deeply affected. He decided to find a solution that could help women in his village and beyond.
With limited resources and no formal training, Bablu began experimenting with materials to make low-cost sanitary pads. He faced many difficulties, including social stigma and lack of support. But he did not give up. After many trials, he succeeded in creating a simple, affordable sanitary pad using cotton cloth and other easily available items.
Bablu’s innovation has helped many women access safe menstrual products. His work has been recognised by health workers and educators, and he now conducts workshops to teach others how to make these pads. Bablu’s story is a powerful example of how one person’s care and courage can bring change.
He continues to work as a welder, but his real passion is spreading awareness about menstrual hygiene. Bablu Kewat is not just an inventor—he is a social reformer who proves that even small efforts can make a big difference.
Biographical Sketches
A biographical sketch is a short description of a person’s life. It includes important facts like their name, place and date of birth, education, family, achievements, and contributions. To write a good sketch, start with basic details about the person’s background. Then describe their major life events, challenges, and successes. Use simple language and short sentences so that readers can understand easily. Focus on what makes the person special or inspiring. You can also include how they helped others or changed society. A biographical sketch should be written in a clear and respectful tone. It is not just a list of facts—it should tell a story. Always organize the information in a logical order: beginning, middle, and end. If the person is fictional, you can create realistic details, but they should still feel true to life. Keep the sketch short—usually around 150 to 200 words. Most importantly, make sure the reader learns something meaningful about the person.
Here are 3 examples from this lesson:
1. Bablu Kewat
- Born in a small village, ordinary background.
- Indifferent student, liked science, inspired by teacher Mrs Sharma.
- Father died early, family faced financial struggles.
- Dropped out of school to support mother and sister.
- Started as busboy, then welder, later owned workshop.
- Married Gowri through arranged marriage.
- Discovered problem of women using rags, wanted solution.
- Shocked at high price of sanitary pads.
- Experimented with cotton, cloth, different materials, faced ridicule.
- Lost family support, but continued with determination to help women.
The Pad Man – Bablu Kewat
Bablu Kewat was born in a small Indian village. He was never a bright student, but he had a natural curiosity for science, encouraged by his teacher Mrs Sharma. His father’s death forced him to leave school and work in a workshop to support his mother and younger sister. He began as a helper, carrying tea, but gradually learned welding and took over the workshop mortgage. With determination, he became the owner.
He married Gowri through an arranged marriage, meeting her only once before the wedding. Married life was simple until Bablu realised that his wife and other women used rags instead of sanitary pads. Shocked at the unhygienic practice and high cost of pads, he decided to find a cheaper alternative. He started experimenting with cotton and cloth, trying to make affordable pads.
His unusual interest created unrest. Villagers ridiculed him, his wife left, and his family was ashamed. Despite losing everything, Bablu continued his experiments, motivated by the suffering of poor women. He became a symbol of resilience and social change. His life showed how one man’s determination could challenge taboos and aim to bring dignity to women.
2. Gowri Kewat
- Born in a conservative village family.
- Educated only till middle school.
- Married Bablu in arranged marriage.
- Quiet, reserved, dutiful wife.
- Faced household struggles, shortage of money.
- Used rags during menstruation, considered normal in village.
- Shocked by Bablu’s unusual gift of sanitary pads.
- Worried about affordability, felt it was wasteful.
- Social pressure made her anxious about Bablu’s experiments.
- Finally left Bablu, hoping he would stop his obsession.
Gowri Kewat – Misunderstanding to Managing
Gowri was born in a conservative village family and educated only till middle school. She lived a simple life, helping her parents with household chores before marrying Bablu in an arranged marriage. Quiet and dutiful, Gowri adjusted to her new family’s struggles. Money was always short, but she accepted it as part of life.
Like most village women, Gowri used old cloth during menstruation. She had never imagined any alternative. When Bablu gifted her a pack of sanitary pads, she was shocked. The price of pads seemed a luxury they could not afford. Gowri worried that if she and her sister-in-law began using them, the family would struggle even more.
As Bablu grew obsessed with experimenting on pads, Gowri became increasingly anxious. Villagers whispered, and she felt ashamed of his work. Finally, when his trials went too far and rumours spread, Gowri left him. She said she would return only if he abandoned his “madness.”
Gowri represented the ordinary village woman—bound by tradition, worried about survival, unable to dream of change. Her story highlighted the challenges women face when personal dignity clashes with poverty and social norms.
Lata Verma
- Widow living next door to Bablu’s family.
- Depended on small tailoring work for income.
- Known for gossip and curiosity in neighbourhood.
- Mother of young daughter, Lata.
- Initially sympathetic to Bablu’s struggles.
- Shocked when daughter saw Bablu’s experiment.
- Spread rumours unintentionally through conversations.
- Became one reason for social humiliation of Bablu.
- Represented typical villagers: quick to judge, less understanding.
- Later regretted how gossip ruined Bablu’s family life.
Lata
Parul was Bablu’s neighbour, a widow who supported herself through small tailoring work. Living in a modest house with her young daughter Lata, she was well-known in the village for her gossip and curiosity. Though hardworking, she often spoke more than she worked, which made her both liked and feared in the neighbourhood.
At first, Parul sympathised with Bablu and his family. She knew how difficult life was for them after his father’s death. But when her daughter accidentally saw Bablu experimenting with blood and cotton pads, Parul was deeply shocked. Lata innocently mentioned it to others, and soon rumours spread through the village.
Parul became a central figure in circulating these stories, unintentionally fuelling Bablu’s humiliation. The villagers mocked his work, and his family suffered ridicule. Parul, like many others, could not understand his mission and judged him through the lens of tradition and shame.
Later, when Bablu lost his wife and family, Parul quietly regretted her role in spreading gossip. She represented the typical villager—quick to criticise what was not understood, unable to support social change, but human enough to feel guilt afterwards.
Textual Analysis
Bablu Kewat had been an indifferent student at best. He still remembers his science teacher Mrs Sharma, and the egg incubator that he had made under her supervision. But when Bablu’s father died leaving his mother struggling to support her small family, he dropped out of school to get a job and help her out. He joined a workshop as a busboy, getting tea for the owner. He slowly worked his way up to becoming a welder. Gradually he took over the mortgage of the workshop. After that, he ran the business himself, growing it steadily.
Bablu and Gowri had an arranged marriage, after meeting just once, briefly, in the presence of both their families. One morning, Bablu’s mother and younger sister, Shalu, were drinking tea. Looking for his wife, Bablu sauntered out to the back porch. He saw Gowri walking hurriedly towards the bathroom, holding a rag in her hand. He came to know from her that women used rags instead of sanitary napkins.
That evening on his way back from the workshop, Bablu decided to surprise Gowri with a gift. He went to a small store. The storekeeper quickly wrapped the napkin pack in an old newspaper. Bablu was startled at the exorbitant price, but dutifully paid him forty rupees. He unwrapped the packet and examined the pad. It seemed to be just plain cotton wrapped in a gauze sheet. He placed it on his palm, trying to calculate the approximate weight of the pad. ‘Ten grams,’ he said to himself.
Having seen his father working with cotton yarn, he knew that ten grams of cotton would barely cost ten paise. But here he was paying four rupees for each of these pads. He put the pad back in the packet.
Back home, Bablu secretly handed over the pack to Gowri. Gowri was not pleased. “If Shalu and I start buying these packets every month, then let alone curd and ghee, we will not even have enough money to buy milk.”
Bablu looked at her dejectedly. But he then determined to start a new project. He pulled out a pair of scissors, a needle and some thread, cotton and cloth from his bag. He began flattening the cotton between his hands as if he were spreading out dough to make a chapati.
Within twenty- four hours of first touching a sanitary napkin, Bablu had managed to make his own. But he was not able to make a useful one as he could not make out the material used by the brands.
Months passed and Bablu procured different qualities of cotton and other materials to make pads. He continued his experiments knowing that most women used unclean rags instead of sanitary napkins as they could not afford them, He also knew that this made them prone to disease.
No one else appeared to be bothered by this. He looked at the little girls running around the neighbourhood. They couldn’t even buy a good pair of slippers how could they ever afford to buy sanitary pads month after month?
However, his experiments and obsession caused some unrest even in the family. His mother beseeched him to stop the experiments saying that the whole family would be disgraced by his sordid interest in women’s menstrual cycles.
The news was gradually spreading in the village and the villagers entangled the whole family in a mesh of coarse whispers and rude glances. Bablu was gloomy for a while at the thought of stopping his experiments. But he devised an idea to conduct experiments on himself rather than others. With the help of a friend, he collected some blood. Using a rubber tube, he experimented with the napkins himself.
One day, Lata, his neighbour Parul’s daughter, happened to see this. The next day all kinds of rumours spread over the small town. Unable to bear the humiliation, Bablu’s wife left him. She said she would only return when he gave up his madness. His mother too followed suit. He had lost his wife, his family, his friends, and money that he could not afford to waste, all in pursuit of the sanitary pad project.
Bablu was a simple welder whose life had been ripped apart. And all because he had wanted to give Gowri a gift: a gift for all the poor women in the village and outside it.
(Adapted from ‘A Sanitary Man from a Sanitary Land’)
