Women’s Day Special: How Khyati Gupta started a revolution

EVERY great movement begins with a single, unforgettable moment. For Khyati Gupta, that moment came when she was just sixteen years old. She noticed blood stains on her house help’s daughter’s dress. Concerned, she gently asked what had happened. The answer broke her heart completely. The little girl couldn’t afford sanitary napkins. So instead, she used scrap pieces of dirty, unhygienic cloth. Khyati had never considered that something so basic could be out of reach. But for millions of girls across India, it was — and still is. That one moment lit a flame. And Khyati refused to let it go out. In this International Women’s Day Special blog, we feature Khyati.

The Girl Who Asked Why

Most teenagers would have moved on. Khyati didn’t. She began researching menstrual hygiene across India with fierce determination. What she uncovered left her stunned and heartbroken in equal measure.

Girls in rural and tribal areas manage their periods with cow dung, ash, hay, and dirty rags. Many use dry leaves, old newspapers, and sand out of sheer desperation. These are not choices — they are consequences of poverty and neglect. The health fallout is devastating and largely invisible to the rest of the world.

Rashes, urinary tract infections, and chronic illness are common results. Shockingly, India accounts for nearly one-fourth of all cervical cancer cases globally. Poor menstrual hygiene is a significant contributing factor to this alarming statistic. Moreover, lakhs of girls drop out of school after their very first period. They cannot manage menstruation safely, so they simply stop going.

All of this, because of a ₹5 sanitary pad. Khyati couldn’t accept it. So she went to her father and asked for help. Together, they decided to do something about it.

A Foundation Built on Dignity

They called it Pinkishe — pronounced Pinkish — and it began as a small, determined act of love. Today, it has grown into something far beyond what a sixteen-year-old could have imagined. Over 2 lakh women now stand under the Pinkishe banner. They come from every walk of life, every religion, every economic background.

The women operate from their homes and they give their time voluntarily. These women show up, every single day, for women and girls they may never meet.

“Proper menstrual hygiene is every woman’s right but has become a curse for many. No one should be denied this right, and sanitary pads should not be a luxury.” — Khyati Gupta, Founder, Pinkishe Foundation

Pinkishe is not a top-down organisation. Instead, it works by mobilising ordinary people toward large, long-term goals. It designs health, education, awareness, and livelihood programmes strategically. These programmes reach deep into communities that have long been overlooked. They create change that lasts not just for one woman, but for generations.

The foundation focuses especially on women and girls from underprivileged and marginalised communities. It empowers them with knowledge, resources, and the confidence to demand better. Crucially, it invites local women — women who know their communities from the inside — to lead that charge themselves.

International Women’s Day celebrates women who refuse to stay silent. It honours those who see a problem and build a solution. This year, it is only fitting that we spotlight Khyati Gupta — a woman who did exactly that, starting at sixteen.

The Truth Behind Period Poverty

Let’s be honest about what period poverty actually looks like. It is a young girl stuffing old rags into her underwear before school. Or it could be a woman using ash or cow dung because she has no other option. Or it could be a teenager who stops going to school because managing her period feels impossible. It is pain, shame, and silence — all three, every single month.

Khyati has witnessed this reality firsthand, and she refuses to sugarcoat it. “Just for the sake of a ₹5 sanitary pad, women and girls are putting their health — and even their lives — at risk,” she says. The problem is widespread, severe, and entirely solvable. We simply need the collective will to solve it.

Right now, Pinkishe has identified 5,000 women and young girls from acutely poor backgrounds. Each of them needs monthly sanitary pad support urgently. Without it, many will turn back to the dangerous alternatives they have always known. Their health will suffer. Their futures will narrow. And the cycle of poverty will continue its quiet, relentless grip.

This International Women’s Day, Be the Change

International Women’s Day is not just a moment for celebration. It is a moment for action. This year, you have the chance to stand alongside Khyati and the Pinkishe Foundation in a very direct way. You can ensure that a girl somewhere keeps going to school and make sure a woman somewhere doesn’t have to choose between eating and hygiene.

You don’t need to start an NGO or need to give a speech. One can simply support leaders like Khyati.

There are two ways to you can make a real difference

💛 One-Time Donation — Join Khyati’s Mission

Make a single, powerful contribution right now. Your gift goes directly toward providing free sanitary pads to women and girls in need. Even a small amount creates a real, immediate impact in someone’s life.

👉 Join Khyati’s Mission — Donate Once

💛 Monthly Giving — End Period Poverty for Good

A monthly pledge creates something even more powerful: consistency. Girls need pads every month, not just once. Your regular support allows Pinkishe to plan, commit, and deliver — month after month, community after community.

👉 Donate Monthly — End Period Poverty

Donating is simple and secure. You can give via UPI, debit or credit card, and net banking. Additionally, all donations are fully tax-exempt under Section 80G of the Income Tax Act (India). Give.do is India’s largest and most trusted online donation platform — your contribution is in safe hands.

A Pad Is Not a Luxury. It Is a Right.

When a girl has access to safe menstrual products, everything changes. She attends school consistently. She protects her health and grows up without shame. The girl carries herself with the dignity she was always entitled to.

When you donate, you are not simply buying a sanitary pad. You are investing in her education, her health, and her future. You are telling her — loudly and clearly — that she matters. Furthermore, you are telling every woman in a marginalised community that someone sees her and refuses to look away.

Khyati refused to look away at sixteen. The Pinkishe sorority of 2 lakh women refuses to look away every day.

This International Women’s Day, will you? Stand With Khyati. Stand With Every Girl.

The Pinkishe Foundation is proof that ordinary people can do extraordinary things. It started with one girl, one moment, and one question. Today, it supports millions.

This International Women’s Day, donate to Pinkishe. Share this story. Spread the word in your circle. Stand with Khyati Gupta and the Pinkishe movement — because every woman deserves to live her life with health, dignity, and pride.

Because no girl should ever miss school because of her period.

Donate Now: One-Time: Join Khyati’s Mission | Monthly: End Period Poverty