For millions of young women in India, menstruation has historically been surrounded by silence, embarrassment and misinformation. Aditi Gupta experienced that environment herself while growing up and later decided to address the lack of accessible menstrual education through entrepreneurship.
Her journey led to Menstrupedia, an initiative that combined education, storytelling and visual communication to make conversations about menstruation easier for young people.
A Personal Experience
Gupta grew up in Jharkhand and experienced many of the traditional restrictions and misconceptions surrounding menstruation.
Like many girls, she had limited access to clear and reliable information about what was happening to her body.
Instead, much of what she learned came through social customs and informal conversations.
The experience stayed with her.
Later, while studying at the National Institute of Design in Ahmedabad, Gupta began thinking about how communication and design could be used to address the problem.
Meeting a Fellow Entrepreneur
Gupta’s work eventually connected her with Tuhin Paul, who became her husband and co-founder.
The two recognised that menstrual education could benefit from a different approach.
Instead of presenting information through medical terminology alone, they wanted to create something accessible, visual and engaging for young readers.
That idea became Menstrupedia.
Creating a Different Kind of Guide
Menstrupedia developed educational resources designed to explain menstruation in a simple and approachable format.
One of its best-known products was a comic book aimed at helping girls understand periods, hygiene and the changes associated with puberty.
Using illustrations and storytelling made the subject less intimidating.
The approach also gave parents and educators a tool for beginning conversations that were often difficult to start.
Tackling a Communication Problem
The challenge was not simply a lack of information.
Information about menstruation existed, but it was not always presented in a form that young people could easily understand or discuss.
Gupta approached the issue as a communication problem.
Design, language and storytelling became central to the solution.
The goal was to make menstrual education feel less like a taboo subject and more like an ordinary part of growing up.
Taking the Idea to Schools
Menstrupedia’s educational materials were used in schools and other educational settings.
The organisation also developed resources for teachers and parents.
This expanded the initiative beyond individual readers.
Instead of relying solely on girls to seek information themselves, the model encouraged broader conversations involving families and educators.
Building a Social Enterprise
Gupta’s work illustrates a different form of entrepreneurship.
The objective was not simply to create a consumer product and maximise sales.
The business model was connected to a larger social purpose: improving access to menstrual education.
That required balancing sustainability with accessibility.
It also meant designing products that could work across different communities and educational environments.
Challenging a Taboo
One of the most difficult aspects of the issue was cultural.
Menstruation has traditionally been treated as a private or uncomfortable subject in many Indian families.
Changing that environment cannot happen through a single product.
It requires conversations among parents, teachers, healthcare professionals and young people.
Menstrupedia became one contribution to that broader conversation.
Lessons From Aditi Gupta
Her journey offers several lessons for entrepreneurs.
Personal experiences can reveal overlooked problems. Gupta’s own childhood experience helped her understand the communication gap.
Design can solve social problems. Clear visuals and accessible language can make complicated or uncomfortable subjects easier to discuss.
Education can create lasting impact. Giving people knowledge can influence behavior beyond a single transaction.
Purpose can shape a business model. Social entrepreneurship can combine commercial sustainability with a broader mission.
From Silence to Conversation
Aditi Gupta’s entrepreneurial journey began with a subject that many people preferred not to discuss.
Instead of accepting that silence, she approached the issue through design, education and storytelling.
Menstrupedia demonstrated how entrepreneurship can address problems that are cultural as well as commercial.
The broader lesson from Gupta’s story is that some opportunities emerge when founders pay attention to subjects people rarely talk about openly.
By turning a difficult conversation into an accessible educational experience, she helped demonstrate how a simple idea can contribute to changing everyday attitudes.