Zee Sarthak Spreads Women’s Awareness with ‘Naali Bindu’ During Odisha’s Raja Festival
Bhubaneswar: In Odisha, the Raja festival is celebrated to honor Mother Earth’s menstruation. The color red is seen everywhere – on the feet as alta (a red dye), on the forehead as a bindi, on the lips, in flowers, and on betel leaves. This color is regarded as a symbol of auspiciousness and purity. However, when it symbolizes menstruation, it is seen as impure.
As in previous years, this year too, Zee Sarthak has continued the ‘Naali Bindu’ initiative. In an effort to move forward, they have turned to Odisha’s traditional art form Pattachitra, which narrates the story of womanhood through illustrations. Pattachitra is one of the oldest and most significant traditional art forms of Odisha. Using this beautiful art as a medium, they have created an awareness artwork in the form of a short video – a Nobel initiative and effort by Zee Sarthak to further the message of ‘Naali Bindu.’
Collaborating with local artists, they created a short film – a piece of art that celebrates every shade of red in a woman’s life, including the often overlooked red of menstruation. By bringing these artworks to life, this year’s short film poses a simple question: “If one shade of red is celebrated, why is the other shamed?” By putting that red on the canvas, they’ve taken a small yet meaningful step toward normalization.
During a festival like Raja, which celebrates menstruation, it is ironic that menstruating women are often excluded from participating. This Raja, let’s take a small step… to allow every young girl to truly celebrate the festival. This is the message that all the members of Jee Sarthak are promoting.
Red should never be a reason for shame – it enhances the beauty of a woman.
‘Naali Bindu’ is not just a campaign; it is a movement for social awareness and an effort to dispel the myths and stigmas surrounding menstruation. Zee Sarthak’s Chief Channel Officer, Pratik Seal, has stated that this initiative will continue in the days to come.