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The Indian sanitary pad revolutionary

bbc.co.uk

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Re: The Indian sanitary pad revolutionary

#41

Post by fractalb »

kamaal wrote: post #28

As an Indian, I can see what pain this guy went through. Fighting the society to build a start up like this, with this kind of taboo attached to the product? All the best trying to build a start up at the first place. You are almost treated like you are doing it because you absolutely are incapable of doing anything else. And having the gumption to fight years of laughter, isolation, mockery and ridicule to only chas…

I also appreciate this man's efforts. But I slightly disagree with your view point. He never tried to build a startup, he just tried to solve a problem in our society. All these news about businesses and startups corrupted our mind, aren't they?

Re: The Indian sanitary pad revolutionary

#42

Post by vidarh »

igul222 wrote: post #24
Udo wrote: post #9

This is an amazingly inspiring story, I love the entrepreneurial spirit and dedication of Mr Muruganantham. However, there is a bigger story hiding behind this personal triumph. It's clear that people living in impoverished areas are not in a position to buy sanitary products at market rates (being sold at a margin of 4000% or more). But for example many do have access to cheap raw materials. It makes a ton of sense…

The article mentions that commercial napkins sold for 4 rupees despite cotton being 1/4000th the cost, but also says farther down that the locally produced ones sell for an average of 2.5 rupees each. That's a 38% discount: significant, but it doesn't seem like a game-changing difference to me. I imagine that if this catches on, the larger manufacturers will likely just cut their margins to compete. On a more general…

38% discount + 10 new jobs per machine. And each additional woman who can now afford to use them, is one more woman who is now more likely to be able to hold down a job or complete school.

I also don't think it's as simple as cutting margins. Note how much of the issue is/was down to social taboos and people being embarrassed about even things like buying them from men in the local shops.

Eventually, sure - as it says in the article he does not see himself as competing with the big manufacturers, but as opening up new markets for them. But if they make inroads it will not not be a bad thing.

Re: The Indian sanitary pad revolutionary

#44

Post by vacri »

PhantomGremlin wrote: post #22

Contrast this grass roots effort with OLPC, a grandiose plan to distribute One Laptop per Child to the third world. The best quip I ever read about that was: "OLPC is a rich man's idea of what poor men need. It's like donating an expresso machine to a homeless shelter." Instead, as the article makes clear, many poor villages don't even have ready access to clean water. This one humble guy has done more good for more…

It's not a competition.

Also, does your quipper think that women aren't important? I always find it amusing when people wax philosophical about equality whilst retreating into sexist terminology to do so. Instead of 'poor men', 'the poor' or 'poor people' works to the same effect.

Re: The Indian sanitary pad revolutionary

#45

Post by vidarh »

PhantomGremlin wrote: post #22

Contrast this grass roots effort with OLPC, a grandiose plan to distribute One Laptop per Child to the third world. The best quip I ever read about that was: "OLPC is a rich man's idea of what poor men need. It's like donating an expresso machine to a homeless shelter." Instead, as the article makes clear, many poor villages don't even have ready access to clean water. This one humble guy has done more good for more…

> Instead, as the article makes clear, many poor villages don't even have ready access to clean water.

Not that tired old argument again. Yes, it is true. But lots also do. And lots have cellular broadband, and tons of relatively poor people have access to smartphones. Not all of the third world is the same.

And looking at the OLPC site now, they're up to 2.4 million of the thing. Not quite the numbers they'd hoped for, perhaps, but still 2.4 million children in developing countries who now have access to computing.

There's room for projects trying to address more than one issue, for more than one group of people.

Re: The Indian sanitary pad revolutionary

#47

Post by anilgulecha »

fractalb wrote: post #41
kamaal wrote: post #28

As an Indian, I can see what pain this guy went through. Fighting the society to build a start up like this, with this kind of taboo attached to the product? All the best trying to build a start up at the first place. You are almost treated like you are doing it because you absolutely are incapable of doing anything else. And having the gumption to fight years of laughter, isolation, mockery and ridicule to only chas…

I also appreciate this man's efforts. But I slightly disagree with your view point. He never tried to build a startup, he just tried to solve a problem in our society. All these news about businesses and startups corrupted our mind, aren't they?

>He never tried to build a startup, he just tried to solve a problem

Sounds exactly like a startup.

Re: The Indian sanitary pad revolutionary

#48

Post by yhlasx »

igul222 wrote: post #24
Udo wrote: post #9

This is an amazingly inspiring story, I love the entrepreneurial spirit and dedication of Mr Muruganantham. However, there is a bigger story hiding behind this personal triumph. It's clear that people living in impoverished areas are not in a position to buy sanitary products at market rates (being sold at a margin of 4000% or more). But for example many do have access to cheap raw materials. It makes a ton of sense…

The article mentions that commercial napkins sold for 4 rupees despite cotton being 1/4000th the cost, but also says farther down that the locally produced ones sell for an average of 2.5 rupees each. That's a 38% discount: significant, but it doesn't seem like a game-changing difference to me. I imagine that if this catches on, the larger manufacturers will likely just cut their margins to compete. On a more general…

4 rupee price was before, when he first went to buy them. Years passed, and India has crazy amounts of inflation, and now it costs 2.5 rupees. I think if calculated, he probably made somewhat of a 70+% discount or more.

Re: The Indian sanitary pad revolutionary

#49

Post by hoggle »

arjn wrote: post #17
primitivesuave wrote: post #6

> He believes that big business is parasitic, like a mosquito, whereas he prefers the lighter touch, like that of a butterfly. "A butterfly can suck honey from the flower without damaging it," he says. What a profound and inspiring worldview.

Indeed. Here's another one : "Luckily I'm not educated," he tells students. "If you act like an illiterate man, your learning will never stop... Being uneducated, you have no fear of the future."

"If you get rich, you have an apartment with an extra bedroom - and then you die."

"I've accumulated no money but I accumulate a lot of happiness."

-Arunachalam Muruganantham

Re: The Indian sanitary pad revolutionary

#50

Post by intull »

I'm so glad this made it to HN. From an Indian societal perspective, what he achieved is just marvellous and outstanding! It takes tremendous courage and determination to do something like this in India! Salute to this man!
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