“Unclean” is a term used to define a menstruating woman within the Indian community.
When 12-year-old Vimisha has come of age, her single mother begins preparations for a puberty ceremony (also known as a sadangu). It is her hope that Vimisha receives many blessings as she embarks on a new phase in her life.
But, Vimisha has an important event on the same day and does not want to take part in the ceremony. She is suddenly called “unclean”, confined at home and forced to adopt odd rituals. Meanwhile, her newly-retired grandmother recalls the stigmas she has faced with puberty and wonders how valid such taboos are in today’s world.
Staged in support of Menstrual Hygiene Day (that falls on 28 May), the play Strawberry Girls follows the lives of three generations of women, examining the social and cultural issues related to menstruation and seeks to normalise conversations about periods in the Singapore-Indian community.
Strawberry Girls is performed in English, with some Tamil.
