Arunachalam Muruganantham: The Padman Who Changed Rural India

When Bollywood made Padman in 2018, most of India finally heard his story. But Arunachalam Muruganantham’s journey began much earlier — in a small village in Tamil Nadu, where he quietly started a revolution.

The Unlikely Beginning

In the late 1990s, Muruganantham discovered that his wife used dirty rags during her menstrual cycle because sanitary pads were too expensive. Shocked, he set out to create an affordable alternative — despite knowing nothing about science, health, or business.

From Jugaad to Innovation

He experimented for years, often using himself as a test subject. He was laughed at, shunned by society, and even abandoned by his family for a while, but he kept going. Eventually, he built a low-cost pad-making machine, which is now used across rural India.

The Impact

* Empowered millions of rural women with access to hygienic menstrual care.
* Helped create local women-led businesses by training them to use his machines.
* Shifted the conversation around menstrual hygiene from taboo to mainstream.

Why His Story Matters Today

In a world where billionaires and celebrities dominate headlines, Muruganantham shows that true change begins at the grassroots. His invention wasn’t about profit but dignity, and that makes him one of India’s most important unsung heroes.

Our Take

Arunachalam Muruganantham might not walk red carpets, but his work has touched more lives than most superstars could. He’s proof that revolutions don’t always begin in boardrooms — sometimes, they start in small villages with big hearts