Man On Train Tweets To Railways, Gets Help For Menstruating Friend

Why should menstruation be a taboo topic, especially for men? But while most men would shy away from discussing such issues, Vishal Khanapure did not think twice before taking to Twitter to seek help for his friend, who was on her period.

Khanapure, a trainee engineer from Karnataka, was travelling with his friend who got her period while travelling from Bengaluru to Bellary and needed sanitary napkins and painkiller tablets. Not wasting much time on irrational thoughts, he used Twitter to get help for his friend, who is an architecture student. The incident occurred on January 13 when the duo was on the Hospet Passenger train. The train leaves Bengaluru at 10:15 pm and reaches Bellary at 09:40 am the next day.

Shattering menstrual myths, the man was quick to think of an easier way to help a friend in need. The train was leaving Yesvantpur station when Vishal tweeted to Indian Railways and Piyush Goyal, Union Minister of Railway and Coal, and sought help.

@PiyushGoyal its an emergency please help..one of my friends is traveling on train "HOSPET PASSENGER " from Bangalore to Bellary,train number 56909 ..
Coach - S7, seat number 37, c is in need of "Meftal spas " tablets.. please help her @indianrailway__ @IRCTCofficial

— Vishal Khanapure (@Vishal888782) January 13, 2019

Speaking to the Times Of India, Khanapure said, “At 11.06pm, an officer reached my friend and confirmed her requirements and took down her PNR details and mobile number. At 2 am, when the train reached Arasikere station, officials of the Mysuru division were ready with all the items she had sought. We are all surprised by the quick response.”

Later, he tweeted again, leaving a thank you note to the Indian Railways for their quick action.

Thank you for the immediate response
Really I'm wondered, char saal main kitna badal Gaya hai Hindusthan!.isse kehte hai "acche din" I'm really really very happy4 @indianrailway__ @PiyushGoyal @PiyushGoyalOffc @mepratap "ek aur Baar modi Sarkar" @RailMinIndia @narendramodi pic.twitter.com/heCHWEkeYB

— Vishal Khanapure (@Vishal888782) January 14, 2019

Emergency requests from passengers are often met through tweets or on 138.

Menstruation is a subject that has been written extensively about in the recent past. It is a taboo topic not just in our country, but all over the world. Forget discussing it openly, people treat this as a shameful notion. In such situation, this particular incident of a woman getting help for her period on a train, that too with a man's help, is truly inspiring.

We need more men like Khanapure to break the stereotypes that hold people back from being frank about a natural process like menstruation that women go through every month. It’s a biological function. Period.

Also Read: ‘Why Aren’t We Comfortable Saying The Word Menstruation?’

Read More Stories By Ria Das