‘Keep Girls In School’ is not a campaign but a movement and our philosophy: Girish Kalyanaraman of P&G 

A look at what went behind the scenes of the making of India’s first ‘period song’. 

Whisper India has launched the fifth edition of its Keep Girls in School (KGIS) initiative. This year, the campaign is based on a significant insight; ‘Younger girls are getting their period’ and aims at educating young minds about the menstruation process.

To advocate the same, the brand, along with Leo Burnett, has launched a film and a 'period song' to help young girls navigate this situation.

Girish Kalyanaraman, vice president & category leader - India Feminine Care at Procter & Gamble, says, “We wanted to be an ally in fighting the myths and prejudices that have existed for a long time around menstruation in India. We also wanted to be an active advocate in offering the right period education and the right period protection for both young girls and their mothers.”

The KGIS initiative's creative process was deeply rooted in addressing a pressing need—the early onset of menstruation among young girls in India. Rajdeepak Das, chief creative officer at Publicis Groupe South Asia and chairman of Leo Burnett South Asia, says that while the problem was simple, the task of elaborating on it was harder.

“I think once we got this insight, the task was to decide how to teach young kids about periods. We are talking about young girls, 7-8 years olds, who are practically babies themselves. How do we teach them about periods?”

The brand and Leo Burnett created an emotional film featuring young girls who are unaware of menstruation. The film portrays the confusion and fear that come with unexpected bleeding, aiming to normalise this natural biological process through education. The campaign's cornerstone is the catchy jingle "Periods ka Matlab Healthy Hai Aap," which translates to "Periods mean you are healthy."

Sung by playback singers Shreya Ghoshal and Sunidhi Chauhan in multiple languages, the jingle is designed to make the message accessible and memorable to young minds.

Speaking about the making of the film, Das states that working with young children was the toughest challenge. “We were very clear about not having professional child actors. We wanted real kids who could bring authenticity and make people’s hearts melt when they see little girls in that situation. I think the brand team and the agency team focused on three words: vulnerability, fear, and hope—all three in one film.”

He says the film also had to be unlike any previous KGIS films. “We had to make sure that the song was catchy so that kids could learn it quickly. We then got Shreya Ghoshal and Sunidhi Chauhan, the biggest singing sensations in the country, to be a part of it,” he adds.

Whisper and KGIS 

While KGIS is in its fifth edition, Whisper has championed the cause of menstrual health education in India for over three decades. According to a 2022 study by the UN child protection agency, UNICEF, 71% of adolescent girls in India remain unaware of menstruation until they get their first period. Another report by an NGO called Dasra states that 2.3 crore girls drop out of school annually due to a lack of proper menstrual hygiene management facilities, including the availability of sanitary pads and information about menstruation.

Whisper aims to ensure that no girl drops out of school due to menstruation.

Kalyanaraman says, “Keep Girls in School is not a campaign. It is our philosophy and a movement.” He mentions that the brand’s various efforts around period education have reached almost 10 crore girls so far. This year, the brand aims to reach an additional 50,000 schools across India.

The brand has also partnered with UNESCO since 2021 and created India's first inclusive and comprehensive menstrual health education modules for students and educators alike.

According to Das, this is not a campaign but a human problem they want to solve. “We have been trying to address this issue for decades now, and sometimes, we have to find new ways of communicating with people, which is not easy. We are speaking to 1.4 billion people. This movement started before us and will continue after us,” he says.

Das shared an anecdote about the campaign and recalled when they were showcasing the KGIS initiative at Cannes a couple of years ago.

“The room was filled with the CMOs of global brands, and when we showcased our initiative, a woman raised her hand and introduced herself by saying she is the global CMO of a certain company. I also learned about periods for the first time during one of Whisper's initiatives in my school.”

Kalyanaraman further adds that Whisper as a brand has always been at the forefront of combating myths and taboos around menstruation. He says, “Whisper was the first brand to advertise sanitary napkins on television back in the late 1980s and was the first brand to mention the word 'periods' on TV. A few years ago, we depicted red stains on a girl's body. These have all been powerful initiatives and catalysts for change, and it’s heartwarming to see how far we have come.”