Padwoman of India Teams Up With Nexus Select Malls Through ‘Happyness For Her’ Expansion in Odisha

Bhubaneswar, May 26, 2026: Widely known for co-creating the world’s first reusable sanitary pad using banana fibre absorbent, the “Padwoman of India” has been quietly building a menstrual health movement in Odisha over the past couple of years, bringing together educators, healthcare experts, sustainability leaders and young changemakers to address one of India’s most under-discussed public health concerns: informed menstrual health awareness and access to healthier menstrual choices.

The initiative, Happyness For Her, is the flagship CSR initiative of Nexus Select Malls, undertaken in partnership with Saukhyam Foundation. The initiative includes CARE (Campus Action for Reusable Essentials), a youth-led campus movement promoting healthier and more sustainable menstrual practices.

At a special event held at Nexus Esplanade, Bhubaneswar, students and professors from institutions including IIT Bhubaneswar, KIIT Deemed to be University, Rama Devi Women’s University, Ramadevi Women’s Higher Secondary School and Shailabala Women’s College, Cuttack were honoured with the CARE Awards for championing sustainable menstrual practices and peer-led behavioural change on their campuses.

Also honoured were representatives from AIIMS Bhubaneswar, C. V. Raman Global University, Utkal University, Kamala Nehru Women’s College and Srusti Academy of Management and Technology. Together, these efforts have helped more than 5,000 young people shift away from disposable menstrual products towards more sustainable alternatives over the past year alone.

The event also marked the launch of HEAL – Health. Environment. Active Living. HEAL is a focused intervention aimed at increasing awareness around menstrual wellbeing and supporting young girls and women in understanding and addressing commonly ignored menstrual health concerns such as severe cramps, irregular cycles and heavy bleeding.

Medical professionals and volunteers from respected organisations including FOGSI, JHPIEGO, Atmashakti Trust and the Odisha Menstrual Health and Hygiene Alliance participated in the HEAL launch and discussions around the future of menstrual health interventions in India. Speaking on the occasion, Honorable Mayor Ms. Sulochana Das said, “I am very happy to note that in our city, meaningful initiatives such as Happyness For Her, CARE and HEAL are making such a deep impact.”

Harsha Bharda, GM – Sustainability & CSR, Nexus Select Malls, also shared future plans under the initiative. “Nexus Select Malls and Saukhyam Foundation will be announcing a collaborative menstrual health research study with AIIMS Bhubaneswar and KIIT University on May 28, Menstrual Hygiene Day. The study will aim to build deeper understanding around menstrual health patterns, adolescent wellbeing and the impact of menstrual product choices on long-term health outcomes.”  Anju Bist, Managing Director of Saukhyam Foundation, popularly known as the Padwoman of India, added, “Happyness For Her in Odisha is combining awareness, accessibility and sustainability to address period poverty and menstrual wellbeing at scale. We will continue working until reusable becomes mainstream and disposable known as the bad idea that it is. Thank you Odisha for turning up for this in such a big way.”

With Odisha emerging as a strong hub for youth-led menstrual health and sustainability action, the organisers believe the collaboration between educational institutions, healthcare experts and civil society can become a model for the rest of the country.