Kavya and Udayasankar live at R.S.Puram. They have been married for sometime now and their son U.K.Thejesh ( U stands for Udayasankar and K for Kavya ) is a school going child. Kavya has become an entrepreneur recently. She makes herbal sanitary napkins from her house in West Ponnurangam Road. The house has a board which announces the availability of herbal sanitary napkins with phone numbers. Kavya was born to Nagarathinam and Late Rajasekaran , a Hindi Pandit from Arni near Vellore. She has done her B.Com and moved over to Coimbatore after her marriage to jeweler Udayasankar, the owner of Sree Sankar Jewellery on Big Bazaar Street. The firm was established in 1970 by his father B.S.Dhandhayudham. Their ancestors worship Goddess Ankala Parameswari and have been residents of Coimbatore for centuries. They lived next door to the well known jeweller B. R. Nataraja Chettiar and its heartening to see Udayasankar remembering the names of his elders, " We belong to the Bellam family and my ancestors were Seetharaman Chettiar ( great great grandfather ), Lakshminarayanan Chettiar ( great grandfather ), Srinivasan Chettiar ( grand father ). My wife was keen to make herbal sanitary napkins but I felt that she would find it taxing. The product looks simple but it requires a lot of concentration. One has to maintain quality and service. However I could see her interest and persistence. Therefore we decided to begin the venture for making herbal sanitary napkins from our house itself. She has now taken the plunge. "
Kavya and Udayasankar live at R.S.Puram. They have been married for sometime now and their son U.K.Thejesh ( U stands for Udayasankar and K for Kavya ) is a school going child. Kavya has become an entrepreneur recently. She makes herbal sanitary napkins from her house in West Ponnurangam Road. The house has a board which announces the availability of herbal sanitary napkins with phone numbers. Kavya was born to Nagarathinam and Late Rajasekaran, a Hindi Pandit from Arni near Vellore. She has done her B.Com and moved over to Coimbatore after her marriage to jeweler Udayasankar, the owner of Sree Sankar Jewellery on Big Bazaar Street. The firm was established in 1970 by his father B.S.Dhandhayudham. Their ancestors worship Goddess Ankala Parameswari and have been residents of Coimbatore for centuries. They lived next door to the well known jeweller B. R. Nataraja Chettiar and its heartening to see Udayasankar remembering the names of his elders, "We belong to the Bellam family and my ancestors were Seetharaman Chettiar ( great great grandfather ), Lakshminarayanan Chettiar ( great grandfather ), Srinivasan Chettiar ( grand father ). My wife was keen to make herbal sanitary napkins but I felt that she would find it taxing. The product looks simple but it requires a lot of concentration. One has to maintain quality and service. However I could see her interest and persistence. Therefore we decided to begin the venture for making herbal sanitary napkins from our house itself. She has now taken the plunge."
Today there are numerous sanitary napkin manufacturers around the country. There are famous brands in this business. The power of money and advertising is very evident. Coimbatore is known to be a good centre for sanitary napkins and today there are quite a few. Its heartening to note that Kavya, who was born in a semi urban setting feels comfortable in displaying a board which states that herbal sanitary napkins are available right in front of her house. She has also displayed the phone numbers in a bright manner ( 8807724585 & 9442539291 ). Kavya has named her product too. It is called ' COMPACT HERBAL SANITARY NAPKINS '. She uses surgical cotton, neem leaves, aloe vera and triphala for making the napkins.
Kavya spoke about her experiences which led to this venture, "My work is based on my own experience. I was given a pad at Women's Centre at the time of child birth. I opened the pad and understood how it was made. I decided to make it on my own and therefore sourced the materials locally from shops and pharmacies. My product satisfied my needs and I felt that it will be liked by everyone. Therefore I decided to make and sell herbal sanitary napkins. Yes, my product is herbal for it keeps one away from ovary diseases such as PCOD. Users of herbal sanitary napkins will not be afflicted with problems like white discharge, itching, allergies etc., They will also be relieved of depression and stomach pain. This is based on my own experience. My venture is now three months old. I am now supplying my product to Pothys and a number of general stores. The business is picking up now and I have begun to source material in bulk. I get surgical cotton from Rajapalayam. The product has a shelf life of one year. Herbs are sourced from the herbal goods traders in Coimbatore. We are now making sanitary napkins in three sizes - L size ( Rs.140 per packet which contains 8 pieces ), XL ( Rs.150 for 8 pieces ) and XXL ( Rs.180 / 8 pieces on order only ). Delivery pads are made available on order ( Rs.140 / 8 pieces )."
The packaging is rudimentary now and Kavya is looking to come up with mass eco friendly packaging. Her first product was a delivery pad and it was give to her niece. This was followed by trials and samples with relatives. The response was good and it impelled her to move ahead. Her mother in law Saraswathi had been supportive and continues to tell her to think ten times and execute in order to ensure that it was fool proof. "A campaign is required to raise awareness about the benefits of using herbal sanitary napkins. We got Kavya's product tested in a lab. A local manufacturer of sanitary napkins purchases Kavya's product for his daughter. She hopes to get into diapers both - kids and adults eventually," stated a beaming husband Udayasankar.
Kavya speaks Tamil and Telugu. She has a simple and rustic approach. Her husband is a pillar of support for her. The elder sister Soundari of Anantapur has been a great motivator. She was eager to show her process and also opened a regular sanitary napkin in order to show the difference. The napkins made by Kavya are a little thicker but she says that they are safer and comfortable. My husband insists that I use eco friendly and healthy products for it should not harm any of the users. The commercially available napkins are not safe for the regular users. Fortunately we have a healthy alternative which is free from harmful chemicals. Now it is up to us to take care of ourselves, added Kavya while displaying her product and brochure.
Udayasankar and Kavya come from a vegetarian background which is deeply religious. She is comfortable dealing with her unique product. Kavya supplies herbal sanitary napkins by courier also and she does not charge for the cost of shipping. She is getting ready to have a bar code and to also accept digital payments. Currently the clients receiving a parcel have to deposit the bill amount in her bank account.
"I am a working homemaker now. Happy to do business and hope to give employment to people in the near future. I have all the required material, office stationary at my house itself. Plus my husband helps me in my work. We discuss our work everyday. It is a ' Make in India ' from Coimbatore. I am sure the people of Coimbatore will give a rousing welcome," smiled Kavya.