Arunachalam Murugadas

A self-taught inventor who created low-cost sanitary napkins to combat menstrual taboos in rural India

Arunachalam Murugadas (born 1970) is a self-taught inventor from rural Tamil Nadu who revolutionized menstrual hygiene management in India through his relentless innovation. After witnessing his wife's suffering from lack of affordable sanitary products, he spent 6 years developing a low-cost production method using banana fiber. His invention, the 'Pad Man', now provides sustainable menstrual products to over 500,000 women across India through his nonprofit Jayaashree Industries. Through his work he has:

• Reduced menstrual-related health issues in rural communities
• Trained over 10,000 women in pad-making as income generating activity
• Won the National Innovation Foundation award (2014)

His story inspired the 2018 Bollywood film Pad Man starring Akshay Kumar, which helped raise national awareness about menstrual hygiene. His methods have been adopted in 10 countries through partnerships with UNICEF and WHO. Learn more on Wikipedia or official site.