Arunachalam Muruganantham
About
Arunachalam Muruganantham is the real-life superhero of India, the man on whom the Akshay Kumar starrer Pad Man is based. From being a school dropout to being included in Time magazine's list of 100 Most Influential People in the World in 2014, his journey is an inspiration to all.
He is the inventor of the world's first low cost sanitary pad making machine. Shortly after he was married he found out that his wife was using unhygienic rags during menstruation so in order to find a solution, he looked for more hygienic alternatives.
His mission to produce low-cost sanitary pads for all the girls and women in India led him on a path-breaking journey, which eventually culminated in a successful company where he currently employs 21,000 women!
Awards and Accomplishments
Awards and Accomplishments
Arunachalam Muruganantham was featured as one of Time Magazine’s ‘100 Influential People of the world’ in the year 2014 along with Mr. Barack Obama, Mr. Narendra Modi, Mr. Vladimir Putin, Mr. Pope Francis, Ms. Hillary Clinton, Mr. Jack Ma and many leaders.
His story was also the subject of a prize-winning documentary Menstrual Man by Amit Virmani.
He was awarded the ‘Padma Shri’ by the Government of India for revolutionising access to low cost menstrual hygiene products in India.
Why Arunachalam Muruganantham ?
Arunachalam Muruganantham is on a mission to empower women and also works with women groups and self-help groups across the world. His journey has also inspired millions of women to adopt hygienic methods.
He’s a frequent Guest Lecturer in Harvard, MIT, IIMs and IITs and had been personally invited by Mr. Bill Gates to a seminar on ‘Challenges in Innovation’ in Seattle as well. He speaks in broken English to international audiences. But tells his story of incredible heartbreak, frustration, public shaming, financial crisis and worse with such humour that his audience is always in splits and invariably charmed.
