"Muruganantham came up with the idea of creating a low cost sanitary napkin when he found his wife collecting dirty rags from around their home: “He was shocked when she told him that she was using them for her period, because she had to choose between purchasing expensive sanitary napkins at the store and buying, say, dinner for their family.” This revelation spurred him into researching what it would take to create a sanitary napkin that wouldn’t break the bank. He let his wife test out his prototypes, and when she wasn’t menstruating, he would go so far as to wear a football bladder of animal blood in order to try his creation out himself. When he started to collect used napkins from medical students, his village forced him from his home, fearing his obsession had gone too far. Even his wife and mother abandoned him temporarily." - Jessie from Bookmarklet

"Though it almost cost him his family and his home, his perseverance paid off, and 14 years later his sanitary napkins are being produced on machines across India. His pads are sold for 10 rupees, compared with those sold by Procter and Gamble for 30. According to The Independent, thanks to all of his success, he’s even thinking of expanding into the international market: ”Rwanda, Nigeria, South Africa – I am talking with these countries,” said Muruganantham. “Nepal, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Pakistan… They want to know about it.”" - Jessie