Arunachalam Muruganantham

JULY 10, 1962 — Known as "Menstrual Man," Arunachalam Muruganantham is an Indian social entrepreneur who, in a move that frankly sounds less like innovation and more like basic human decency finally arriving, developed low-cost sanitary pads. His motivation? Seeing his wife use rags because pads were simply too expensive. One might say he was driven by love, or perhaps by the sheer horror of laundry duty.

What followed was a journey of trial and error, self-experimentation, and social ostracism. He wore his own prototypes, which, while probably uncomfortable, certainly proved his dedication to product testing. Eventually, he perfected a method to manufacture affordable pads, bypassing major corporations and their inflated prices. He didn't just invent a product; he created a micro-enterprise model that empowered women in rural India to produce and sell these essential items themselves.

His work has been lauded globally, proving that sometimes the best way to get things done is to just do it yourself, even if it means strapping a pad to your own nether regions for research. He built a business not on profit margins, but on public health and dignity, making him a true mensch, even if he's not a Jew.