Bepardah

Bepardah — literally meaning "without curtains" in Hindi — is an open forum designed to tear down the walls of silence around women's health. The event, organised by the Rotaract Club of Ahmedabad Westshore, invited women to ask questions they might never feel comfortable raising elsewhere. No judgment. No embarrassment. Just honest conversation.

Dr. Sunita Sajnani was invited as a speaker, and it was a natural fit. In over 30 years of practising gynecology and obstetrics, she has heard countless patients say they "didn't want to bother anyone" or "thought it wasn't serious enough" — when in fact they were carrying real concerns that deserved real answers. Bepardah was her kind of room.

She spoke on topics that tend to get glossed over or spoken about only in hushed tones: adolescent health and puberty, menstrual hygiene, common gynecological conditions, and the importance of making routine checkups a habit rather than an afterthought. Her message throughout was simple — your health is worth talking about openly.

The interaction with attendees was warm and engaging, with many women raising questions they had clearly been sitting on for a while. That is what events like Bepardah are for — and why Dr. Sunita is glad to be part of them.