Can a teenage boy change the way people think about menstruation? At just 14, Aadvik Jain, studying in India's capital city, Delhi, set out to do exactly that. It all began when he had to watch a close friend struggle with debilitating menstrual pain that wasn't being taken seriously.
This year, he's among the 198 young people from 44 countries who were honored with the Diana Award, an international recognition for young changemakers working to improve lives in their communities. The awardees were announced on November 4 at a virtual ceremony streamed internationally. Established in memory of Diana, Princess of Wales, the international award recognizes young people ages 16 to 25 for their social action and humanitarian efforts.
This year, India accounted for nearly a quarter of the recipients, with 49 honorees. Among them are Shiv Mandlik, who invented a bendable pole to help construction workers avoid working at dangerous heights and who developed an app to detect falls; Krish Aggarwal, who created an inexpensive filter that can be fitted onto ordinary fans to reduce indoor air pollution; and Kushal Sachdeva, who at age 11 began feeding a starving street dog. His organization, Protect Paws, has reportedly helped more than 1,500 stray dogs by arranging for medical treatment, vaccinations and reflective collars.
Now 18, he leads Team Period, an initiative he started in 2024 with three close friends. Together, they are challenging menstrual stigma through workshops, street performances, awareness campaigns and efforts to improve access to menstrual pads and products. He's also set to start studying medicine and public health at the University of Bologna in Italy in February.
NPR spoke to Jain through a video call about the experiences that inspired him, the challenge of persuading boys and men to join the conversation on periods and what he has learned about changing deeply entrenched attitudes. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. You were just 14 when you became concerned about menstrual health.
What happened to make you realize that something needed to change? It started with something that happened to a very close friend of mine in 2023, when we were in the tenth grade. We had been friends since the fifth grade.
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