Mumbai, Jan. 26 -- In a classroom in Ratnagiri, a group of young girls sit around a colourful board game. They throw the dice, move their pieces, read cards aloud, amid laughter, curiosity, and questions, this might seem like a regular game hour but it isn't. The board game, while fun and entertaining, is called 'Play Period' and teaches students about menstruation. The game's designers, Kavita Sawant and Divya Subramanyam, both 37, are trained architects from Kamla Raheja Vidyanidhi Institute for Architecture and Environmental Studies, Juhu. However, their concern for social issues pushed them beyond buildings and design to address a topic that is often ignored, misunderstood or shrouded in shame. When the two friends created 'Play Period' their aim was to help girls understand periods in a friendly and fear-free way. Sawant said, "According to UNICEF, nearly 70% of adolescent girls in India are unaware of menstruation until they experience it for the first time. This creates fear, confusion and health problems. We felt that giving them correct information early, in a joyful way, could change this." According to the duo, they came up with the idea for Play Period while working on sustainable development projects. Through fellowships and fieldwork, they realised that smaller towns and cities needed attention when it came to health education. They soon noticed that even when sanitation facilities exist, girls do not have the right knowledge about their bodies, hygiene and menstruation. Following its conception in 2023, Play Period was designed by Sawant and Subramanyam and developed with support from the Royal Academy of Engineering in the UK. So far it has been used in several community workshops in Ratnagiri, where over 400 students have benefitted from it. me home?"...