May 12, 2025

Most of us with female bodies can remember when we got our first period. We remember how old we were, the first person we told, how it made us feel… anxious? Excited? Embarrassed?

There is a word that is rarely spoken aloud in period product advertisements, informational pamphlets, or health classes, but which nonetheless hovers quietly behind most discourse on menstruation: shame. Even in 2025, as mission-driven companies and nonprofits aim to reframe the conversation around periods, it’s still a taboo subject in most circles, clouded by secrecy and stigma. This shame has deep roots, and cultures across the world have handed menstrual taboos – and rites of passage – down the generations.

Prashanna Subedi (Film & Television ’25) recalls growing up in Kathmandu, Nepal, and witnessing how girls and women in his life were treated differently when they bled: they might be restricted from entering the kitchen, from preparing food, or handling the family’s water.

“At the time it felt almost normal, because no one ever questions it,” he says. “Though it’s less severe than what happens in chhaupadi.”

Chhaupadi is an ancient practice in Nepal that sends menstruating women and girls to live temporarily in small huts, based on cultural beliefs that they are impure when they bleed. Over the years, it has led to instances of severe physical and emotional harm, including exposure to harsh weather, lack of proper sanitation, snake and wildlife attack, smoke inhalation, and even cases of assault. Though chhaupadi was outlawed by the Supreme Court of Nepal in 2005, the deeply rooted tradition persists, especially in rural and remote regions of Western Nepal.

With fellow Nepali student Prasin Shrestha (Game Design & Production ’25) and an interdisciplinary team, Subedi is producing A Voice from the Hut: a virtual reality hybrid documentary that aims to raise awareness about the practice of chhaupadi in Nepal, highlighting the physical and psychological consequences to those affected. For Subedi and Shrestha, A Voice from the Hut is both a personal journey and a responsibility to amplify stories from their community.

Immersive Media for Social Change

A Voice from the Hut is an animated virtual reality hybrid documentary featuring fictional and non-fictional elements. Set in a rural village of far western Nepal, the story is a first-person VR experience, in which the viewer embodies Priya, a 13-year-old village girl who dreams of becoming a singer. Two days before she is set to participate in a prestigious singing contest, she gets her first period. Her father is the head priest of the village – meaning everyone looks up to him to uphold traditions – so he sends her to the hut. Here, the viewer will hear Priya’s inner voices, doubts, and internal conflicts as she navigates the chhaupadi practice.

“If we were going to make an impact and tell a story that really puts the user into the shoes of our character,” says Shrestha, “VR felt like the best possibility. It’s also a way to showcase our skills in an industry that’s still developing – and represent our country in a way that hasn’t been done before.”

Prashanna Subedi, Hemanta Adhikari, Medhavi Pandit, Prasin Shrestha

Choosing an experimental medium came with its challenges – as did the choice of subject matter. The students extensively researched immersive and interactive storytelling for virtual reality, connecting with professionals in the field and testing different technologies. Subedi and Shrestha expanded their team, bringing in students from across Drexel to lend their expertise: Medhavi Pandit (Economics and Data Science) as narrator, Kris Sell (Film & Television) as sound designer and foley artist, Utsav Chaudhary (Computer Science) as VR consultant, Matthew Lacy (Screenwriting & Playriting) as concept artist, and Tín Tạ (Graphic Design) as concept artist. Two University of Pennsylvania students came on board as well: Sampanna Bhatta (Computer Science) as a PR and tech consultant, and Hemanta Adhikari (Pre-Med) as a writer. Adhikari contributed poetry and monologues in Priya’s inner voice, drawing on her research on chhaupadi during high school and interviews with respected Nepali journalist Menuka Dhungana. Many connections were formed through Nepali student associations on both Drexel and Penn’s campuses.

Fieldwork and Discovery in Western Nepal

To develop the story with authenticity and sensitivity, Subedi and Shrestha traveled to Western Nepal for a rigorous fieldwork assignment. In partnership with the Nepal office of Days for Girls, an international NGO dedicated to eliminating menstrual stigma and improving girls’ health outcomes, they visited four schools in four different villages, each more remote than the last.

The Days for Girls (DFG) representatives warned them that because of the legal ban on chhaupadi, most villagers were unlikely to speak openly about the practice in their communities. While interviewing students for the documentary aspects of the film, however, they found that many girls were willing to share their perspective.

One encounter stands out among the rest: at a school visit, the documentary team was met with an enthusiastic welcome ceremony. The school’s headmaster, they recall, was excited and ready for change. During interviews at the same school, an eighth-grade girl invited Subedi, Shrestha, and their DFG partners to visit her home in the village. When asked if she had a chhaupadi hut, she initially offered to take the team to see the hut her family shared with four or five other household. At some point during the ten-minute walk to the hut, however, the girl became uncomfortable, worrying that her grandfather would be angry if he found out what she was doing.

“We said ‘we won’t go to the hut,’” Subedi recalls, “‘We’ll just say hi to your grandfather and leave.’”

When they returned to the house, the girl’s grandfather was the headmaster from the school – the same man who had, earlier that day, seemed so enthusiastic about leaving the tradition of chhaupadi behind.

“We saw how deeply engrained this practice is,” Subedi says, “and how difficult it is to bring change when the community leaders themselves are having a hard time letting go.”

Shrestha and Subedi are conscious that there is considerable nuance to the subject matter of their project. The roots of chhaupadi are firmly entrenched in the culture, and the people of Nepal have widely varying perceptions of the practice. The team’s firsthand observations of their own families in Kathmandu – and the people of the villages they visited – added depth and complexity to the script. The instance with the headmaster, especially, brought dimension to the perspectives of characters surrounding the film’s protagonist, Priya.

“When we initially wrote the script, we ended up villainizing the parents a bit too much for forcing Priya into the hut,” says Shrestha, “but we realized there’s no point in villainizing them. They’re part of this environment.”

“It just didn’t feel authentic as we went,” Subedi elaborates. “We wanted to humanize them. The mom loves her child. She spent her whole life in that society, and she was probably rebellious too, when this first happened to her. The dad still symbolizes the patriarchy of the society, but we don’t want to villainize him either.”

The team recognizes that change doesn’t always happen with one individual – often, it requires community effort, education, and collective action.

Impact in the Classroom and Beyond

A Voice from the Hut has, in the words of its creators, two audiences: first, the Western audience, where VR is most accessible, and the film has the best chance at reaching the most people. They want to show a Nepali story to the Western world, see how it’s received, and inspire interest in its further development.

VR rendering of village Temple, A Voice from the Hut

The next step is to localize the film into the Nepali language, specifically the regional dialects of rural villages, for deployment as an educational tool.

“There are a lot of awareness campaigns against chhaupadi,” says Subedi, “but oftentimes it’s a traditional pamphlet or training session. We would add VR to this existing awareness campaign. Especially for boys, allowing them to experience firsthand what their female classmates experience, we think that really has the potential for change.”

A Voice from the Hut is already making waves in the world, garnering international press and viral status on TikTok. Meanwhile, the team continues to fundraise on GoFundMe to support investments in experimental technologies and consultation with VR experts. You can learn more about the project and explore 3D samples on their website.