Anju Bist began as a researcher with a single question: why do the women she met in rural India suffer so silently every month? Disposable pads were too expensive, too toxic, and ending up in rivers and fields.

After years of R&D at Amritapuri Ashram, she discovered the extraordinary potential of banana fiber, the agricultural waste of a tree that bears fruit once and is then discarded. From that waste she created India's first banana fiber reusable sanitary napkin.

Recognized by NITI Aayog among 75 Women Transforming India, Anju has turned a single pad into a movement touching 30 lakh lives.