ABSTRACT
This chapter considers the theatrical dimension of day-to-day interactions, and in particular the subtle routine display of menstrual pollution intended to prevent others from touching the menstruant as this would cause the spread of impurity. Culture-specific notions of purity and pollution have repeatedly attracted academic imagination. In line with Judith Butler and her studies on gender performativity, the author argue that just like the human body, which is permanently marked as either female or male, in southern Orissa female bodies are hardly ever perceived without considering their status in terms of impurity. It discusses several facets that influence the performance of menstrual pollution in everyday life. Regarding units of observation and analysis, the distinction between social practices and cultural performances, which both contribute to the social negotiation of gender, seems artificial. Women use either rags or sanitary towels to absorb the menstrual blood.
