And so we come to A Ritual of Exile, the long-term interdisciplinary project Basu has been working on since 2013. The current chapter of this work investigates violence against women in western Nepal through Chhaupadi – a practice that dictates a woman must be banished from her home during her period or post-childbirth, because of the ‘impurity’ of menstrual blood. “Perpetrated under the guise of the Hindu tradition, this practice is hidden, under-reported and unresolved. These women are untouchable and, as a result, this violence takes the form of ‘exiles’, which keeps menstruation shrouded in mystery and taboo, and thus used as a weapon to shame women into subservience,” Basu explains. Menstruating women are not allowed to stay in their beds, touch their families, cook, or have help in any way. The specific nature of exile varies from family to family, and area to area, she explains. “In Accham, the exile takes place within small rooms largely situated below or near the family house, while in the Surkhet district the space of exile is a separate, purpose-built hut.” If women are exiled into separate rooms within their own homes, or if the hut is close to the family house, then that is considered lucky, because in many instances it’s located a long, difficult distance away.