Many of the girls were seeing a computer for the first time. In the tented enclosure housing PCs and laptops, 4 to 6 girls were bunched around each machine, egging each other on, tentatively pressing the keys -- typing the one thing that came most naturally to them, their names.
A group of Muslim girls with veils who looked around 10 years old said they had just enrolled into school two years ago and were in Class I and II when children their age are usually in Class IV or V. They went to an all girls' Muslim school in their area.
"We have to bring the school to the children in a conservative minority community, instead of the other way round," says teacher Sultan Ahmad.
With dreams as diverse as being Miss India to a pilot, the festival also released a calendar showcasing 12 girls who had battled against deeply entrenched social stereotypes in their small, unheard of villages.
Apart from the 12 calendar girls, the festival ground had many other stories of similar courage. Their struggle, a documentation of how underprivileged girl children have fought tremendous odds to change their own lives with the power that only education can bring.
These are the stories of their battles. They deserve to be noticed and admired.
Image: Sabiha Naaz and her friends were seeing a computer for the first time. She wrote her name over and over again.
Also see: NHRC to probe Bihar's missing children
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