Project Nanhi Kali longs to educate a village girl buffaloed by society

Project Nanhi Kali, jointly managed by the KC Mahindra Education Trust and Naandi Foundation, has rolled out a campaign to empower underprivileged girls with access to quality education.

 

Conceptualised by Ogilvy, the film draws parallels between two Lajjos - a young village girl and a buffalo, whose daily timetable is the same. 

 

The film begins with the buffalo’s point of view being narrated, where she talks about her schedule and the work she does in the village. She compares every task assigned to her with a young girl named Lajjo, who does almost the same, maybe more. The buffalo shares that they both cross a school daily, but the girl never gets to attend it. The young girl is fascinated by the idea of a school, but when she peeks inside a classroom, her father asks her not to waste time, since she has a lot of chores to complete. Towards the end, the buffalo states that although her story might never change, the young girl’s story must. 

 

Sheetal Mehta, trustee and executive director, KC Mahindra Education Trust, said, “At Nanhi Kali, we believe that every girl should be in school. An educated girl lays the foundation of success not only for herself, but also for her family, her community, and the nation. Nanhi Kali has empowered over 500,000 girls in India with access to quality education. It is not just about the joy of learning, but more importantly, instilling a sense of self-esteem and confidence in the girls.” 

 

Asha Kharga, chief of brand and customer experience, Mahindra Group, said, “The core purpose of the Mahindra brand is to drive positive change to empower communities so that they Rise. Nanhi Kali’s impact is proof of our purpose in action. It makes Rise come alive. And hence it was time to own our story.” 

 

Kainaz Karmakar and Harshad Rajadhyaksha, chief creative officers, Ogilvy India, said, “Even today, there are corners of India where the girl is deprived of education. As a result, her confidence and her self-worth take a huge beating. Nanhi Kali believes that education is not just a human right. It is a way for so many girls to feel human. The story told through the eyes of a noble animal ‘Lajjo’, does just that. We want to make a special mention of our film director, Afshan Hussain, for telling the story so beautifully. And of Ms Ila Arun, for lending the perfect emotion to the ‘voice of Lajjo’.” 

 

CREDITS:  

 

Client: Project Nanhi Kali, K.C. Mahindra Education Trust 

Agency: Ogilvy India 

Chief creative officers, Ogilvy India: Kainaz Karmakar and Harshad Rajadhyaksha 

Creative directors: Ashok Karkala, Vinay Pawaskar 

Creative team: Kainaz Karmakar, Harshad Rajadhyaksha, Ashok Karkala, Vinay Pawaskar 

Account management team: Hirol Gandhi, Sushma Singh Vivek 

Brand planning team: Prem Narayan 

Production house: Good Morning Films      

Director: Afshan Hussain Shaikh

Executive producer: Vikram Kalra

Producer: Siddhi Bhopale