Oindrilla Ganguly, the youngest student to go on stage, with Neera Chopra who struggled to bring up her two daughters, one of whom is Miss India-World Pooja. (Anindya Shankar Ray)

Calcutta, Aug. 29: An octogenarian in a white sari who is battling to become a graduate despite being unlettered for many decades of her life. A tiny tot in white-and-red uniform who is battling disease to be in class despite having to change a catheter every three hours.

Both were helped on to the Science City stage today, but for different reasons — Bakul Chatterjee, 86, because she was too old and infirm to negotiate the steps by herself, and Oindrilla Ganguly, 8, because she was too young and frisky.

Together, one forever young and the other a little braveheart, they symbolised the theme at the 13th edition of The Telegraph School Awards For Excellence: power to the girl child.

Bakul Chatterjee giggles like a teenager when asked about attending college with classmates 60 years her junior — she will appear for Part III from Shibnath Shastri College — and insists that it is “better late than never”. Reason enough for her to be given a special honour at the award ceremony, presented by the Techno India Group.

Oindrilla, a Class III student of Shaw Public School, Behala, who suffers from a disease of the spinal cord, clutched her Telegraph Education Foundation Award for Courage and shrugged away her frequent trips to hospital and catheter changes in school: “It doesn’t hurt and I don’t feel scared.”

(From top) Winners Rishika Jhunjhunwala, Namita Sardar and Sukhoo Oraon at The Telegraph School Awards for Excellence. Pictures by Anindya Shankar Ray and Pradip Sanyal

The indomitable spirit of these special heroes set the stage for thecity’s annual tryst with determination and distinction, and with a special focus this time. From 12-year-old girls who have stood up against child marriage in their villages and have insisted on finishing school to women pursuing their dreams against all odds, the School Awards turned the spotlight on them all.

“We (men) are what we are because of you but often you are what you are in spite of us,” said Barry ’ Brien, the convener of The Telegraph Education Foundation, saluting mothers and daughters, teachers and students.

One such courageous lady to take the stage was Neera Chopra, mother of Miss India-World Pooja Chopra. Neera walked out of an abusive marriage to save her two daughters, one seven years and the other 20 days old. She struggled to bring up her daughters working as a housekeeping assistant in Mumbai. Over the years she went hungry to feed her daughters Subhra and Pooja. Now both daughters are well settled in life, with the younger one an aspirant for the Miss World crown.

“They make me so proud,” she smiled. Her message for fellow fighters?

“I’d say walk out if you are facing abuse or if your daughters face neglect. So what if you have to settle for one roti instead of three?”

There were the young guns like Rishika Jhunjhunwala, a Class IX student of Mahadevi Birla Girls Higher Secondary School, who kept her nerve to foil a robbery attempt at home and ended up saving the lives of the elders in her family.

Or like Sukhoo Oraon, a Class III student of Loreto Convent Entally, who had severe post-burn contracture in her right hand -- her fingers were joined together and attached to the wrist, making it impossible for her to write. Sukhoo has had one surgery that now allows her to write but she needs another major surgery for a “more normal” hand. “Writing is not a problem, I can do it easily now,” smiled Sukhoo, who according to her school has “very good handwriting”.

The tales of courage and excellence kept pouring out and the cheers grew louder. But in a country where the curse of being born a girl is still so real, to borrow the words of Sukanta Chaudhuri, the chairman of The Telegraph Education Foundation, this was “just a drop in the trickle” which one hopes over the years will become “at least a bigger trickle”.

The 13th edition of the The Telegraph School Awards for Excellence at the Science City Auditorium in Calcutta. Picture by Pradip Sanyal

With inputs from Malini Banerjee and Jhinuk Mazumdar)