Darbhanga: Madhuri, a 13-year-old girl associated with Kilkari Bihar Bal Bhavan, Darbhanga, has qualified for the Bal Shree nomination at the state level. Madhuri, a student of Class VI at Kasturba Balika Vidyalaya, Ranipur, is visually-challenged.

Though hailing from a humble background - her father has a meagre earning from a private job in Calcutta while her mother is a housewife - her indomitable spirit coupled with talent has brought her this far.

Kilkari Bihar Bal Bhavan's commissionary programme coordinator Pranav Bharti said: "Madhuri has qualified for the zonal Bal Shree nomination in music (special category). She is among the 15 of which 13 are from Bihar and 2 from Bengal. She will be going to Delhi in April to participate in the national competition that will be held at the National Bal Bhavan."

The assistant programme officer, Kikari, Darbhanga, Niraj Kumar said the National Bal Bhavan invites applications from children between the ages of nine and 16 years to compete for the coveted Bal Shree Award. The different categories are creative performance, art, writing and scientific innovation.

With almost no facilities and extreme difficulties, Madhuri has paved her own path, aspiring to be in the national competition. Madhuri, along with her mother, covers a distance of 40 kilometres from her native village in Roopnagar, Biraul, by train to reach Darbhanga. Her mother Rani Devi said: "Madhuri is my youngest daughter and God has blessed her with a good voice. Despite all our hardships, we have always motivated her. Every morning around 5, we board the train to Darbhanga and reach there by 8am. Madhuri attends her classes at Kilkari. We return back in the evening," said Rani.