March 10: She received the Nari Shakti Award from President Pranab Mukherjee on March 8 and met Prime Minister Narendra Modi the next day. But what makes Anoyara Khatun, 21, a hero is not the accolades but the work behind it.

"I want to be fearless and confident like Anoyaradidi," piped Soni Khatun, a child champion with Save the Children.

Anoyara's campaign against trafficking, child marriage and child labour began when she was 13. She has since saved 50 minors from child marriage and 85 girls from being trafficked, besides enrolling 400 children in schools. The driving force behind children's groups in Sandeshkhali, Anoyara has participated in the United Nations General Assembly in New York twice.

Back in the city today with her latest laurel, Anoyara was busy giving suggestions to Soni and her fellow child champions from the slums of Calcutta who are fighting for the same causes as her.

"I want to work not just in my area but also in other places in India. If we can do what Anoyaradidi has done, maybe we will get an award too," Soni mused.

For Anoyara, awards or recognition have never held significance. "I just wanted to do my work. But it feels good to see that so many important people are learning about the work I do and promising to stand by me," she smiled.

"It is not just my work that has been recognised by the award but of all those people in my children's group without whom I couldn't have done any of it," Anoyara said.

Chittapriyo Sadhu, the general manager, state programme (Bengal and Assam), Save the Children, of course, is proud of Anoyara. "She was the youngest recipient of the award and everyone really appreciated her," he gushed.

Leena Nair, the secretary of the ministry of women and child development, who was present at the dinner the Union minister of women and child development, Maneka Gandhi, hosted for Anoyara and her fellow recipients of the award, sought Anoyara's advice on what laws or policies can be implemented or modified to help combat trafficking, child labour and early marriage.

"I told her about the integrated child protection scheme that we have established in Bengal and the need for civil society involvement for successful resolution of the issues. They have asked me to mail my suggestions to them," said Anoyara.

She was ready to share her suggestions with the child champions as well.

"When minister Firhad Hakim visited our ward, I told him that our neighbourhood was very dirty and that something needed to be done," said Soni. "We went to the local councillor's office and gave him a letter signed by all of us, but no action has been taken yet. What can we do Anoyaradidi?" asked Saraswati Dhanuk.

Anoyara's advice - "You can't do it alone. Meet your group, draw up a list of the issues and together go and meet the minister."

As for Anoyara, she has set herself a new challenge - learning to be conversant in Hindi and English so that she can take her work to other parts of the country.