India, Aug. 26 -- Three years ago, Nitya Manoj Kumar (18), set out with her camera to document a project on young women in the margins across India. She hadn't anticipated what her lens would reveal - each image radiated confidence, courage and, most importantly, a powerful voice.

Her work took shape as a coffee table book titled May A Million Buds Bloom, released by Mahindra Group chairperson, Anand Mahindra, in Mumbai on Monday. Self-published by the KC Mahindra Education Trust, the 142-page book is a layered visual narrative of Project Nanhi Kali, an initiative launched by Mahindra in 1996, to offer economically disadvantaged girls from across India a holistic education.

Jointly managed by the trust and the Naandi Foundation, the ini...