India, Aug. 24 -- An amateur made the video on the go, but it went viral on social media: Some girls suddenly barged out of their school to jam the road. They didn't have a leader. Their sit-in had no coordinator or sponsor. It was just spontaneous. They were complaining about how they would be able to study if the school, run by the state social justice department, didn't have enough teachers.

The logical arguments these girls marshalled while presenting their case in front of the teachers and the administrators surprised everyone. The girls didn't bother that they caused a huge jam. Overt and covert pressure tactics by the police, the administration, and the crowd didn't faze them. They just wanted to put their pain across to those wit...