MUMBAI, 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 initiative evolved into one of India's largest CSR projects. Perhaps more significantly, it offered 9 lakh young women a life-altering chance to dig deep and find the courage to dream. "It's incredible how the project has transcended just educational support. And it wasn't just the girl child. Across a decade, it was her parents, the community, decision makers in her life, and village heads. something in all of them changed," says Kumar, a recent graduate from the International School of Hyderabad and soon headed for further studies to Scotland. Kumar met the "nanhi kalis" in their classrooms, on playgrounds, in their homes and other spaces they occupied in their everyday surroundings. Her images range from girls peering into a microscope in a lab, looking at a map on a phone, sharing ice-cream, visiting an art gallery, playing football, and so much more. Immersing herself in their lives, she listened to what the girls had to say - and what they didn't. "It was very humbling to see the stark differences in hardships I face and they face," she says. What stood out most was their optimism and resilience. "They had so much joy in their lives, a spring in their step, and a determination to be someone," says Kumar. Rohini Mukherjee, head of global partnerships, Naandi Foundation, shared one of many instances of inner transformation wrought by the project. Near Chambal, deep in the heart of Madhya Pradesh, the "nanhi kalis" took a stand on the gutka addiction that was ruining the health of their fathers. "When talking to their fathers didn't help, the girls collected statistics on the sale of gutkha and realised that the men in their village were collectively spending Rs.7 lakh on the chewing tobacco every month. Then they asked the village panchayat for a meeting, where they presented the numbers, suggesting that this sum be put to better use," says Mukherjee. "The beauty was that, after their initiative, things in the village started to change." Project Nanhi Kali had inspired a rare sense of autonomy and confidence in the most vulnerable - young women. They had found the strength to stand up for what they believed in and make choices. "When women are educated, it gives them the courage to say 'no'. No, it's not going to make our family richer to have more children. No, it's not going to make our family richer by depriving me of a career. No, you're not going to get richer by marrying me off early. Everything I work for in this project is about giving them a choice," said Anand Mahindra....