Despite the odds against the girl child, there are some green shoots. More women are now elected as village heads; government schemes increasingly being disbursed through women, a sharp jump in school enrollment for girls, and there are more women in workspaces.

Simultaneously, we were witnessing a constant tension, between old patriarchy and new women empowerment narrative, between the men who exploit women and those who march with them as equals. The shackles around the girl child were being broken. Their opinions had to go beyond the soliloquies in the pages of their diaries. These voices had to be amplified…these diaries had to go public.

Through Daughters’ Diary, we invited 957 girls to express their view on status of women in contemporary India. In a significant leap of faith we handed over the editorial reins of the newspaper to 72 girls on 11th Oct – International Day of Girl Child.

One month before 11th Oct, we invited 957 girls to write a first person account of the world from their view. These 957 stories, laid bare the gaping holes in our patriarchal society. There were stories of anguish, of silent cries, of unnoticed sacrifices, of arbitrary rules, of daily humiliation. But there were stories of hope, of ambition, of aspirations, of the supreme power of the human spirit, of optimism and the will to change the world.

These 957 stories reached out to 52.5 mn readers

On 11th Oct, we invited 72 girls across 21 different cities to be Dainik Jagran’s Guest Editors. They trained in our newsrooms and created their version of the newspaper. On 11th October, 52.5mn Readers woke up to a newspaper which spoke about an issue often dusted under the carpet. It was a newspaper that stirred the collective conscience of millions of Indians.

Demonstrating Intent: By creating a platform for girls to voice their opinion, we demonstrated intent. When 957 girls come together to tell their stories, the country sits up and listens.

Mainstreaming the Gender Issue: For SDG to achieve women’s economic empowerment by 2030, the agenda had to move out of the “gender ghetto” and go mainstream. Dainik Jagran, India’s largest read newspaper, enabled this mainstreaming.

Subject as Spokesperson: It was a uniquely fulfilling experiment where the “subject” became the “spokesperson”. It brought to light the truth that India chooses to ignore – that economic growth does not automatically mean gender justice.

Impact on Brand : Not only was Dainik Jagran the 1st newspaper in India to cross the 70 mn* Readership mark, we also had the Highest Brand Awareness, Brand Likeability and Brand Health Scores.**

*Source : IRS 2017, ** Brand Study, Dec 2017?