CNN Central News & Network-ITDC India Epress/ITDC News Bhopal: In a significant moment for India's social impact ecosystem, Mothers of Courage – Shifting Societal Norms, One Conversation at a Time, a project documenting a grassroots movement for girls' education in Bihar through a powerful film, has earned India's only shortlist in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Lions category at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity 2026.
The project, submitted by Bengaluru-based organisations Mantra Social Services and ShikshaLokam, both part of the broader Shikshagraha movement, stands alongside some of the world's most impactful campaigns driving measurable social change.
The recognition places a community-led education initiative from rural Bihar on one of the world's most prestigious stages for creativity and impact.
At the heart of the project is the Shiksha Chaupal, a community engagement model developed through years of grassroots work that brings together mothers, fathers, youth and local leaders to openly discuss the barriers preventing girls from completing their education. Through collective dialogue and public pledges, communities commit to ensuring girls remain in school and are protected from child marriage.
To date, the initiative has facilitated more than 28,000 community gatherings across 14 districts in Bihar, mobilising over 800,000 citizens around girls' education and gender equality.
The eight-minute documentary Mothers of Courage, directed by Vandana R and produced by Butterfly Effect Media, chronicles these conversations and the women leading change within their communities.
"The women featured in this film are not activists in the conventional sense. They are mothers and mothers-in-law who chose to challenge deeply entrenched social norms — some fighting for their daughters, others breaking convention to send their daughters-in-law back to school," said Khushboo Awasthi, Co-founder of Mantra4Change and Chief Curator, Shikshagraha.
"This recognition belongs to them and to the thousands of communities across Bihar that have demonstrated how collective action can create lasting change. To see that work acknowledged on a global platform like Cannes Lions is both humbling and encouraging."
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