Archana Shukla

I said, I don't want to marry right now.

I am in grade 9.

I want to study.

Football.

I didn't know anything about football.

We were told it is played by using the feet.

So that's what we did.

We were hitting the ball here and there, feeling scared.

Then our clothes would get in the way.

But when we worked with the girls and they learnt about their rights, about the country's constitution, the ill effects of child marriage, and because girls were stepping out, they were able to raise their voices.

And it allows other girls to dare to dream too.

I'm in Patna and it's early morning on the banks of river Ganga. About a hundred students, all in the age group of 18 to 25, are giving a mock test. They are preparing for competitive exams in hopes of a good government job. That's the teacher reading out the right answers and students are marking themselves on the multiple choice questionnaire. It's one of the most extraordinary sights.

I'm in Patna and it's early morning on the banks of river Ganga. About a hundred students, all in the age group of 18 to 25, are giving a mock test. They are preparing for competitive exams in hopes of a good government job. That's the teacher reading out the right answers and students are marking themselves on the multiple choice questionnaire. It's one of the most extraordinary sights.

Most of them cannot afford private training centres and hence have made this public promenade their classroom. They are desperate. Government exams are their only shot at a stable career and they try year after year. But their dreams are crushed each time by cheating scandals and frauds where question papers are leaked for money.

Most of them cannot afford private training centres and hence have made this public promenade their classroom. They are desperate. Government exams are their only shot at a stable career and they try year after year. But their dreams are crushed each time by cheating scandals and frauds where question papers are leaked for money.

25-year-old Akash Kumar, a graduate, works by day and studies for a police recruitment exam by night. But in the last two years, papers were leaked and exams cancelled.

25-year-old Akash Kumar, a graduate, works by day and studies for a police recruitment exam by night. But in the last two years, papers were leaked and exams cancelled.

Competition is fierce. Millions are vying for a few thousand government jobs. Hundreds of miles away, a sleepy village in Uttar Pradesh bears testimony. In a quiet house, Lakshman Pal Singh sits, grieving. His 26-year-old son struggled to find a secure job for years. Last February, he was one of around 5 million who took an exam to fill 60,000 constable posts. But exams were leaked again.

Competition is fierce. Millions are vying for a few thousand government jobs. Hundreds of miles away, a sleepy village in Uttar Pradesh bears testimony. In a quiet house, Lakshman Pal Singh sits, grieving. His 26-year-old son struggled to find a secure job for years. Last February, he was one of around 5 million who took an exam to fill 60,000 constable posts. But exams were leaked again.

In 2024 alone, six major exams were compromised and nearly 10 million students left in the lurch. Enraged, the students have been protesting across the country. As pressure mounted, the government, first dismissive of any failure, has promised reforms.