I developed a keen interest in the cause of the girl child in the mid-1980s when I had returned from the US after my studies. This was the period immediately after the restoration of democracy following the brief spell of Emergency in India. Though I was in agreement in principle with the idea of population control, I was deeply disturbed by the measures used to enforce this decision. Besides population control, I realized that there was a strong co-relation between most societal ills and no education for the girl child. By empowering her with education, we could begin to put an end to ailments such as the spiralling population rate, caste system and dowry deaths. In that sense, one of the foundations of a secular, modern society is the education of its women. This concern for the upliftment of the girl child translated into Nanhi Kali. Currently,Project Nanhi Kali supports the education of over 114,000 underprivileged girl children across 10 states in India.