The theme for the CaL Story Project 25-26 was “Unseen Threads: The Many Faces of Gender Inequity”
Through this theme, students were invited to examine the multifaceted nature of gender inequity—through the voices of those who have experienced it, those who have confronted it (for themselves or others), those who have unknowingly upheld it, or those who have observed it from the side-lines.
As part of their process, students had to find a person in their own city whose story they wished to tell. They had to interview their protagonist, and then write and illustrate their life story to create a picture book.
These four books have been researched, written and illustrated by middle and high school students from @jbcn_borivali
@khssecondary @badri.school and Zameer Foundation
The first two of books talk about the lived experiences of transgender women. Both stories have common themes- the weight of pretending, the rejection by those who are supposed to love us unconditionally, and finally learning to accept and love oneself.
The third book highlights how even in 2025, girls in rural India are still discriminated against when it comes to access to education. The authors of the last book in this series wanted to teach their young readers that “fairness begins at home, and when boys and girls share the workload, both get more time, respect and freedom.”
