Avni

Avni is a 7year old girl who lives in the village with Malti(30yrs), her mother and Navin (9yrs), her elder brother. Malti works in the fields to make her ends meets. Avni is gifted with a natural curiosity and eagerness onwards learning and education. However only Navin goes to school as Malti feels that only the male child should be educated. Every single day, Avni has to watch her brother get ready and go off to school while she has to stay back home and help her mother with household chores.

With an undying desire to study, Avni finds an ingenious way to learn. While her mother is away in the fields, Avni secretly finds time between her household chores and runs to her brother’s school. Since she is not a part of the school she quietly stands outside the window and picks up what is being taught in the class. While juggling her household work she makes sure she comes back home and revises what she has picked up at the school. 


One day Navin catches Avni standing outside the class and complains to his mother. Malti is enraged by Avani’s behaviour and beats her. Avni is distraught at the punishment meted out to her despite the fact that she did nothing wrong. She confronts her mother about the inequality she is facing as her brother is allowed to go to school and she is not. Her mother questions Avni about
what would she do even if she got educated? Upset by this rigid conditioning of her mother, Avni becomes more determined in her pursuit to get her right of education.

She makes the entire village her classroom. Wherever she finds empty walls in the village, she starts using the walls as her blackboard.



While on a trip to the market, Avni steps in and saves her mother from getting duped by the shopkeeper by carefully calculating the money that was owed to her. Avni stands her ground and the shopkeeper finally agrees to his mistake. This interaction comes as a big shock to Malti. She has an identity crisis when she realises that people must have been duping her all through her life due to her being uneducated. She also sees Avni in a different light for the first time.



The same night Malti finds Avni reciting a poem on the terrace alone, Tears roll down on her cheeks looking her daughter’s dedication.


Malti decides to follow Avni the next day. She is astounded when she comes across the back wall of the school. The wall is entirely full of words and scribblings by Avni.

Malti is overwhelmed by her daughter’s desire and passion for learning. Would this moment of self awakening be enough for Malti to empower her daughter in seeking her dreams or would the centuries old societal conditioning continue to dominate her mind?