Mumbai, January 24, 2019: The Mahindra Group together with Project Nanhi Kali marks the National Girl Child Day with the launch of ‘Rise Up – Anthem for the Girl Child’ today, that draws on from #LadkiHaathSeNikalJayegi campaign in an all new avatar. This time the aim was to celebrate unconventional career choices of women which can be an inspiration for all Nanhi Kalis in India and help refuel conversations around #LadkiHaathSeNikalJaayegi. The anthem is an unconventional rap mix, through a first-time collaboration between Deepa Unnikrishnan, aka Dee MC, who is regarded as one of India’s finest female rappers (writer and vocalist), and Simi Talsania, one of the upcoming female dancers in the hip-hop space in the country. The anthem has gone live today across all digital channels of Project Nanhi Kali and Mahindra Rise, and will be reinforced through the social media pages of the two artistes.
Commenting on the purpose and genesis of the anthem, Vivek Nayer, Chief Marketing Officer, Group Corporate Brand, Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. said, “Mahindra is a socially responsible and trusted brand, and with the Rise for Good initiatives, we not only want to do good in the community, but also aim to inspire others to drive societal change. #LadkiHaathSeNikalJayegi was one such campaign which provided a positive perspective on an age-old and negative mindset. Expanding the mindset beyond girl child education and helping them envision their preferred, potentially unconventional career choices was the logical succession to the campaign. Today, on National Girl Child Day, we are thrilled to be launching the ‘Rise Up’ anthem, and there could be no better role models than Dee MC – a rapper, and Simi – a dancer in the hip-hop genre, to help us tell this story differently.”
“Project Nanhi Kali has consistently communicated that education is the only tool which enables girls to rise from a life of poverty and go on to live a life of dignity. Our campaign #LadkiHaathSeNikalJaayegi, referred to the patriarchal attitudes towards girls which discouraged them from getting educated, but gave a positive spin to the phrase, by linking their education to achieving their aspirations, to become self-reliant and independent women. Our TAG (Teen Age Girls) Report launched recently revealed that 74 percent girls wish to work after their studies, and have a specific career in mind. The Rise Up anthem will definitely open up the minds of girls and encourage them to be fearless in making unconventional career choices,” said Sheetal Mehta, Senior Vice President – CSR, Mahindra Group, and Executive Director, K.C. Mahindra Education Trust.
Created by Mahindra Group and Project Nanhi Kali, the anthem was conceptualised by 22feet Tribal Worldwide, Mumbai.
Deepa Unnikrishnan aka Dee MC, is a 24 year old rapper from Mumbai. She is one of the frontrunners of the growing hip-hop community. She started her journey in 2012, and one of her popular tracks – “No More Limits” has over two million views. Deepa is also the Editor-in-Chief of South Asia’s leading hip-hop news website DesiHipHop.com, and is slated for a Bollywood debut in the upcoming movie “Gully Boy”. Simi Talsania, one of the upcoming female dancers in India, has choreographed the dance. She also featured in the video. She was part of the reality show and crew of Dance Plus 3. She has also been a part of AR Rahman’s concert crew.
Launched in August 2018, #LadkiHaathSeNikalJaayegi campaign has more than 22 million views and provided 1572% lift in searches for not just keywords of campaign but Nanhi Kali as well. It has been recognised at several industry awards, the most recent being ‘Silver’ under the Corporate Advertisement/Reputation category at this year’s Effie Awards India 2019. This is the 4th award our campaign has received this year. In addition, the campaign has been recognised for ‘Best Digital Campaign’ at the 2nd Annual South Asia Laadli Media & Advertising Awards, 2018, ‘Best Use of Social Media In Marketing’ and ‘Marketing CSR Campaign of the Year’ at ET Now presents ‘Starts of the Industry Awards’ (for Excellence in CSR).
Project Nanhi Kali, has, since 1996, empowered over 350,000 girls till date, including 153,999 girls in this past year alone. This massive undertaking was made possible thanks to over 4,949 Community Associates who tutor our Nanhi Kalis for two hours every day, six days a week through the year, working across 6044 Academic Support Centres in remote, tribal and rural pockets, as well as urban slums in 11 States of India. The objective of the campaign is to increase awareness and encourage more and more people to join the movement.
