NEW DELHI: It was July 4, 2017 when the district collector's office in Thiruvannamalai in Tamil Nadu got a call from 13-year-old Nandhini Nagaraji. The terrified teen informed the officer on the line that she was being forced to marry a man double her age. Then in class IX, all Nandhini wanted was to study.A search was launched for her and she was rescued the next day and sent to a children's home. Her story of courage has since then become a source of inspiration.Six months later when the the Centre's Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP) scheme was extended to her district in January 2018, the district administration chose to make Nandhini the face and voice of the 'No to Child Marriage' campaign.I n Delhi on Thursday, Nandhini shared her journey at a function organised by the ministry of women and child development to mark National Girl Child Day and the anniversary of BBBP. "I will tell my story again and again as it is important for me to speak to save more Nandhini's," said the class 11 student who aspires to be an IAS officer one day .Thiruvannamalai's campaign through Nandhini's story is one of the many case studies drawn from across districts and complied into a booklet as "innovative" initiatives under BBBP to fight gender bias, change mindsets and work towards an equal space for girls and boys. These interventions have been categorised under five themes survival, protection, education, participation and valuing girls.That awareness building is critical comes through in Nandhini's story as she would have never reached the district collector but for a pamphlet distributed once in school when she was in class 8 where all important numbers for children in distress were listed."The day before I was to be married I was desperate to find help and searched out this pamphlet from my school books. Help came my way and I am free today," Nandhini told TOI. Nandhini shared that after her mother passed away and her father abandoned her, her maternal aunt tried to forcibly marry her. The case is still on.However, cases where girls are reluctant to share names and details leaves authorities feeling helpless and they are trying to address this challenge. The calls on 1098 - the national helpline for children in distress-have also increased.