MEERUT: Mixed emotions gripped 21-year-old Zainab Khan as she walked up on stage at Lok Bhawan in Lucknow to receive the Rani Laxmibai Award from chief minister Akhilesh Yadav on Monday. Recognized for being the first girl to finish schooling in her hometown of Chandora in Meerut, Zainab’s childlike looks have, for long, hidden the indomitable courage possessed by the young girl, who is presently a final-year student of MA (Political Science) at Meerut’s Imsail College.“The school in our village was only till class VIII. Most girls used to drop out after that. But I knew I had to break societal norms. The closest senior secondary school to my home was 80 kilometres away. I travelled 160 kilometres everyday with my father. All that pain and hardwork has only been cemented with this recognition. This is by far the happiest day of my life,” says an ecstatic Zainab. She was also awarded Rs 1 lakh as part of the recognition by the state government. TOI had first reported about Zainab a year and a half ago. Days after the report, citing Zainab’s zeal and the plight of other girls in the village due to the absence of a senior secondary school in the village, the chief minister ordered for the school to be constructed. The school is under construction.Nobel laureate Kailash Satyarthi 's acclaimed Bachpan Bachao Andolan programme recognized Zainab's zeal for education in 2005 and selected her as the head of Chandora's bal panchayat. Girls in the Rajput-dominated village of Chandora are relegated to a menial work at Meerut's ubiquitous sports goods units wherein they are made to stitch footballs. The working age for girls in this village is as low as seven years. But, Zainab was an exception. Putting her child labour past firmly behind her, she decided to pursue her education beyond the boundaries of her village, defying society. Along with completing her own schooling, she also encouraged 12 other girls to follow their dreams. Zainab, along with other members of Bachpan Bachao Andolan, went from house to house, exhorting parents to send girls to school.Zainab still occasionally teaches at Chandora's primary school, where cheers of 'Zainab didi, Zainab didi,' ring out every time she walks into a classroom."It is thanks to her efforts that among the kids who cycle outside the village now one can also spot several girls. It is about the mentality of villagers—which she has helped change drastically,” Waeed Khan, who taught Zainab at the same school years ago, had said.Zainab, however, says her work is far from over. She intends to use her award money to further her cause and help other girls in completing their schooling.“I will continue working in the field of education. I will use this money to help in the education of girls who can not afford the education. Money should not be a hindrance, and I’ll try to do my best to make it easier for as many girls as possible. Every family must educate their children, without any gender bias,” says Zainab.