Non-fiction book, ‘We are the Champions’ written by renowned authors Rashmi Bansal and Devendra Tak, features 15 young and vibrant social activists of the country

The upcoming non-fiction book, ‘We are the Champions’ written by renowned authors Rashmi Bansal and Devendra Tak, the book features 15 young and vibrant social activists of the country. The book highlights the inspirational stories and struggles of 15 underprivileged Indian children and also questions age old practices such as child marriage, child labour, dowry, the human trafficking and inequality of gender. The book aims to attract support for these child champions and other children like them, especially those who are the most marginalized, so that they are able to lead a proper childhood and grow up to realize their dreams.

A sneak peek into the stories  of the 15 children in 'We are the Champions': 

Ø   A girl who was trafficked to Delhi but returned home to Bengal’s Sundarbans to end trafficking in 80 villages and is speaking out on global platforms, including on two UN General Assemblies, to draw attention of world leaders to child rights issues;

Ø  A boy living in a slum in New Delhi who uses rap music to champion change;

Ø  A girl in Mumbai who has taken the unusual route of playing cricket to achieve her rights.

Ø  A boy in Kashmir whose home was burnt by militants but who is fighting against drugs;

Ø  A boy who grew up on the streets of Delhi and is now making a mark in Bollywood;

Ø  A girl living in a Mumbai slum creating awareness of health and hygiene;

Ø  A girl who fought gender discrimination after watching a caravan perform a show in her village (in Haryana) introducing child rights;

Ø  A girl in rural Bangalore who is bringing hygiene and health to her school and community;

Ø  A girl who is bringing health and education to a remote tribal belt in Odisha;

Ø  A girl living in a makeshift slum in Kolkata’s crowded port area who is trying to bring safety and positive change in her community;

Ø  A girl from Jharkhand who twice escaped after being sent out as a domestic worker and who is now setting up a business;

Ø  A boy in a village in Rajasthan infested with child marriages who campaigns for girls and is known as a ‘marriage ender’;

Ø  A girl from Rajasthan who fought against her early marriage spawning a change and change makers across the state;

Ø  A girl from Bihar, who has raised her melodious voice against dowry;

Ø   A Dalit girl in Punjab who plucked cotton in the fields for three months every year instead of attending school -- but has today ensured that her village is child-labour free;

About the authors:

Rashmi Bansal is an Indian non-fiction writer, entrepreneur and a youth expert. As of 2019, she is the author of nine books on entrepreneurship. Her first book, Stay Hungry Stay Foolish, traced the progress of 25 MBA entrepreneurs and sold over 500,000 copies, a record for books published in India.  This is her 11^th book with total sales exceeding 12 lakhs in multiple languages for her previous works.   
Devendra Tak, who works with Save the Children, has met amazing people during his career when he was on assignments in India and abroad. “But witnessing the awe-inspiring efforts of these children made it imperative to capture their stories in a book and share widely with the world,” he says.

Talk Points:

• Theme of the book divided into three sections: Ladenge means fight - we will fight (for child rights). Padhenge means study. Completing one’s education is seen as a major step in the realisation of child rights. It also helps families break through the vicious cycle of poverty in the long run. Badhenge means to grow, move ahead. Every child has a right to grow and achieve his or her full potential.
• By questioning age-old practices such as child marriage, child labour, dowry, trafficking and inequality of gender, the children featured here have brought real and lasting change in their communities. This book contains valuable lessons for students, teachers, social workers, NGOs and all citizens who care about a better, more inclusive India.
• Why Co-author opines  “It takes a child to raise a village,” and her journey of compiling stories of inspiring children from across India who have helped to improve the lives of other children and brought positive change to the communities 
• The book aims to attract support for these child champions and other children like them, especially those who are the most marginalized, so that they are able to lead a proper childhood and grow up to realize their dreams. Given that 40 per cent of India’s population is children, we all need to pay attention to how Every Last Child is raised. If India’s children are illiterate, unhealthy and unsafe, there will be direct consequences for the nation and the world at large    
• The book features anecdotes by children like in case of Anju Verma, who has launched her own NGO called Bulland Udaan which works in Haryana, Saleha Khan, who is a resident of Govandi slum in Mumbai who  work against trafficking, child marriage and more.

We would like to explore a possibility of an email Interview/ One-on-ones/ or Telecon with the authors Rashmi Bansal, Devendra Tak and any of the Child Champions featured in the book, to feature the book or a possible review in the non-fiction section.

The book is now the Top 100 best selling ebooks on Amazon Kindle.