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Acknowledgement
I would like to acknowledge ChatGPT (OpenAI) for assisting with the development and drafting of selected scenes and chapters of Big Girls. The original premise, characters, and creative direction are my own.
Cover image
Photograph by Jack Weir, Land on the Moon, 7/21/1969. Via Wikimedia Commons; released into the public domain.
Introduction
Some institutions are built to educate. Others teach their students how to survive.
On 3 April 2026, Kirti Roy arrives from Kolkata at St Columbus, a castle-like institution founded in 1899 by Father Vincent. To an outsider, the school may appear prestigious, steeped in history and governed by tradition. But behind its imposing walls lies a world shaped by authoritarian discipline, intimidation, humiliation, and an unspoken hierarchy of power.
At St Columbus, obedience is expected, silence is rewarded, and defiance comes at a price. Students must navigate not only the demands of school life but also the unwritten rules enforced by those who hold power over them. Among these students are Smelly and Hairy, whose unconventional nicknames conceal friendships forged in the midst of an unforgiving environment. Together with Kirti, they become known as the Super Girls.
As Kirti discovers the reality of her new school, she begins to understand that the greatest challenges she faces are not necessarily academic. The institution’s traditions, its powerful student council, and the actions of those entrusted with authority raise uncomfortable questions about justice, responsibility, and the difference between discipline and cruelty.
Yet even in a place where compassion seems scarce, there are people who refuse to surrender their humanity. An elderly English teacher, whose approach to education reflects a more compassionate era, offers a striking contrast to the system surrounding him. Through him, the girls encounter a different understanding of authority—one grounded not in fear, but in empathy.
Big Girls is a story about friendship, courage, institutional power, and the difficult choice between accepting an unjust system and challenging it. It explores what happens when young people begin to question the rules they have been taught never to question—and discover that even the smallest voices can expose the deepest failures.
Because sometimes, changing a school does not begin with the people in charge.
Sometimes, it begins with three girls who decide that silence is no longer an option.
