Chhavi Rajawat sarpanch of village in India

In this world everything changes as nothing can be stopped from achieving says Chhavi Rajawat who made the world stop one minute. If an MBA graduate working with MNC’s, having studied in some of the best institutions quits the jobs and goes back to the native village and ends up as a village sarpunch. Well it no story of a 70′s bollywood flick but a real life happening.

Everyone were stun silence when the chairperson of the 11^th Information Poverty World conference held at United Nations introduced Chhavi Rajawat as Sarpanch (head of Village in India). Ministers and ambassadors from various countries were stunned and were in sense of disbelief.

This world saw a beginning of a new era in Women. Chhavi Rajawat a Sarpanch of a village One, from a distance, could easily mistake Rajawat, computer-savvy woman, an articulate or frontline model or a Bollywood actress. But she is the head (Sarpanch) of a village, village Soda, about 60 kilometres far from Jaipur. Rajawat of 30, is the youngest and only MBA village head in India. This position is mostly occupied by the elders of a village. Chhavi Rajawat is an Indian politician. She is the sarpanch her village Soda, 60 km from Jaipur.

If you go into Chhavi Rajawat Biography: Chhavi Rajawat was born in Rajasthan. She is an alumna of Rishi ValleySchool, Bangalore,Lady Shri Ram College for Women (University of Delhi) and a management graduate from Indian Institute of Modern Management, Pune now known as Balaji Institute of Modern Management Pune

She left her corporate job and city life to join politics. Her grandfather Brig Raghubir Singh was the sarpanch of the village, from which she too was elected. A student of Rishi Valley Bangalore and Lady Shriram College, Rajawat topped up her education with a business management degree. She worked with five companies in various capacities before changing focus.

But today, as Chhavi heads NREGA meetings in her village dressed in jeans and T-shirt, she is fast emerging as the changing face of rural Rajasthan. Rajawat says “In fact, my business management degree is helping me take care of the village better. It is a sort of social work that runs in my blood,”

And it is a change that Chhavi attributes to her grandfather Brig Raghubir Singh. As sarpanch of Soda, years ago, he had made Chhavi’s mother drive through the village without a veil. Villagers looked surprised as the car entered but no one uttered a word.

Rajawat says she waded into politics, backed by the villagers. “There was an uprising against the sarpanch. The villagers did not want him and though I was pitched against his wife and another woman, I managed to win. The villagers see me as the daughter of the village and wanted me to contest,” she says.

Chhavi Rajawat, the corporate girl-turned-sarpanch from Rajasthan, says she’s used to rural life. “I am used to it. I grew up playing with kids of farmers. Besides, my parental house is in Soda, so I spend time there and don’t miss anything. I am pretty comfortable,” she says. Besides being sarpanch, she also tends to a hotel that the family owns in Jaipur and the numerous horses that are part of her riding school. “It’s a passion,” she explains.

She’s also trying to change mindsets. “Villagers have got used to not working and taking partial payment for NREGA. I have to change that. I go on surprise visits and give them a scolding or two if they are not working,” she says. “But my focus is on bringing safe drinking water and increasing job opportunities in the village by involving NGOs,” says Rajawat.

She was once a part of senior management in Airtel and earlier in Times of India. But she quit the cool comfortable life and decided to go back to her village and fight out for their development and prosperity. Easy availability of water and electricity, proper road in the area are her top priorities.

Chhavi is an alumni of Mayo College Girls in Rajasthan and Lady Sri Ram College in Delhi.

While addressing the meet at the UN she stressed that her aim is to transform her village and wants the companies to come ahead and adopt the village development programmes.

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