Chhavi Rajawat is an Indian social activist and motivational speaker, who was the former Sarpanch of the village Soda, Rajasthan. She is considered one of the youngest sarpanchs in India.
Wiki/Biography
Chhavi Rajawat was born on Tuesday, 4 January 1977 (age 46 years; as of 2023) in village Soda, Tehsil Malpura, District Tonk, Rajasthan, India. Her zodiac sign is Capricorn.
Chhavi Rajawat’s childhood picture with her grandfather
From 1986 to 1992, she did her schooling at Rishi Valley School, Jaipur. She attended Mayo College Girls’ School, Ajmer, Rajasthan, from 1992 to 1994. She pursued a BA (honours) in English Literature at Lady Shri Ram College, New Delhi, from 1994 to 1997. She did PGDM at International Infrastructure Management Manual (IIMM), from 2001 to 2003. She did a few courses including Aspen Fellowship Program, Harvard Kennedy School: Global Leadership and Public Policy for the 21st Century, and ISB: Innovations and Lessons from Emerging Markets: A South Asia Perspective. Later, she did an MBA at Balaji Institute of Modern Management, Pune.
Physical Appearance
Height (approx.): 5′ 8″
Hair Colour: Dark Brown
Eye Colour: Dark Brown
Family
Chhavi belongs to a Hindu Rajput family.
Parents & Siblings
Her father, Narendra Singh Rajawat, is a manufacturer of leather goods. Her mother, Harsh Chauhan, runs a hotel in Jaipur.
Husband & Children
She is unmarried.
Other Relatives
Her grandfather, Brigadier Raghubir Singh, was a Mahavir Vir Chakra.
Career
Sarpanch
In February 2010, she won the sarpanch elections of village council of Soda, Tonk, Rajasthan. Initially, she faced various challenges in the village like lack of clean water, inadequate healthcare facilities, and lack of educational facilities. She first worked on the issue of scarcity of water. Chhavi started working by implementing rainwater harvesting systems in the village. She then focused on improving the quality of education in her village. She worked on building the infrastructure, hiring skilled teachers, and providing basic facilities in schools. As a result, the literacy rate in the village was improved.
Chhavi Rajawat with school kids
Another issue in the village was the lack of proper healthcare facilities. She then organised various medical camps in the village to ensure that basic healthcare services were accessible to all. She also promoted hygiene and sanitation practices in the village with the help of village people. Gradually, more facilities were made accessible in the village. She has also set up the first branch of the State Bank of India in the village. In 2015, her sarpanch tenure ended, but she continued working for the upgradation of the village. Her work was supported by the State Government of Rajasthan and various other companies like The Himalaya Drug Company, Hindustan Unilever Limited, Nerolac Paints India, Rotary International, and Hindustan Coca-Cola Foundation.
Other Work
After completing her MBA, she worked for companies such as Times of India, Carlson Group of Hotels, and Airtel. Chhavi did a few educational programs at places like ISB in Hyderabad and Harvard Kennedy School in the USA. She was in charge of an important meeting by the World Economic Forum in India, and she was invited to a special event with Barack Obama in Chicago and a town hall meeting in Delhi. Chhavi also owns a hotel and a place for riding horses in Jaipur. On 25 March 2011, Rajawat was invited to a conference at the United Nations 11th Infopoverty World Conference. She also delivered a speech on the late President of India, APJ Abdul Kalam, at a function about technology in New Delhi. She has participated in many national and international programs like The Australia-India Youth Dialogue, the International Visitors Leadership Programme, and the Asian Forum on Global Governance. In October 2017, she started working as a director at a luxury hotel named EIH Limited. In March 2020, she started working for a non-profit college Eminent Girls College in Tonk, Rajasthan. In 2021, she started working as a Member of the South Asia Advisory Council at a pharmaceutical company named Bayer. She is also a board member of an NGO named Miracle Foundation.
Awards
- 2018: First Ladies National Award
- 2019: WOW Achievers Award
Chhavi Rajawat with her WOW Award
- 2022: Rajasthan Ratna Shiromani Award
Chhavi Rajawat receiving Rajasthan Ratna Shiromani Award 2022
Some of her other awards include:
- Member of the South Asia Advisory Council
- Reebok’s Fit To Fight Award
- Young Indian Leader Award by CNN/IBN
- Grassroots Women of the Decade Achievers Award
- Bharat Ratna Rajiv Gandhi Yuva Shakti National Award
- All India Woman Achiever’s Award
- Changing Face of Indian Politics Award
Facts/Trivia
- In her leisure time, she loves to travel and read books.
Chhavi Rajawat during her vacation
- She is an avid animal lover and owns two pet dogs named Potli and Butterball.
Chhavi Rajawat with her pet dogs
- In 2014, a group of people armed with sticks, iron rods, and stones, attacked Chhavi, her father, and the Panchayat secretary over a land dispute. She had minor injuries, while her father had been admitted to the hospital. Later, the police arrested seven people, including five women, in connection with the attack. The incident occurred in Soda village. While addressing the media, Chhavi shared that she and her father had repeatedly requested police assistance in the past two weeks. She said that earlier various attempts to attack them took place. However, the police did not take any action. Chhavi also shared that the police arrived after her father had already been hospitalised. The dispute was over a piece of land where a government IT centre was being constructed under a central government scheme. Chhavi explained that a man named Roop Narain and his family had obtained a court stay claiming ownership of the land. Later, the stay was lifted. She said,
This was a government project intended for the village’s development. Roop Narain and his family have been constantly threatening us. They made several attempts to attack us since construction began.”
- In 2019, Google Pay released a video celebrating the work of Chhavi.
- She has been providing yoga classes for a few years.
- She follows the Indian motivational speaker Sadhguru.
- In 2023, she was invited as one of the guests on the special episode of the Sony TV serial ‘Kaun Banega Crorepati.’
Chhavi Rajawat in Kaun Banega Crorepati