This sarpanch ain't regular ~ Life Stylzz

11:34

Chhavi Rajawat, the 31-year-old LSR educated and usually denim-clad village head of Soda in Rajasthan,

affectionately called 'bai sa' by the villagers, recently returned from the 11th Info-Poverty World Conference held at the United Nations in Manhattan. The MBA graduate, who made headlines last year when she quit her city job for that of Soda's sarpanch, was reported as having being met with "disbelief" at the UN meet. "I felt very proud to have had the opportunity to represent our country and for being able to bring focus to the struggles in rural India," says Chhavi.

She tells us, "I personally don't have time for social networking, but I have developed a website for the village and will be introducing Soda on Facebook and Twitter shortly. We have tremendous talent and drive among young people in India. I believe my achievements can inspire the current and the next generation to step forward by showing them that change is possible in the hands of young Indians who love their country and their roots as deeply as I do."

Chhavi also runs a horse riding academy in Jaipur, and her favourite pastime is to spend time with the children there. "My students at the riding school have taken a great interest in Soda. They love hearing about and seeing pictures of children living there, whose lives are so different from theirs," she says. But her focus at the moment is on education, potable water and sanitation, particularly for women. "Our proud women have to embarrass themselves every time they go to answer nature's call. They're quite witty and use humour to comfort themselves at the irony of wearing the veil to cover their faces on one end, and lifting their skirts in the open at the other," she rues.