For most youngsters, summer vacations are synonymous with visiting grandparents’ homes for a good one or two months. The lure of grandma’s treasure box and traditional food and the tranquil village life was enough to draw India’s recently elected and one of the youngest sarpanches, Vasundhara Choudhary to visit her ancestral home Lilawali (Hanumangarh district in Rajasthan) almost every summer vacations. During her visit, Vasundhara would always notice that her village had basic facilities such as a school, a bank and a dispensary, but these organisations either had an ineffective or complete absence of management or lacked in funds.
She always wished to do something for the development of her village and looked for the right opportunity to have power in her hands. “When the three-phase panchayat elections were going on, there was a seat reserved for women, so I stood up and every one else backed out. Breaking all biases and stereotypes, people in Lilawali elected me as one of the youngest Sarpanch of my village Lilawali, albeit unopposed. I think being a third year psychology (honours) student of Gargi College, Delhi University, is what made me one of the most qualified candidates for the post,” says 21-year-old Vasundhara, who has already chalked out a long to-do list for her village development.
Elaborating on her plans, she says, “For my five-year term, I want to make my village a self-sustaining entity, not just in the resources but even in thoughts. I have already started working on the reforestation project; if it gets approved from higher authorities, then we will be planting over 3,000 trees in and around the village. I am planning to install a bio-gas plant and solar panels. I will also be going ahead with the water-harvesting project. I’ll work to make women self-dependent and self-reliant by making efforts to establish education and employment avenues in the village. I think bringing about a complete change is only a utopian concept. I can’t bring about an absolute change in just five years, but can surely influence the mindsets of people and set an example for the children to make such career choices.”
On being quizzed, if she aims to enter into active politics after completing her studies, she quickly says, “Not really, but I’d continue striving for bringing about a change in the society and do my bit in whichever small way I can. I could even start an NGO for the mental health awareness. I want to first complete Masters in psychology or gender studies and then do a doctorate or maybe a double doctorate.”
Shouldering this responsibility at quite an early age is an extraordinary achievement. For Vasundhara, it is the family support that has taken her to this level. She says, “My grandfather has been the village sarpanch twice before becoming an MLA and a Rajya Sabha member for two sessions and my father has been a Zila Parishad member, so they understand the profession well and keep guiding me.”
Vasundhara visits the village once every fortnight to ensure that everything is being done as per the directions. Juggling studies and responsibilities at Lilawali isn’t easy for her. She concludes, “I do not have a social life, and nor do I miss it. I travel at nights, so I don’t really waste time. Every waking hour goes on something that is dedicated towards either studies or work. In my free time, I like watching some viral videos or memes and I also like to read anything apart from non-fiction. For de-stressing, I like to go out alone for long walks.”
