JOIN USR'than youths leave lucrative careers to contest polls
The recent panchayat polls in Rajasthan has revolutionised local politics with several youngsters coming back to the roots to sever their community as sarpanch.
Leaders like Hanuman Pharrod (27), who left a lucrative job in Australia to contest panchayat polls and 22-year-old Vasundhara Choudhary from Delhi University, have become over night heroes in the desert state.
Both are sarpanches of their villages and want to transform the life of the village folk.
“I was born and brought up in this village. Isn’t it the duty of everyone to give back to the society that has always contributed to your initial success to achieve your dreams? I think being young and educated worked in my favour. I have always been interested in social work and wanted to bring a change,” said Vasundhara, the Sarpanch of Liwali Village of Hanumangarh district. Vasundhara is a third year student of psychology (Honours) in Gargi College in Delhi and wants to complete her master’s in Psychology.
English-speaking Vasundhara is only the second educated woman sarpanch in Rajasthan. The first was 28-year-old Chhavi Rajawat, a management graduate, who left a well-paid corporate job to become sarpanch of Soda village in Tonk district in 2010.
“It is the beginning and things will improve with time. Unless honest and educated people enter politics, things will not work the way you want them to work,” said Hanuman, the new sarpanch of Pharrod village in Nagaur district, who holds a bachelor’s degree in business management from Australia and a diploma in tourism management from Nagpur. Hanuman left his managerial job at a five star hotel in Australia to contest the panchayat polls.
Hanuman was supported by his older brother Dr Pragald Pharrod who is working in London and motivated him to take up the challenge.
“Both of us wanted to give back to our people and our native village. My brother motivated me to take the initiative and assured me to take care of finances and family,” said Hanuman.
For both Vasundhara and Hanuman, the zeal to transform and develop their village is more significant than personal interests. The zeal was equally supported by the villagers who declared that none of the candidates will contest against them. Both the leaders have won unopposed.