Kalavanti Raja

PROFILE

KALAWANTI RAJA PAHWAAR Kalawanti Raja, 1st women social worker of scheduled castes in Pakistan, was born on 23rd march, 1974 in Bozdar Wada, a small village of District Khairpur Mirs of Sindh and brought up in Khairpur Mirs. She is Pahwaar by caste which is one of the most deprived and desolate cast among Scheduled castes and are excluded from socioeconomic-political process in the area. It is also notable here that the legendry character of Sindh in Soomra Dynasty MARVI , the great symbol of patriotism, was also Pahwaar by caste and Pahwaars belong to the Menghwar Clan and earlier the Dravidians, the builders of Moen-jo-Daro and Indus valley civilization. She is also one among all Scheduled Castes of Pakistan who dare to defy the traditions and received higher educations on shoe string budget. She received early education in her village and later on obtained Master of Science in Chemistry from Shah Abdul Latif University Khairpur in 2000. She had got married with Engr. Ramesh Raja, the 1st. member of this community who got Masters of Engineering from NED-varsity Karachi and then she started living in Karachi. She spent much time of her carrier in fighting for girl’s education, human rights, health, women issues, and population controls and at every possible platform she advocated the empowerment of women and called upon them to be more expressive on relevant issues without fear. She made enormous contributions to many NGOs like the central Vice President of Scheduled castes federation of Pakistan, Central President of Rakheshwar Social, Cultural and Educational Association District Khairpur (Regd.) and member working committee of Sindh Graduates Association-Women Wing. Her incredible energy level to social work to created awareness among women about their rights to attain the equality and human dignity is widely appreciated among the masses. She attended International Conferences for Dalit Women rights at Nepal, Thailand, India and Bangladesh and she holds a position of Organizer- Pakistan Dalit Solidarity Network (Women Wing) and the Co coordinator Asian Women Association of Excluded Communities.

She voiced her feelings, concepts, thoughts and reactions by writing as a columnist in Sindhi Press over unheard themes and peoples which cover human existence, loneliness, disillusionment, motherhood, spirituality, religion, and nature to develop courage, strength and resilience to assert the rights of marginalized social groups to live a life with dignity. She had been appreciated for her delicate and precise literary works associated with women and down trodden communities. Being a good debater she won “Amar Veer Ladha Ram Award” at Bhagat Kabir Conference Pano Akil in 2005. She feels it is easier for people to recognize her by surname if she belongs to feudal family but the women from lower class families have to strive very hard. However, she wants to live by courage of her convictions with integrity and dignity and she will try her best that she would not let the people down in their heightened expectations from her. One can contact with her at: [email protected] By: Sunil Ponwar

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