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 socio-
economic-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: kalavanti.raja@gmail.com

By: Sunil Ponwar