Of all the Chief Ministers in India, we love everything that the Chief Minister of Rajasthan Vasundhara Raje is and does. Her exceptional leadership has driven the state to come out of the ‘BIMARU’ tag. Rajasthan has become the leading state in the country with numerous remarkable policy initiatives. Be it abolishing of archaic laws, revolutionizing the labour sector or reforming the subsidy system – CM Vasundhara Raje is on a mission to reshape and recreate a new model of development that brings about what she calls a ‘New Rajasthan’. Her administrative abilities, effective and strong decision making, clear vision and the aptitude to change the rules of the game in her style has made her a popular leader – both inside and outside the party. The real transformation she’s brought in the policy paradigms makes us certain to say – you may like her, you may hate her – but you certainly cannot ignore her. For those who do love her, here are some rare pictures and interesting facts and about the Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje:
Avid book reader
While remembering her childhood recently at the Jaipur Literature Festival, Chief Minister Raje recalled how as a child she was fascinated with books. She said, “I remember reading the covers and few pages of book whenever I visited book stalls. Many of us cannot sleep without reading a few pages even now, however tired we may be. A book takes you somewhere, another one takes you somewhere else!” It is a less known fact that Chief Minister of Rajasthan Smt. Vasundhara Raje loves to read and has a vast and diverse collection of books. One of her favorite authors is Hilary Mantel, who made Man Booker prize history by becoming the first woman and the first British writer to win the literary award twice.
Dog lover
Vasundhara Raje’s love for animals is not popularly known. CM Raje adores her pet dogs and treats them like family. Apart from dogs, Raje is fond of horses. Raje is also a wildlife enthusiast.
Connoisseur of all things Art
Vasundhara Raje admires art and artists in all forms. Her favorite artist is the illustrious Painter P. N. Choyal of Udaipur. Be it Fine art, visual art, the art of music or crafts, Raje is a aficionado of all things creative and has a great aesthetic sense.
Sports Fan
Being an ardent sports fan, Vasundhara Raje follows all kinds of sports. Her excitement about cricket was seen recently in her congratulatory tweet to the Indian Cricket Team. (Attach tweet). She also tried her hand on shotgun while inaugurating the XXV All India G V Mavalankar Shooting Championships 2015 at Jagatpura Shooting Range in Jaipur. Her favorite Sportsman is Indian Archer Limba Ram and favorite sport is Horse Riding.
Congratulations #TeamIndia for the grand win in Australia. Proud of you! All the best for T-20 world cup! #TeamIndia #IndvsAus
— Vasundhara Raje (@VasundharaBJP) January 31, 2016
Nature Aesthete
CM Vasundhara Raje does not get free time very often, but when she does, she loves spending time in her gardens. She takes time out personally to look after her plants and likes to spend time with Mother Nature. The beauty of trees and hues of flowers fascinate her. Her love for nature can be imagined with this tweet:
It’d be nice if we keep pots of water for birds outside our homes in this scorching heat, most convenient way to do our bit for Environment.
— Vasundhara Raje (@VasundharaBJP) June 1, 2014
All things Rajasthan
Vasundhara Raje adores the various facets of Rajasthan. She says that Rajasthan has worlds to offer. The lakes of Udaipur, Thar in Jaisalmer, Jungles of Sawai Madhopur, Colours of Pushkar, History of Hadoti – she believes that every nook in Rajasthan has a story to tell. Apart from encouraging the beautiful arts and crafts of Rajasthan, like a true Rajasthani, Vasundhara Raje’s favorite cuisine is Rajasthani specialty – Kadi, lahsun ki chatni and bajre ki roti. A strong supporter of small scale and cottage industries like Khadi and handicrafts, Vasundhara Raje has often expressed her love for Rajasthani attires and trinkets.
Family & Childhood
Vasundhara Raje is the fourth child of the incumbent Ruler of Gwalior His Highness Jivaji Rao Scindia and his wife Rajmata Vijaya Raje Scindia. Family ties and culture means the most to her. After Raje completed her school education from Presentation Convent, Kodaikanal, she went for graduation in Economic and Political Science (Hons.) from Sophia College, Mumbai University. She can speak fluent Marathi. Raje’s Ideal Leader is Her Highness Rajmata Vijayaraje Scindia. She was a major inspiration behind Vasundhara Raje’s interest in Politics. Vasundhara Raje’s recalls her favorite childhood memory of going out on long drives with her parents and siblings in the dusky evenings in Gwalior. What deeply impacted Vasundhara Raje’s life at one point of time was when the Nation came out of the state of emergency and the protesting leaders from her family were released from prison. 1. In 2007, Vasundhara Raje was awarded the ‘Women Together Award’, by the UNO, for efforts to assist women in self-empowerment. Vasundhara Raje enjoys her time now as a doting grandmother of two charming grandchildren.
A woman of substance, in the most honest sense, Vasundhara Raje’s life and work is an ideal example of how one woman can create a difference in millions of lives. Her personal battles never let her step away from the line of duty. With her signature Bhamashah scheme, she is actually trying to do something no one has ever done before – Make the Woman the head of the house. On a mission to change the feudal state of Rajasthan, Raje has left no stone unturned to ensure that Rajasthan progresses with all its communities hand in hand, towards prosperity and a better future. We wish this iron woman great luck – May she achieve her hard-set goals – a better Rajasthan would surely mean a better India.
