International Women's Day: Inspiring journey of Rabari community daughter: Deviben Chavda's journey from teacher to GPSC to municipal chief officer

On the occasion of International Women's Day, many inspiring examples of woman power come to the fore. One such story of struggle and success is that of Deviben Chavda, who was serving as the chief officer of the municipality in Gir Somnath district. Deviben Chavda, who comes from the Rabari Maldhari community, has made a name for herself in the society today with her strong morale, hard work and support of her family. Deviben Chavda studied from class 4 to 12 at Gurukul in Porbandar. Since she was the eldest daughter of the family, the burden of responsibilities fell on her shoulders from a young age. There was a time when the belief in Rabari society was more about pushing daughters towards home and social responsibilities rather than educating them further. As a result, after Class 12, her father advised her not to study further and Deviben had to take a break from studies. But Deviben, who was adamant about her studies, did not give up her dreams. His mother supported him immensely during this difficult time and convinced his father to pave the way for his further studies. After that, Deviben completed her studies up to BA, B.Ed and LLB. In 2015, Deviben joined government services and started working as a teacher in the Ahmedabad School Board. Working as a teacher in Ahmedabad's Shahpur area, she did not want to be confined to education. With the determination to make his mark in life, he started preparing for the GPSC exam with the duty of a teacher. As a result of diligent studies, he successfully passed the GPSC exam in 2018 and was appointed as the Chief Officer of the Municipality in the State Government. His journey which started from Chorwad Municipality has now reached the regular Chief Officer of Talala Municipality and the Chief Officer in charge of the Veraval-Patan Joint Municipality. Deviben says, "Sorry for the target. But it is this philosophy of his that inspires him to keep moving forward. On the occasion of International Women's Day, she gives a message to daughters that no girl should ever underestimate herself. With perseverance and hard work, every dream can come true.