Outstanding Student Achiever

Outstanding Student Achiever

At first glance, he looks like just another university student, fond of gymming, body building and anchoring stage shows. Student of BBA at our G D Goenka School of Management, Nasir Khan is a national level squash player and a Salman Khan fan. He has an infectious smile and takes great inspiration from the movie ‘War Horse’.

But he is also the youngest Sarpanch of Haryana, representing his village Bijopur, in district Faridabad. Nasir embodies a new age of young Indians who want to be the change they want to see. He is focused, dedicated and has the courage of his convictions. Which is the reason we are proud to call him an ‘Outstanding Student Achiever’. Find out more about his goals and dreams:

Tell us how did you think of pursuing this path?

Right from the beginning, I had decided that the year I turn 21 I will stand for election. Our family was the only one in our village, Bijopur that was educated. I did my schooling in Nainital and my sisters are highly educated, they are graduates and doctorates. I could see that my village still had that one school with almost no teachers. There was hardly any education there and it had zero percent result. We lived in Delhi but kept in touch with the village. I saw that there was hardly any development in our village over the years. That further spurred me on to take up this challenge even though mine is not a political family. On 10th Jan 2016 I was elected as the village Sarpanch.

Did you ever think you will actually win? Who was your opponent?

I was sure I will win. My opponent had been Sarpanch for last 15 years. My family had no political leanings. We are into garment business and run a school. But still I was very sure I wanted to do this. I think the youth supported me.

How much time do you have to devote to your Sarpanch duties?

I feel whatever time I give to my village is less. But yes, I have to study, come to the University. But I make it a point to spend at least 2-3 hours every day after University in my village. If you do not go there regularly, you forget the faces. I have to meet them and solve their problems. I have to visit various offices such as the DC’s office or other departmental offices.

Do you solve the problems? Are you able to solve them properly considering you are 22?

People in the village are very orthodox. The problems are also very typical and orthodox. I get mundane complaints such as this person stopped my way or tied his buffalo in front of my door, threw garbage in front of my house. These are very minor issues that can become major as people’s egos get hurt. Some people are stubborn. I have to counsel them patiently and resolve the issues.

Tell us more about your village, Bijopur?

I love my village and my roots. Bijopur has a majority of Muslim population and scheduled castes. One remarkable thing is that we have the best sex ratio in Haryana with regards to women. The village had been felicitated by the previous Haryana Govt for that. In a state where the female to male ratio is largely skewed, it is a matter of pride for us that we are better than the others. Yet a lot needs to be done.

What are your plans for the future?

In a few years if I get a ticket for an MLA seat, I would certainly like to go for it. Maybe I could be the youngest MLA at 25. I will fight for elections. Then for Rajya Sabha the criteria is 32 years. I want to go as far in politics as I can.

Do you think youth should come into politics?

To understand the system you need to get into the system. We keep on saying this Govt is not doing anything. When you get into the system you understand how things happen, how things work. You understand if something happens, what is the reason behind it, what is the role of each department. It is very easy to say all politicians are corrupt. Then do something about it. I have started from grassroots level. I am learning every day.

How can we encourage more youth to enter politics?

I feel our leaders should target youth. Our leaders have always been elderly. They keep on saying we will give pension to old people, we will increase the prices of cereals. No one says we will make a stadium for you. We should give emphasis to sports, fitness. Now every village in Haryana is getting a vyayamshala, a sports complex as youth is inclined towards sports and they have performed very well nationally and internationally.

Haryana is making a secretariat in every village. A lot of work is being done. Govt has reduced the number of offices you have to run to in order to get any documentation done. Now CSC(Common Service Centres) have been opened. 106 services are provided within this CSC. Birth certificate, death certificate, aadhar card, everything now has a single window clearance at village level. This is the digital India PM Modi talks about.

What are your dreams?

I want to ensure there is maximum literacy in my village. I want to improve the one school in our village. It has had zero percent result in the past. I went to the district education officer and she assured me they are going to appoint some teachers this year. In our village women are still not educated. Whenever I meet them I urge them to get educated and send their daughters to school.

What have you had to sacrifice to perform this role?

I have had to leave friends, I had to leave normal chit chat to achieve my goals. I don’t get time to pursue sports, my squash practice, although I try and remain regular with my gym. But I have gained a lot too. I have grown as a person. Instead of whiling away time, if I can be of any assistance to people, if I can enhance their life in any way, I would feel proud. This is just what I wanted to do in my life. As narrated to Ms Shivani Mohan, Faculty, Business Communication