Beyond child marriage, patriarchy and purdah

Written by Rajesh Asnani for The Sunday Standard, The New Indian Express

For ages, Rajasthan has been dominated by feudal structures and mindsets wherein patriarchy, purdah and child marriage shaped society. But in this conservative landscape, one father scripted a story of change. Som Dutt Nehra, a junior engineer in the state’s Water Works Department, defied convention and gave his three children—two of them daughters—the wings to become IAS and IPS officers.

And Nehra did not limit himself to being a provider—he became his daughters’ first teacher. He would sit with them to explain the difference between UPSC and RPSC, the possibilities of government service and the power of administration.

He would tell them that those who cleared the UPSC examination rose to become collectors, superintendents, secretaries, directors and even DGs of Police.

While other families in the village prepared their daughters for marriage, Nehra and his wife Rajshree prepared their daughters for leadership. He also opened their world to creativity. He often told them, “People in the desert have a deeper sense of art because they carve patterns in sand with their fingers.”

That vision sowed the seeds of artistry in his younger daughter, Nidhi, who went on to balance administration with painting, holding exhibitions in more than 20 cities.

Vidhi, her elder sister, pursued her post-graduation in Jaipur, preparing for UPSC without coaching, and succeeded on her own merit. She went on to become the Nagaur district’s first female IPS officer and cracked the UPSC first in the family in 2009. Currently posted as the Inspector General of Ahmedabad Range, she has handled several cases of crimes against women.

Nidhi, on the other hand, cracked the UPSC in 2012 to become an IAS officer in the Maharashtra cadre. At the time, she was working at the Reserve Bank of India. During her first pregnancy, with a one-month-old baby, she appeared for UPSC prelims, motivated by her sister Vidhi. She cleared the exam and has since held positions such as Collector of Raigarh, District Magistrate in Mumbai and Commissioner of Employment & Skills. Plus, she is now the director of the National Gallery of Modern Art in Mumbai.

Their younger brother, Praveen Chaudhary, initially chose a different path. An IIT Chennai graduate, he worked with Airbus in France. But his sisters persuaded him to attempt UPSC. He embraced the challenge and is now Collector of Gujarat’s Anand district.

Today, the Nehra family’s story is cited as an example of what education and parental vision can achieve. It represents a shift in Rajasthan’s social mindset.