CEO & Founder
Saloni Rajesh Shavdia
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Social Justice Consultant
Hello there!
I am Saloni Rajesh Shavdia, the founder and CEO of NIRAJKA consultancy firm. NIRAJKA is something so special to me as it brought me even closer to my goal which is to help people be better and kinder to one another with a social justice lens.
The ‘NI’ in NIRAJKA stands for my late Aunt Nina Harilal Nandha who I
lovingly call Nina Maa. She taught me to spread kindness, love, laughter and always
have homemade Kheer (rice pudding). The
‘RA’ is Rajesh Navinchandra Shavdia, who is my Papa/father. He has been my rock
throughout my life. He once told me “Saloni, life is all about the mind and if
you think of something you will believe it. So, try be positive as much as you
can”. The ‘J’ is Jayalaxmi Navinchandra Shavdia, my Baa who is by grandmother
but in Gujarati is mother. She taught me
nothing is above prayer and she taught me about Karam, Dharm and Karma. Karam is the art of giving, Dharm your duty and
principles and Karma whatever you do comes back to you. Lastly, ‘KA’ Kamini Rajesh Shavdia, my super-mum. She taught me to have a strong willpower and
never to underestimate it. She once told me “Be bold, be beautiful and be smart
in life” and that stuck to me thought my life. Hence, the birth of NIRAJKA.
Other than family, I had 2 gurus throughout my education that not only spoke to me but also to my soul. I met my first life Guru at the Aga Khan Academy, Mombasa, my Junior and High School. I was going through a rough patch in my final years of high school and that’s where my guru first came. They say when it’s time for a teacher to appear, without fail a teacher will appear. And that’s exactly what happened to me. Even though my Guru has not taught me a subject in school, he did teach me the most important life lesson which is to believe in myself and God. During my rough patch in high school, my guru went out of his way to support me. He once asked me, “Do you believe in GOD? (I said yes), then leave it up to him”. And I did exactly that. Miracles and the art of prayer go a long way. Despite many challenges, I completed high school and graduated with International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma.
My second guru was my Social Justice professor at the University of Victoria (UVic), British Colombia (BC) Canada. He taught me to fight injustice through education. In one of his classes, he mentioned a quote by the late Nelson Mandela: “Education is the most powerful weapon”. With that in mind I embedded myself in Sociology and Social justice studies at UVic. Through meeting people and volunteering at various school clubs, I got to speak at the ‘Black Lives Matter Rally’ in Victoria in front of thousands of people at the Centennial Square in Victoria BC, Canada on June 8th, 2020. I recall being nervous before speaking and my guru came up to me and told me, “It’s better to say something than not say anything at all and speak with your heart”. And I did just that. I made a little wave in the sea full of waves. At the same time, I used to co- facilitate with my guru on Anti-Racism workshops to UVic staff, faculty, students, and the Victoria community. Later, I became the first facilitator as a student at UVic to facilitate the Anti-Racism workshops individually.
Due to all my life lessons and teachings,
I am at point where I can now call myself a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
(DEI) and Social Justice consultant.
NIRAJKA consultancy came to be due to my ongoing passion to be better and do
better as an individual and as part of society today. My passion for social
justice and DEI embarked on at young age where I told myself I want to change
the world in someway one day. Hence, today NIRAJKA stands as a consultancy to
do good for the people, by the people and with the people. Hence, the several workshops NIRAJKA has
to offer which corelates to the
consultancy mission “to change people’s perspectives on others and to spread
kindness”.