Raj Randhawa (born Raj Kaur) was an Indian-American educator, businesswoman, and community leader, renowned as the mother of Nikki Haley, the former Governor of South Carolina and U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, and a key influence in her early life and political career. She immigrated from India in the late 1960s with her husband, Ajit Singh Randhawa, and settled in Bamberg, South Carolina, where they raised four children and were a key figure in their small-town South Carolina life. Randhawa exemplified immigrant resilience by co-founding and co-owning Exotica International in 1976, a successful women's apparel boutique that imported and sold Indian-inspired clothing, jewelry, and gifts, which became a local landmark, contributed significantly to the family's financial stability, and played a role in her business career. Beyond entrepreneurship, she earned a master's degree in education and taught sixth-grade social studies at Bamberg-Ehrhardt Middle School. She was an active community figure, involved in local civic and religious organizations, and supported her children's endeavors. Her influence on her daughter was profound, instilling values of hard work, faith, and public service rooted in their Sikh heritage. She faced challenges as one of the few Indian families in rural South Carolina during the 1970s but navigated these with grace. She passed away on February 4, 2024, in Columbia, South Carolina, at the age of 80, after a period of declining health, leaving a legacy of empowerment for immigrant women and South Asian Americans.