Meet This Tamil Nadu Woman, Who Drives Auto-rickshaw To Earn A Living

A 50-year-old woman from Tamil Nadu is setting a new narrative and shattering stereotypes with an auto-rickshaw. Sita, hailing from Thanjavur, always wanted to become a driver since childhood. She faced several challenges in obtaining a driving licence. But in 2002, she finally got a licence and began driving an auto at Periya Koil Auto Stand in Thanjavur.

Recently, she shared her experiences of driving an auto rickshaw. She has five sisters and is among the ones who had the ambition of making a professional mark. At first, when she went to get her driving licence in 2002, she was denied it stating that only a driving licence of a car can be issued to her. It was the reason, Sita fought with RTO for her rights to obtain a licence for an auto.

“My family had been in a business but suffered huge losses. This was the time when I decided to look out for my family and started to find a job as an auto driver. My cousins were in their third year and my husband was working as a wage labourer,” she said.

She shared her desire to keep moving forward and working as much as she could to cover her family’s basic amenities. Sita further asserts that so far she has worked hard and managed to resolve all the problems she encountered. For her, the biggest inspiration is the people who come across her and praise her driving skills. She says, “It is because of their encouragement she has come a long way ahead.”

Putting in her words, she encourages all women to put in a lot of work, learn from their mistakes and become self-dependent.

Another similar incident of a woman went viral some time back. A 51-year-old woman has been driving an auto-rickshaw for the last 19 years in Kochi. Named Jaya K, she chose this profession when men largely dominated this industry. She shares how her auto-rickshaw journey changed her life and provided her with financial stability.