I'd gone to the service station to drop my Cruze for repairs. After explaining the work to be done to the Service engineer, I'd caught an autorickshaw to return to my house.
The driver of the vehicle was a young lady who wove her vehicle, in and out of traffic, rather expertly and drove well. She is Ramani from one of the nearby hamlets of Kochi and her vehicle has been sponsored by the self help group 'Kudumbasree'. Actually, she was working as a domestic help, a few years back and it was then that she used to attend regular driving classes, during her spare time, as she wanted to do something different!
Meanwhile, she'd got married at the behest of her parents only to realise that her married life had pitfalls. Her husband used to ill treat her and she suffered domestic violence silently for a while, hoping that things would turn for the better but Dame Luck eluded her. She divorced him a year later and took up 'autorickshaw driving' thanks to the timely help and guidance from the local Kudumbasree project team. On an average, she makes about Rs. 300/-daily, after meeting all expenses in connection with the running of the vehicle. She looks after her aged parents and the education of her two younger sisters with this remuneration and mind you, she's an elder brother and sister, who live their own lives!
Seeing her confident and optimistic demeanour, I couldn't help but admire her perseverance and clarity of thought. And I really felt nice as I came off from the ride!
Here's wishing that Ramani does well in her endeavours. And may there be many more Ramanis, because emanicipated women form the very foundation of a strong and vibrant nation!
PS.
Ramani's autorick is named 'Butterfly'. Aptly named, isn't she?
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