First Woman Auto – rickshaw driver in Thane

Mostly you see male auto drivers.  One day when you are looking for an auto and if you see a female driver, what will be your reaction? In today’s newsletter, we are going to talk about an auto driver who inspired many. But what makes it special is that she is the first woman  from Thane to become an auto driver.

Anamika Bhalerao is the 41-year-old first female auto-driver in Thane. She always had a wish for driving an auto-rickshaw and one day she finally bought herself an auto-rickshaw painted with orange color. Her dream came true. In this new year, we remember women like Anamika who dared to break stereotypes and started serving society in whatever ways she can by fulfilling her dreams and contributing to her family.

From the name auto-rickshaw, you may think it is a normal auto-rickshaw but let me tell you it is not an ordinary vehicle. It comes with WiFi, newsletters, and even a first aid box. Apart from having these many features, she does not charge her passengers for extra money if they use these features. In this journey, her husband played a pivotal role as he was the one who taught her how to drive an auto-rickshaw. His name is Avinash. He is also an auto- rickshaw driver. She started driving around 6 years back. She got inspired by seeing women driving two-wheelers, four-wheelers but never saw them driving any auto-rickshaws. Seeing all this, she started to drive an auto-rickshaw firstly as a hobby, but then she chose it as her profession. She also consulted her in-laws, relatives for their opinion of driving an auto-rickshaw. Surprisingly, she got support from all of them. They believed if women could fly planes, drive trains then why not auto-rickshaws? This increased her confidence too.

From the year 2014, she has been driving. She failed in her SSC exams and this was causing a lot of problems for getting the permit certificate to her from the Thane Regional Transport office. Later, the rules were modified, and now everyone who has at least passed the eighth standard will get the permit.

No doubt, she has set an example for us. Now, we can see many Anamikas. This way, women can help each other.We all can do whatever we dream of. You must firmly believe in yourself. We must be proud of whatever work we are doing as no job is degrading. In this dawn of a new beginning, let’s dare to decide and choose whatever path is apt for us. Some beginnings bring home opportunities and happiness; let’s unite to spread the joy of inspirations.

Anamika

Written By-