Annapoorni: First Female Trucker Across Bangladesh

Let’s talk about Annapoorni Rajkumar, the trailblazing woman who rocked the trucking world by becoming the first lady trucker to roll all the way from Tamil Nadu to Bangladesh. Imagine that—she covered a whopping 1,000 kilometers over 10 days of sheer grit and determination. And when she pulled up at the Petrapole border check post, a place usually swarming with male truckers, she was like a superstar!

But let’s be real, her journey wasn’t a smooth ride. Being one of the rare female truckers out there, she faced some serious challenges. Like, can you imagine struggling to find a decent restroom along the way? And forget about crashing at those roadside dhabas for a meal and some rest. Safety concerns meant she had to steer clear of those places. Sometimes, she wasn’t even allowed inside some of the rest stops dominated by men. Tough break, right?

Luckily, Annapoorni managed to find hotels where she could park her truck and grab a bit of shut-eye. And thanks to some collaboration with the Land Port Authority of India (LPAI), they fast-tracked her truck’s unloading process at the border. Talk about teamwork!

Now, her epic journey got folks thinking. They realized there’s a need for more women-friendly infrastructure along the highways. I mean, why should female truckers struggle to find a clean restroom or a safe place to rest, right? The manager at LPAI even mentioned plans to make things better for women truckers, like providing separate accommodations and restrooms. That’s what I call progress!

But it’s not all smooth sailing yet. Senior Ministry of Home Affairs officials recently paid a visit and weren’t thrilled about how male-dominated the trucking scene still is. They even pointed out the lack of facilities catering to women. But hey, they’re working on it. Baby steps, right?

Annapoorni’s journey isn’t just about her. It’s about breaking barriers and pushing for gender equality in traditionally male-dominated fields like trucking. Her story reminds us that we need to step up and create a world where everyone, regardless of gender, has the same opportunities and respect. Hats off to Annapoorni for paving the way!

_{Re-reported the article originally published in She the People}