Vadodara: A couple of months back, they could not even ride a moped, let alone a two-wheeler. But now dressed in sarees and salwars, a group of women, most of them widows, are breaking stereotypes in the rural heartland of Vadodara.
Equipped with pink autos, these women have started driving auto-rickshaws, ferrying passengers, and earning a livelihood for their families.This was made possible after they joined the pink rickshaw campaign started by the city-based Alembic CSR Foundation.
Without any prior experience in driving any vehicle, these pink auto drivers, have become the first batch of women to undergo formal training from a driving school, learning computer skills and successfully obtaining their driving licenses from the Vadodara RTO.
“After my husband died, there was no one left to feed our family. So, I had started doing menial jobs,” said Chandrika Parmar, 42, a resident of Paldi village of Vadodara. Parmar has earned around Rs 2,000 since she started ferrying passengers on April 1.
“We had to give 3 to 4 trials to clear the computerized exam at Vadodara RTO. But we did not give up and finally cleared the exam as well as the driving test,” said Jagruti Parmar, 31, a widow from Panch Devla village.
Jagruti, who has studied only till class 10, now regularly ferries staff from Panch Devla to a hospital at Jarod, nearly 5 km away. Interestingly, most of her passengers too are women.
“When I started driving an auto, onlookers used to stare. But gradually things are changing,” said Indu Gohil, a 31-year-old widow from Nurpura village, who ferries passengers from her village to Halol town in Panchmahals district.
Interestingly, these women have not just learnt driving skills. With the foundation’s support, they have also learnt to manage their finances, calculating expenses towards running the CNG autos and making a profit.
“I have spent Rs 450 towards CNG but have earned Rs 1,500 by delivering milk cans of 15-odd villagers from their home to milk society,” said Chanda Chauhan, 33, a resident of Abhrampura village who could not marry because of her medical condition.
Malika Amin, trustee of Alembic CSR Foundation, said, “The campaign’s primary goal is to enable such women to work with dignity and confidence and support their families. Through this initiative, we have created livelihood opportunities for these enterprising women.”
Equipped with pink autos, these women have started driving auto-rickshaws, ferrying passengers, and earning a livelihood for their families.This was made possible after they joined the pink rickshaw campaign started by the city-based Alembic CSR Foundation.
Without any prior experience in driving any vehicle, these pink auto drivers, have become the first batch of women to undergo formal training from a driving school, learning computer skills and successfully obtaining their driving licenses from the Vadodara RTO.
“After my husband died, there was no one left to feed our family. So, I had started doing menial jobs,” said Chandrika Parmar, 42, a resident of Paldi village of Vadodara. Parmar has earned around Rs 2,000 since she started ferrying passengers on April 1.
“We had to give 3 to 4 trials to clear the computerized exam at Vadodara RTO. But we did not give up and finally cleared the exam as well as the driving test,” said Jagruti Parmar, 31, a widow from Panch Devla village.
Jagruti, who has studied only till class 10, now regularly ferries staff from Panch Devla to a hospital at Jarod, nearly 5 km away. Interestingly, most of her passengers too are women.
“When I started driving an auto, onlookers used to stare. But gradually things are changing,” said Indu Gohil, a 31-year-old widow from Nurpura village, who ferries passengers from her village to Halol town in Panchmahals district.
Interestingly, these women have not just learnt driving skills. With the foundation’s support, they have also learnt to manage their finances, calculating expenses towards running the CNG autos and making a profit.
“I have spent Rs 450 towards CNG but have earned Rs 1,500 by delivering milk cans of 15-odd villagers from their home to milk society,” said Chanda Chauhan, 33, a resident of Abhrampura village who could not marry because of her medical condition.
Malika Amin, trustee of Alembic CSR Foundation, said, “The campaign’s primary goal is to enable such women to work with dignity and confidence and support their families. Through this initiative, we have created livelihood opportunities for these enterprising women.”
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