Monday Inspiration: Meet Savita 'Driving' her Way Towards Success!

Mumbai, the glorious city that never sleeps, the city of dreams, the financial hub of India, and the city whose spirit is known to have no bounds. 

In the city of Mumbai, yellow-coloured autorickshaws whizz past you menacingly at all hours. If you are a Mumbaikar you would know how difficult it is to even think about living there without these black and yellow chariots. We love them, we hate them but we can't live without them! One of these makes commuters genuinely cheerful, men and women alike. An occassional sight is a lady, named Savita Opalkar, who is at the helm of a three-wheeler which is now in a special orange color for women. Entering a formerly male-dominated domain was scarcely a challenge for Savita. It was sheer willpower, we can say!

Savita is the only lady auto-rickshaw driver in the locality of Kanjur Marg. She eventually left her job as it was getting troublesome and her husband being alcoholic, it was very challenging for her to manage the household expenses, single-handedly. Along with that she never wanted her children to drop out of their schools, because of financial insufficiency which is why she took charge by deciding to drive an auto-rickshaw. 

She began driving an auto rickshaw soon after a male auto driver taught her driving and without delay, she availed the opportunity and got the women's license provided by the Mumbai Government. It wasn’t easy for her. People in her immediate vicinity raised eyebrows. People close to her challenged her. She, however, learned to take it all in stride and just keep moving on.

Upon asking how she managed to learn driving and what motivated her throughout, she mentioned about the helpful attitude of the friend who taught her and her daughter who was her pillar throughout. Meanwhile, her daughter and mother in-law placed a bet, mother-in-law betting against her and doubting that she would never be able to do this.

Savita with her daughter

Instead of getting discouraged, this gave her renewed determination to move ahead and get this license under her belt. She also had to go through some amount of criticism and trolls. She ignored all these and instead used them as fuel to fire her passion to push on. She was soon able to get a loan sanctioned to buy the auto-rickshaw. The free permits from the government for ladies was really helpful. And also the government procedures were not so tiring. 

Several government officers, lawyers, students, and many women are among her loyal customers, who rely solely on her autorickshaw to get around."When women drive, it's a bit of a joke for males, but it's not humorous for female passengers at all. They feel very safe in the company of a woman driver" said Savita

Early in the morning she starts her day. Before leaving for a round of school trips for her children, she must make breakfast and lunch for the family. Between dropping them off at school in the morning and collecting them up in the evening, she goes on her excursions. "If my rides are regular, she earns her regular bread and butter. I earn more at festivals," she adds, "often in thousands per day."

If any of her regular female customers require transportation, the rides may continue until late at night. "It's true that some lady drivers are apprehensive of late-night automobile excursions. If my regular customers let me know ahead of time, I give them a trip in the early hours too," Savita explains.

Even in this modern age and with all our conversations about gender equality, it is unusual for a woman to drive an auto rickshaw in a city like Mumbai. "Seeing a lady taking control of a passenger vehicle like an auto rickshaw, astounds people. There have been times when passengers have misjudged my abilities just on the basis of my gender." she pointed out. Other women like her who drive auto-rickshaws, often face issues at check posts where they are frequently asked to show their papers, whereas, the male drivers would get an easy pass. It probably points towards the acceptance of the concept of female auto-rickshaw drivers.

To our surprise, Savita said that some people actually expect lower fares just because they are sitting in a female-driven auto-rickshaw! Savita told us "People expect to spend far less for a ride than they would for a man.This was first rather stressful, but I have since made it a practice to propose the fare first, emphasising that I will not accept a rupee less, it becomes clear and I get the amount I deserve. Experience gives you the strength to do so."

When it comes to the more physically demanding aspects of her day-to-day routine, Savita isn't afraid to defy gender standards. She does everything herself because she believes women are capable of doing whatever they desire, regardless of the job.

Savita mentioned that the process to get here was not so easy but there were a few encouraging results that made her proud. She was able to finance her children’s education, and ensure safety and security for them. She feels independent now and also she is able to afford all those things she wants to buy. She proudly said, “When people see me, they want to ride with me and that makes me happy”. 

It's been 2 years now. Savita is riding her auto-rickshaw with pride, earning enough to support her family’s needs and witnessing her children continuing with their academics. Savita enjoys the life she has chosen for herself!

When we asked her what was next for her, she simply said, “I want to learn and drive the new bus now”

We salute Savita and other women like her who took their life in their hands and crossed hurdles. She has defied preconceptions and become a source of hope and trust for many female travellers over the years.

We wish more strength to her and all the women out there who break age-old barriers and explore new ways, flawlessly! 

Want to read more inspiring stories? Read this amazing blog on 'Spotlight Woman of the Week: Dakshayani Velayudhan'