Post News Network
Keonjhar, Oct 17: A woman from Bada Amuni village here has started driving an auto-rickshaw driver to earn bread and butter for her family. The profession was traditionally considered a male bastion and unusual for women.
Santoshi Deo created a record of sorts by becoming the first woman from Keonjhar district to drive an auto-rickshaw and has set an example for scores of women to emulate.
She has been driving the vehicle since last 10 days to earn a living for her daughter, elderly parents and two younger brothers, who are dependent on her. She is quite happy at her new-found success and is determined to achieve something new in future.
Sources said Santoshi, is the daughter of a retired army man and she was married of to a youth when her father was posted in Haryana. As fate could have it, the marriage was shot-lived as her husband deserted her for another girl after the birth of a daughter.
She was left alone to support herself and her daughter. She decided not to give up and become self-reliant. She is encouraged by her father in her new venture. She thought of to do something and prove that girls are no less in comparison to boys.
When she was exploring possibilities to brighten her future, a friend of her from Baniapata extended her his helping hand. She learnt driving with his help and bought an auto-rickshaw borrowing a loan from a bank. She is now earning well to feed her family of six.
When contacted, Santoshi could never hide her joy on being questioned. She said, she is happy at her new job and love driving passengers and drop them at their destinations.
While she earned Rs 500 by driving from morning till afternoon Friday, she has received Rs300 till Saturday afternoon. She has never encountered any problem while driving, but people are a bit hesitant in boarding her vehicle because of being a woman. She however, is determined to overcome the problem soon.
A social activist Ranjit Sethy hailed Santoshi for breaking barriers and stepping to male bastion. He said that when grown up children are deserting their parents after getting employment Santoshi’s feat can influence and impact lives of many persons in the society.