It was in the 1980’s when 18-year-old Shila Dawre, first decided on doing something that her peers would not dream of—driving. Not many women were encouraged to take up a male-dominated profession then, but Dawre was adamant that she would do something out-of-the box. So in 1988, she left her home in Parbhani district and came to Pune to become India’s first woman auto-rickshaw driver.

Dawre speaking with iamin said, "At that point of time, women were expected to be provided basic education and then married off at a certain age. But I had dreams that I wanted to achieve and so was not ready to get married and settle down. I was good at driving and I wanted to make it my profession. My parents initially objected to my decision, but now they have accepted me for who I am,” says Dawre.

In the initial months, not many people were willing to rent out their auto-rickshaws to her because they were not sure about how safely a woman would be able to drive the vehicle. Eventually she saved money and managed to buy an auto-rickshaw and rented a room in a slum for myself.

Dawre narrates how she got associated with the Auto-rickshaw Union and got recognised in the Limca Book of World Records also as the first woman auto-rickshaw driver in the country. “Parents often pointed out to me and showed their kids how a lady was driving an auto-rickshaw. While some looked at me with appreciation, there were many who were shocked or also looked down upon me for joining this profession.” says Dawre.

Talking about the spate of crimes against women these days, Dawre says, “Today women are more confident and they have media as a platform to raise their voice against violence. If women stay strong this way, both female passengers and drivers will automatically feel safer while travelling alone.”

Dawre recalls how she has driven a variety of vehicles all these years, starting from a matador to a school bus for almost 13 years, between 1988 and 2001.

She had to stop driving because of health issues and then started her own travel company. Currently, associated with autowale.in, Dawre has been encouraging women to take up the profession of driving. "Gender and social bias should not be allowed to determine what you do with your life. More women need to break barriers and make place for themselves in male-centric fields.” says Dawre.

For the longer version of the report, click here