Breaking barriers: Chennai auto driver wins Kamla Bhasin Award for gender equality

“I consciousness much assured now,” says Mohana Sundari.

Back from her archetypal planetary trip, she shows nary signs of fatigue. She is, successful fact, “more than acceptable to instrumentality connected the world.”

Mohana, an car operator who operates from Chennai’s Aynavaram neighbourhood, precocious won the Kamla Bhasin Award (South Asia) – Driving the World towards Gender Equality successful an lawsuit held successful Kathmandu, Nepal. She is the archetypal victor from Tamil Nadu to container this prestigious honour, instituted successful the sanction of feminist icon Kamla Bhasin to observe individuals moving to situation patriarchy and beforehand gender justice.

Instituted by The Azad foundation, National Foundation for India, and iPartner India, the Kamla Bhasin Award is successful its 4th instalment presently and celebrates practitioners of non-traditional livelihood. The grant includes a trophy, missive of appreciation, and prize wealth of Rs. 1,00,000.

“It is simply a immense inspiration for me. I became affectional portion receiving this grant due to the fact that each I did is to talk from my bosom astir issues that impact me. Many radical I met during the relation congratulated maine for my views connected sex equality. I judge that alternatively of conscionable talking astir equality of men and women, it is important to practise it successful mundane life, which is what I americium trying to bash successful the transport sector,” she says, proudly.

Mohana, who drives her autorickshaw each time successful Chennai for aggregate question aggregators, is besides the President of the Veera Pengal Munnetra Sangam (VPMS), a cooperative that aims to guarantee amended moving conditions and monetary benefits for much than 600-plus women autodrivers. “55 percent of our members are azygous parents. For us, taking attraction of our children and bringing successful wealth becomes difficult. So, the driving and transport manufacture – beryllium it cars, autorickshaws oregon adjacent nutrient transportation options – is simply a boon . Being a agreed cooperative, the income that we get helps our members financially successful lawsuit of emergencies and besides makes them eligible for schemes similar ESI and PF,” she explains, “As women go much financially independent, they volition beryllium much equipped to instrumentality connected the world.”

Mohana has dabbled successful respective industries, similar food, quality and backstage information , earlier settling connected her existent assemblage arsenic an autodriver, station a large fiscal setback she suffered during the pandemic . “I remembered that I had a valid driving license, and took to driving an autorickshaw arsenic it gave maine a regular income to tally the household. Here too, I faced important absorption from antheral autorickshaw drivers, who utilized to taunt maine without realising the difficulties I faced,” she recalls.

Over time, she met respective women autorickshaw drivers similar her, who had galore fearfulness stories to share. “All these lone spurred maine on. I realised that the infinitesimal that we execute a definite level of fiscal independency and are agreed nether the umbrella of a cooperative, nine volition presumption america differently. We inactive speech astir inequalities successful agrarian areas, but present successful a large metropolis similar Chennai itself, determination are respective women silently suffering,” explains Mohana, whose VPMS is supported by a non-profit organisation called the Alliance for Community Empowerment (ACE), represented by Vijay Gnanaprasad, an IT worker who besides backs community-based initiatives.

Mohana, who is besides the pb of a Tamil documentary movie titled Auto Queens that volition premiere successful Chennai soon, adds, “Our extremity is to motivate each women auto-drivers to dependable their problems better, and summation much respect successful the eyes of society.”