People's Democracy

(Weekly Organ of the Communist Party of India (Marxist)


Vol. XXXVII

No. 29

July 21, 2013

 

 

Bihar: Women Enter Male Dominated Profession

           

Arun Kumar Mishra

 

Patna Zilla Auto Chalak Union played a vital role of a facilitator in empowering the poor women and girls of Bihar

 

IT was a rare occasion for Bihar when 15 women and young girls were loaned auto-rickshaws by the newly inaugurated all-women branch of the Bank of Baroda at Patna on July 15. In view of the conservative atmosphere of the state on the one hand and the recent upsurge in physical and sexual assaults on women and girls all over the country on the other, nobody had dared to think that one day women and girls would be plying auto-rickshaws in Bihar.

 

Yet, in the last two and a half months, the Patna Zilla Auto Chalak Union created history by encouraging women and girls of poor economic background to learn driving and earn their livelihood with dignity.

 

Leaders of the Patna Zilla Auto Chalak Union got this idea from Kannur in Kerala during the all-India conference of the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) held in the month of April this year. They interacted with the women auto-drivers of Kannur who narrated their experiences and explained how the leadership of the district CITU helped them join this male dominated profession. What impressed these leaders most was the determination and self-confidence writ large on the faces of these women of Kannur to excel in the job and make space for themselves.

 

Back home, however, it was not an easy job to attract women and girls to a profession where male counterparts are abusive, alcoholic and afflicted with other human weaknesses. But the leadership of the union was determined to replicate the experiences gathered from Kannur, and they announced through newspapers that women and girls would be given lessons of driving every Sunday free of cost and that whoever wanted to join it was welcomed. Initially, some social activists helped the Auto Chalak Union to mobilise girls and even housewives. Later on, girls and women of different localities of Patna and even from remote areas began to contact the leaders and came forward to join for learning driving on their own.

 

In the last two months, thus, 25 women and girls learned driving and got their driving licenses. During these months they were also imparted karate training for self-defence by Neha Kumari, daughter of Naveen Mishra. She, along with Raj Kumar Jha, Chunnu Singh, Bijli Prasad and others, put the idea into practice and brought laurels to the organisation. Helped and guided by the organisation, Naveen Mishra played the key role in imparting driving lessons by roping in Messrs Magadh Transport which provided auto-rickshaws with fuels and other logistics.

 

The union then met the state transport minister and requested him to make the provision for issuing licenses to women drivers in the shortest possible time and provide subsidy for the auto-loan to be provided by the bank. The minister responded positively to the suggestions. He announced that licenses would be given without any fee to the women and girl drivers and that they would also be given subsidy of Rs 15,000 each against the loan provided by the bank. Though the learning licenses have been provided without fee, the disbursal of subsidy amounts is still to take place.

 

The union has taken adequate steps to ensure safety of the women drivers. They will be plying their autos from Patna Junction to airport and pick up general passengers from the junction after the antecedents of each one of the passengers is checked. The women drivers will stop ferrying passengers by the evening.

 

The initiative of the union got wide publicity in the print and electronic media, and they lauded the role of Patna Zilla Auto Chalak Union which has breathed a fresh air in the otherwise stifling social atmosphere. It will go a long way in creating an equal space for men and women, demolish the wall of separation and create a new society.

 

Keeping in mind its goal, the union has already taken steps to talk to the women and girls regarding the society in which they live and where women are treated like second class citizens. Patriarchy has denied them the basic human rights and there is a constant need to fight against the patriarchy and the neo-liberal policies, for which they will have to come forward and join the democratic movement.

 

The Bihar state committee of the CITU, in its recently held meeting, congratulated the leadership of Patna Zilla Auto Chalak Union for its bold and progressive step, and wished them all success in this grand endeavour.