Driving Taxis is still a male bastion though a lot of Lady drivers have forayed in this profession off late, mainly due to the advent of Pink taxis for women passengers and families.
I happened to meet one such Lady driver on a brief visit to the UAE with my family a few years ago and I have to admit she was no ordinary woman.
As soon as the pink taxi arrived we saw a middle aged African woman on the wheels who very promptly got out of the pink Toyota SUV. She had worn a printed African turban and though she appeared a bit tired, she had a beaming smile on her face as she welcomed us in her cab ever so courteously.
The journey was a forty minute drive, a bit late in the evening, and as the steering turned so began the conversation of my daughter with the African lady. We soon found out that there was lot of despair and pain behind the pleasing demeanour of the person and that her story was nothing short of sheer inspiration, patience and true grit.
Belonging to a country in Eastern Africa, rich in spices, coffee and cultural diversity, the lady had seen it all. The country unfortunately was facing immense challenges economically and politically leading to a host of socio-economic problems in sectors of health, nutrition, education and employment. It can be said that there was instability in general. The times were tough for her as she struggled to take care of her parents and children. She even faced persecution and confinement, but her unwavering spirit made her survive the dark times.
She somehow managed to travel to UAE with the help of a friend, found a small job and began to resurrect her life. She worked extremely hard and cleared the tests for a driving license in the first attempt(no mean achievement. The tests are tough and clearing them in the first go is indeed remarkable). And since three years to the date of our travel she was driving the pink taxi. She was nothing short of a pioneer in a male dominated vocation. She had not seen her family in all these years but was satisfied that she was able to provide them a slightly better life. She hoped to meet them soon as she wiped a tear off her face quickly.
It was the summer of 2018 when we had crossed paths. We will in all probability never meet again, but she has left a telling impact on me and my family. She fought adversity, refused to give up or give in, and now she was reaping the harvest of her toil.
Most importantly, all that she suffered did not make her bitter or resentful, and in fact she remained her cheerful, positive and hopeful self.
She is truly… a success story.
Very touching story… Really hats off to all the ladies who r working hard for their lived once.