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Parvati Arya, Asia's First Woman Truck Driver, Passes Away At 75

Besides becoming the first woman truck driver in Asia in 1978, she also joined the Congress party and won in Zila Panchayat elections twice.

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Charvi Kathuria
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Parvati Arya death
Parvati Arya death: Asia's first woman truck driver, Parvati Arya, passed away on 17 November. She was 75 years old. Her name also figured in Guinness Book of World Records. She secured a driving license to become the first woman  truck driver in Asia in 1978.
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Here's what you need to know about Parvati Arya

  • She lived in Mandsaur in Madhya Pradesh.
  • Besides becoming the first woman truck driver in Asia in 1978, she also joined the Congress party and won in Zila Panchayat elections twice.
  • She had seven sisters and four brothers. She was the eldest among all. She grew up in abject poverty.
  • She wasn't inclined towards studies, as per a report.
  • Her father ran a timber business. He died when she was very young. Post that, she took up the responsibility of caring for her siblings.
  • She was the eldest among her 11 siblings - seven sisters and four brothers. Born in a family that was knee-deep in poverty, Parvati was always averse to feminine tasks in a traditional family. Also, she had little to do with her studies.
  • She started learning driving heavy vehicles because she didn't want to depend on a driver, she told TOI. However, it wasn't easy for her to get a license as convincing the officials at the RTO was a tough job. According to them, she was a woman but she felt that that couldn't be a reason to reject her application. "I told him that if Indira Gandhi can run the nation, why can't I drive a truck.", she had told them.
  • When she was in a leadership position in Zila Panchayat, she constructed school buildings, Panchayat Bhawan, and roads.

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Guinness Book of World Records Parvati Arya Truck Driver
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