Not many of us would settle for a chauffeur's job after a good education. But this post-graduate from Gujarat has chosen the lesser trodden path. Meet Monika Yadav, a resident of Ahmedabad, who is Gujarat’s first female Uber driver.
With a post graduation degree from the Centre for Environmental Planning and Technology, Ahmedabad, and graduation in architecture from Jaipur, Monika could have had any job she wanted. But instead of going for a regular 9-5 job, she chose to follow her heart and took up driving.
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In a post on Humans of Amdavad, Monika, who is a part-time Uber cab driver, shared her inspiring story:
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Women can opt for anything if given a chance. Monika has proved this again. So how did she take up such an unusual career?
Monika revealed that once during her graduation, she got frustrated with the monotonous work. She decided to change her routine and do something that involves driving. An avid traveller as well as an enthusiastic driver, Monika first approached Ola but they turned her down. Then she reached out to Uber and they supported her passion. Monika is looking to break gender stereotypes, and doing what she is capable of.
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What more? Monika can drive continuously for 12 hours at a single stretch. And, if she takes a small break after the long drive, she again can go on for another 12 hours.
Monika’s story proves that there’s nothing a woman can’t do or achieve! Thank you for a career-positive message Monika!
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Read her full post here:
“After completing my graduation last year from Jaipur, I got selected at CEPT Ahmedabad for my post-graduation programme. I did my graduation in Architecture, and architecture is a field where you have to work very hard and work on assignments for several months. For past five years I was studying and doing assignments and projects and it was something very frustrating so once I came to Ahmedabad I decided to do something adventurous. I asked myself that, what if God erases past five years from my life, then who am I? and what is my actual passion? As I’m a person who hates the same monotonous life. I have travelled almost to every state of India and have traveled to few international destinations. I am not someone who will spend her whole life doing 9-5 job on the same desk. I love travelling, and love exploring new places and love meeting new people, and above all I love driving, that’s where my passion lies. I can drive car for 12 hours at a stretch and after small break again I can drive for next 12 hours. So I realized how about I do something related to driving. I approached Ola Cabs for the job of a female chauffeur but they turned it down maybe because they thought that a young girl wouldn’t be able to drive a car. So I approached Uber Cabs and they were so happy with my idea of female chauffeur. They welcomed me onboard and said you can join us from the very next day but I’d some issues related to license and car so once the issues were sorted out I joined Uber as Gujarat’s First Female Chauffeur. Initially I was scared about it, but with every new customer my confidence increased and made me happy of what I was doing. Each and every rider would appreciate me and would be happy to see a young girl driving a car. There have been customers who have paid me an extra tip as a blessing just because they were happy that a girl is taking a lead in such fields. People of Ahmedabad are so cooperative and beautiful at heart. Had it been a different city then I wouldn’t have been able to drive car so freely. My daily routine is waking up at 5:00 am and start driving up to 8:30 am, then attending college till 5:00 in the evening, and again start driving from 6:00 in the evening to 10:00 at night. My schedule is hectic but I enjoy picking up riders and love to hear stories from them, everyday I would learn a new lesson from them. I would like to share two beautiful incidents, there was this one time I had gone to pick up a girl late at night at Gandhinagar, during the ride we started communicating with each other and she was very hungry and so was I, so we ended up having dinner together and somehow our simple talks lead to deep conversations about life and today we are very good friends. There is this another one where I picked up an uncle who is an owner of a very famous kitchen module showroom. He was very much happy to see a girl driving an Uber cab and gradually we started discussing about architecture and interior design, so once we reached at his showroom he invited me inside and made me meet his whole family and told me that beta once you’re done with your passion, come to us we will train you for the interior designing. Recently one of my rider requested me to teach driving to her daughter, and I willingly taught her. So things like this makes you happy, where you encounter with a stranger and the very next moment they become like your family.
Any Message ?
Just follow your heart and don’t listen to the bullshit that people has to say because somehow your heart knows everything and eventually it will take you to the right places. It really saddens me that people look down towards the job of a driver, it is considered as a low esteem job and I want to change that thinking. I come from a very good and rich family and still I’m doing it. No job in this world is big or small, it’s all in our head. I hope many more needy girls would come out and follow my example and become one of the bread earner of their families.”
Feature Image Credit: Indian Express
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