Nothing is impossible and gender can never be a parameter to judge someone’s capabilities. This has been proved by 21-year-old Banjeet Kaur. She is breaking stereotypes by driving an auto-rickshaw to help her father earn a living.
Resident of Udhampur district in Jammu and Kashmir, Banjeet's father started driving an auto-rickshaw after losing his job as a school bus driver due to the pandemic. Since he was not able to earn much, she decided to help him.
"My father was a school bus driver but he lost his job as the schools remain closed due to COVID-19. He started driving auto-rickshaw but he was not able to earn sufficient. So I stepped-in," Banjeet told ANI.
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Banjeet had to leave education in between to support her family. She wanted to join the defence. "I am a second-year student and driving auto-rickshaw is like a part-time job," she said.
"We girls should be ready for every situation," she added.
"I too know how to drive," Banjeet’s sister Davinder said.
"The girls can excel in every field. They can choose their profession depending on their will," Sardar Gorakh Singh, father of Banjeet, said.
Banjeet and Davinder learned to drive auto-rickshaw during the lockdown. "After I lost my job during the lockdown, my daughters asked me to teach them to drive auto-rickshaw. I supported them," the father said.
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Rachana Sharma, Assistant Regional Transport Officer (ARTO), Udhampur, said, "Girls like Banjeet Kaur, who is driving auto-rickshaw to support her father, is an example for society. When I was transferred as ARTO at Udhampur, I started a campaign called 'Girls can drive' under which several girls were trained to drive."
