Pratiksha Das, a 24-year-old Bengali woman, has just broken a major stereotype in India, after becoming the first female bus driver of a BEST bus in Mumbai.
Since time immemorial, driving heavier vehicles like trucks and buses has assumedly been a man’s territory, with a very low percentage of women even attempting to get past the norm, and into a career that threatened to be futile. Now, as Das has changed the game, paving a progressive path for many a woman, India celebrates her courage and determination to fight the odds, and beat them.
“Women can’t drive!” Really, now?
If we had a rupee for all the times someone has claimed that women make for bad drivers, we’d be living lives in which our only difficulties were to choose between Chanel and Louis Vuitton. However, it’s imperative to note that simply because men are more likely to be more aggressive motorists, that, in no way proves they’re better. Gender has little to do with skill, and if you’ve been sceptical about that–today, we have proof!
Meet Pratiksha Das
After getting a mechanical engineering degree from Thakur College in Malad, Mumbai, Pratiksha’s love for heavy vehicles is what drew her to this unusual choice of profession. Speaking to a publication, she revealed: “It is something I’ve wanted to master for the last six years. My love for heavy vehicles is not new. I started off with bikes, then larger cars, and now, I can drive buses and trucks. And yes it feels good.” To this young lady, driving a six-tonne bus is an activity out of which she derives utmost joy.
If you think this was one of those impulsive decisions, wherein individuals indulge in a fad-led “phase”, think again. Pratiksha always knew she wanted to tread this path, and her dream to take the wheel, and finally become an RTO officer, has always been fuelled by passion. In an interview with the Times Of India, she said: “After completing my engineering degree, I was planning to become an RTO officer. For that, I needed a license in heavy vehicles as it is compulsory. Since I had wanted to learn to drive a bus, it was perfect. In fact, I want to drive various vehicles on the road. I started with my mama’s bike when I was in 8th grade in my village. Even he was surprised, how I learned driving within 2 days.”
Wheel she pull this off?
As she recalled moments of doubt that her peers showed on her very first day, she shared some instances with the media. “I remember that the BEST bus trainers were tensed about training a girl for the first time. They kept saying, ‘Yeh ladki chala paaygi ke nahi?’ Actually, the thing is, you need strength to drive a bus as it’s quite difficult to turn the wheel. It is not as smooth as a car’s wheel. They said, ‘You are so tiny, will you be able to do it?’ They were referring to my height, which is just 5”4. I just told them not to worry as I can ride all kinds of bikes and even race cars.” Further, she went on to display a winning spirit, and in a mic drop moment, said: “Who said women can’t be on the driving seat? I dreamt, and here I am. In fact, anyone can achieve their goals, they just have to set their minds to it!”
Pratiksha’s next aim is to fly an aeroplane, a dream that seems achievable, no? That’s the thing, as Nelson Mandela once said, “It always seems impossible until it’s done.”