Born to a traditional middle class family, Mumtaz Kazi as a child loved speed. Her father worked as a trunk superintendent with the Indian Railways. Many a times, his friends who were motormen would pay him a visit and narrate tales of challenges they face everyday and the thrill of ferrying passengers. Mumtaz would be very impressed by these tales.

As she stayed in the railway quarters, she grew up watching local trains pass by. She nurtured a bold dream of driving these trains which is the lifeline of Mumbai. After her 12th as she was pursuing a diploma in Medical Laboratory, she got selected for motorman training.

After her training, she applied for the job and after several tests and interviews, she was selected for the same. Her joy knew no bounds , but her father was worried as she was the only woman in a batch of 50 men for the training. He was relaxed only after instructor Bhupendra Singh assured him that he would treat Mumtaz as his daughter and take care of her.

She started her work in 1991 as a diesel locomotive assistant driver. Being the first woman in Asia to drive a locomotive, her feat was mentioned in the Limca Book Of records.

Her work posed many tough challenges, but she never shied away from it for being a woman. She performed rigorous tasks like shunting, coupling- tasks which were assigned only to men. Besides technical knowledge, driving a locomotive demands extreme physical labour and strength.

If a train has to be driven from a car shed, then she had to climb up to reach the door with all her might. In certain locomotives, the wheel had to be turned a good 20 or more times for brakes to be applied.

At present, the congestion of suburban system poses a major challenge. There is only a gap of three minutes between two trains and retaining punctuality becomes very important. Sometimes, commuters behave irrationally by crossing tracks or trying to climb platforms when train is coming which increases the pressure and tension while driving.

Mumtaz overcame all such problems and is still going strong. She has won innumerable awards for her feat and people look up to her with respect. Her happiest moment was when she received the 'Nari Puraskar Award' from President Pranab Mukherjee this year. 

Mumtaz will always be an inspiration for young girls. She urges all parents to treat their daughters and sons with equal respect and give them a fair chance at education and life.