"Dream, Dream, Dream! Conduct these dreams into thoughts, and then transform them into action."
- Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam
11 Jul 2019
Patriarchy has often tried to corner women completely but, hasn’t been successful enough. They have been frequently told that a woman cannot take over the roads as they are horrible at driving and to see them ride a bike is unimaginable.
However, many valiant women have proven them wrong. Female Indian bikers such as Neharika Yadav, Priyanka Kochhar, and Alisha Abdullah has created an indelible name in the biking world. And now meet 24-year-old Pratiksha Das who not just drives a car or rides a bike but, can also navigate a bus.
Pratiksha is the one and only woman in Mumbai who can drive a BEST bus. She sits behind the wheels and navigates through the roads confidently. And not just that, she can ride every kind of bike, race cars and even trucks.
After completing her degree she thought of becoming an RTO officer but, for that, she needed a license in heavy vehicles. So, when Pratiksha went for the training, she was doubted at first by the BEST trainers but, later their opinions were changed.
While talking to TOI about what the trainers thought of her, she said: “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?’. 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 wheels. They said, ‘You are so tiny, will you be able to do it?’ They were referring to my height, which is 5’4. I just told them not to worry as I can ride all kinds of bikes and even race cars.”
After 30 days of the training period, Pratiksha got her license on June 20. She has thrilled us all with her talent and has proved everyone who thinks that women are not good drivers. Today we are thriving in every field. We are not only taking care of the house but, are also doing a lot of other works successfully.
Image Courtesy: Pratiksha Das' Facebook Page