Daijiworld Media Network - Yellapura (SS)
Yellapura (Uttara Kannada dist), Jul 21: If one pays a visit to Yellapura in Uttara Kannada district there is little chance of not bumping into this woman.
Meet Sunitha Fernandes, 38, an auto driver who ferries passengers to neighbouring towns. What's special is that Sunitha drives her auto on Yellapura's roads that are not so nice or highways.
She also fearlessly travels in the quiet roads of the forest when passengers have to travel many kilometers to find a few houses amidst the forest.
Sunitha takes up the responsibility of taking her passengers safely without complaining about the condition of the roads or the potholes. Sunitha is the third woman auto driver in Yellapura.
Prior to running the auto, Sunitha used to work in a petrol bunk. As she was unable to make her ends meet she took a bank loan and bought an auto rickshaw and has been driving the vehicle for the last one-and-a-half years as a self-employed individual.
Sunitha is a mother of two young children and has the additional responsibility of looking after her ageing mother.
Sunitha says she earns about Rs 500-1000 a day and is living independently and happily. She says her auto has given her a life and helped her sustain a living as she says that the auto is truly her life companion.