Daijiworld Media Network – Mangaluru

Mangaluru, Apr 2: Vanitha Suresh, hailing from Dattanagar, broke stereotypes and took up the auto-rickshaw driving profession with the support of her husband, Suresh K. She is turning out to be an inspiration for many to pursue this profession.

The 41-year-old also works part-time as a tailor from her house for the past 25 years. Vanitha’s husband, who is also an auto driver, was previously driving heavy vehicles. Vanitha showed great courage in deciding to join him in the auto driving profession. A year ago, she decided to learn to drive an auto through her husband. Her bravery deserves appreciation as typically, housewives hesitate to enter the auto driving profession, despite their husbands' support.

Vanitha took the bold step to learn auto driving alongside her husband. For the past month, she has been driving an E-auto in Mangaluru city, earning appreciation for her courage and inspiring many.

The couple, Vanitha and Suresh, have two sons, Karthik and Pruthvi Raj, who are pursuing their education.

“I mainly start from Nanthoor auto park. Since it is an E-auto, we have the freedom to stand in any auto park in Mangaluru. I receive support from other auto drivers in the stand. Passengers are happy to ride in my auto and often curious about my journey in starting this profession. After a year of driving practice, I have taken up this profession for the past month. Other auto drivers also help me if I encounter difficulties while navigating the auto stand. Besides auto driving, I also do part-time tailoring at home. Sometimes it's challenging to manage both professions, but I'm truly happy with my work,” says Vanitha.

“I receive calls from the parents of my son’s friends, asking how I entered this profession and showing interest in learning auto driving. It feels good that many people recognize me and are curious to know about my journey. It would be great if more women come forward to drive autos in Mangaluru,” adds Vanitha.

Vanitha’s husband, Suresh, says, “Firstly, I must appreciate her courage in learning auto driving and deciding to pursue this profession. Auto driving is challenging for women due to the traffic in Mangaluru, but she faced all the challenges and overcame hurdles to pursue this profession.”