Writing Prompt: Nourishment-A Woman Who Moved Out of The Cultural Bandwith

Women must stay indoors is the cultural and societal way of thinking

I booked the new taxi service

This morning I booked a taxi.

We have a fleet of electrically operated taxis called Blue Smart. You have to book it a few hours prior to the actual time you need it because they do need to charge and keep it ready.

I recently found this service. When the service is new it is usually good in any country and then it slowly deteriorates. I hope this doesn’t because I have started liking it.

I got a call from the driver. I received a message from Blue Smart with the name of the taxi driver assigned to me.

After a while, I received a call.

“I am your taxi driver from Blue Smart. My name is Renu. I am 15 minutes early and am standing in the shade under the tree. When You come out of your home please call me and I will be at your service.”

Taxi drivers are usually men in India. Culturally women drivers are looked down upon as those who do not know how to drive. One of the societal issues is that the truck drivers just try to come as close as possible to scare the driver. Often they make them cry. They don’t get an opportunity to be a driver and ultimately they leave this profession.

When I heard that my driver was a female, I was quite happy about it. I told her I will be there in 5 minutes so she could rest under the shade.

Meeting Renu the taxi driver

Getting into the taxi, I found that Renu was a smart confident woman. I sat in the taxi and felt comfortable.

She started a conversation and asked me if I was a professional. I told her I was a professor and then I asked her why she had asked me. She smiled and complimented me for my attire and thought I was very smart even though not so young. Only women who have worked in their lives and crossed challenges could look good is what I read in her mind.

Then she apologized and said that she went beyond the boundaries and should not have said it but she could not contain herself when I smiled warmly and was very polite with her.

The inspiring tale of the taxi driver

I got a chance to ask her how she became a driver. I told her that I did not want to pry too much and only if she was comfortable answering I would like to know how she became a taxi driver in the woeful conditions of society.

Her story is sad but at the same time, it shows the confidence of a woman to get out of the clutches of the cultural and societal norms and how she fought her way through it. It must be told so more people would be inspired.

This is her story. I kept listening to her and we talked. She opened up and told me that she never speaks to her clients but she could see the genuine interest that I had for her well-being. For her somebody so concerned was a nourishment to her soul and she felt a special affinity towards me.

For the rest of the journey, we were both completely lost. She was telling me of her own little world as though she needed someone to just listen to her story and give her encouragement in the path of a lonely venture of her empty life.

She was a careful driver but I could see how the bus driver was trying to frighten her by coming out of his line and trying to clamp up on the taxi. She was able to deftly handle the situation and move on without complaining.

On the No Horn Zone, he misbehaved and thought that if she hits her horn she would be fined but she did not and let him pass to end the game.

Renu was 40 years old now. She was widowed and left with 3 children (Boys) at the age of 28. Her husband was a heart patient and when he died her in-laws had a large family but no one was ready to support her. In fact, they asked her to find her own way as they did not have enough to eat themselves.

Renu had young children. They needed proper nourishment. They needed food to eat and emotional nourishment too from her. How could she give it to them without first nourishing herself?

She went to several people only to be turned down. Then she spoke to her father.

Her father had 2 cars and 1 car was driven by her maternal uncle. He told her this was the only skill he knew and could teach her. The cars were given on contract to some offices. So she could be the other driver if she had a proper license and experience.

She jumped at the idea. She learned to drive and drove for about 2 years when her father passed away leaving the cars to her.

However, her brothers were very vicious and snatched the cars from her as there was no will to leave the cars to her.

She went from door to door and finally, someone employed her as a driver for an old lady. She was to take care of the lady and also drive her around. It was a good arrangement and she was happy that she had food to eat and feed her children. She was relaxed and emotionally happy.

When the old lady died, she had no work for some time. She contacted several taxi services but no one was ready to give her a chance. She changed her dress and cut her hair and began to look like a young boy and started as a cleaner first and then became a driver.

For the past few years, she has been driving a cab and when the electric taxi service started, she applied. she passed their tests and they took her on board. She had qualified as their driver.

She was a courageous woman. One of her kind to break away the cultural and societal norms. Instead of sitting at home and brooding or begging for food alone or with her kids, she took the alternate route of fighting courageously.

It demanded high energy and a lot of effort but she has managed to get work, enjoy physical and emotional nourishment and move out of the vicious circle and work in a noble manner.

I salute her! When I was going to get down from the cab she requested me for a selfie. I obliged and this is the photo that I have projected. It was an honor to be seated in the taxi of this woman.

I got down from the taxi. Suddenly she called me “Mam, just one moment!”

She touched my feet as a mark of respect for the Indian culture. I gave her a hug. We said Goodbye after I had blessed her with a lot of success in her life.

June writing Prompts

©Dr. Preeti Singh, 2023.

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