“Just a slap, but he can’t hit me.” This dialogue from the movie Thappad, directed by Anubhav Sinha, is not just a line, it’s an inspiration for many women in the country. I realised this when I met Saraswati Singh, a woman cab driver from Delhi. “If he beats me once, he will beat me again,” she said with conviction, emphasising that women must first shed the fear that holds them back.
As I booked a cab, I saw the driver’s name as Saraswati on my phone screen. My internal stereotype, as a man, did not make me question the gender of the driver, and I assumed it to be the surname of a male driver at the airport. She also drove rental cars for years until she bought her own car in 2023. Originally from Prayagraj, Saraswati is now a single mother. Her day begins with preparing her children for school before heading to work. From 2 PM until late at night, she drives across Delhi, picking up and dropping off passengers, all while ensuring she earns enough to sustain her family. On how male passengers react to seeing a woman drive, she says, “Who decides which job is for men and which one is for women?”
The Azad Foundation: Breaking the Myth
In a world where gender roles continue to dictate professional choices, the Azad Foundation is challenging stereotypes by training women to become drivers. “We are a feminist organisation,” says Madhubala, who currently heads Azad Foundation Delhi. “We believe in gender equality and aim to break the patriarchal myth that women can only engage in traditional professions like making papads, pickles, or stitching.”
Since its inception in 2008, the Azad Foundation has been working to create livelihood opportunities for women by training them as professional drivers. “Driving has always been perceived as a male-dominated profession,” she explains. “We want to change that by enabling women to take up driving not just as a skill but as a career.”
The foundation operates in four cities: Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata, and Jaipur. “Currently, there are around 5,000 women drivers across these cities, with over 100 women employed as drivers with Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC),” Madhubala shares. The initiative not only challenges gender norms but also provides economic empowerment to women from marginalized backgrounds.
On the Road: Stories of Courage
Saraswati’s story is not unique among women who drive for a living in India. Across the country, women are increasingly taking the wheel—literally and figuratively—defying social expectations and carving out economic independence.
The Azad Foundation has trained over 3,000 women drivers since its inception. These women, many of whom come from impoverished and abuse-affected backgrounds, have found in driving not just a livelihood but a source of dignity and self-reliance.
For Saraswati, the cab is more than a vehicle—it is a declaration. Each shift is an act of quiet defiance against the systems that sought to limit her. And with every passenger she picks up, she carries forward a message: that no profession belongs exclusively to any gender, and that women’s labour—visible or invisible—deserves recognition, safety, and fair pay.
Steering Toward Systemic Change
While individual stories of courage inspire, the road to gender equity in the workforce requires systemic change. Women drivers in India still face significant barriers: harassment from passengers, lack of safe rest stops, limited access to credit for vehicle purchases, and social stigma from families and communities.
Organisations like the Azad Foundation are addressing these through a holistic approach—providing not just driving training but also life skills, legal literacy, and mental health support. Advocacy efforts are pushing for policies that ensure safe workplaces and equitable pay for women in non-traditional roles.
Saraswati Singh drives through Delhi’s crowded streets with quiet determination. Her story—and those of thousands of women like her—is a reminder that the fight for gender equality is not just fought in boardrooms and parliaments. Sometimes, it unfolds on the road, one kilometre at a time.
