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22-Year-Old Single Mom, Who Drives An Auto, Aspires To Be An IAS Officer

22-Year-Old Single Mom, Who Drives An Auto, Aspires To Be An IAS Officer
Charles Haynes/Flickr

For this woman autorickshaw driver, the traffic jams of Bengaluru are not the only things she has to battle. Yellamma, a single mother who is trying to ace the civil services examinations, faces hostility from her male colleagues every day.

However, her will to succeed and the support of her customers gives this 22-year-old the additional grit to keep going. Coerced into a marriage with a flower decorator four years ago, Yellamma rented an autorickshaw and got her brother-in-law to teach her to manipulate it through Bengaluru’s busy roads.

Also Read: Chennai's Women Auto Rickshaw Drivers Take On The Men With Aplomb

“Autorickshaw owners refused to rent a vehicle because they won’t give one to a woman. A mechanic finally agreed to rent me an auto for Rs 130 a day,” she said in an interview with Economic Times.

Earning approximately Rs 700-800 every day (half of which goes into her vehicle’s rent and fuel expenses), Yellamma works from 6 am to 8 pm, and in her spare time, reads whatever material she can find. Her ultimate goal is not only clearing the IAS, but also to help women achieve their goals.

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This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost India, which closed in 2020. Some features are no longer enabled. If you have questions or concerns about this article, please contact indiasupport@huffpost.com.