Meet Pooja Devi, J&K’s first woman bus driver

Pooja Devi created a new history when she took control of the steering wheel of a passenger bus on December 24. She broke the gender stereotypes and barriers and became the first-ever woman in Jammu and Kashmir to become a bus driver.

Mother of three children, Pooja Devi ferried passengers on Jammu-Kathua route for the first-time last Thursday. Her son accompanied her as she drove the passenger bus on the Jammu-Kathua route. As the news spread like wildfire, pictures and videos of her driving the bus went viral on social media.

Speaking to a TV news channel, Pooja Devi said that she always wanted to become a bus driver. She also regretted that she could not receive a proper education since she came from a poor family.

"I always wanted to become a bus or truck driver. I used to see myself driving heavy vehicles in my dreams during my childhood. I belong to a very poor family. My father was a farmer. My family wasn't able to educate me, but I decided to take up driving as a career," said Pooja Devi.

Even as her family members and in-laws were against the profession, Pooja Devi told a leading local newspaper that she decided to pursue her dream of becoming a driver professionally despite all opposition from the family members and relatives. Devi also revealed that her family was financially weak and it was one of the factors that she had to come out to earn.

A photograph of the first female bus driver from Jammu and Kashmir has recently gone viral on the Internet and social media users wholeheartedly lauded her achievements. Many call it a welcome change and wish for more such heartfelt news that breaks the glass ceiling and the usual gendered stereotypes.