By Bradley Shahenza
Machines don’t see gender; they see your strength,” says Surekha Yadav, India’s first female train driver, who has officially retired after an inspiring 36-year career with the Indian Railways.
Born in 1965 in a small town in Maharashtra, Ms Yadav grew up in a farming family as the eldest of five children. From an early age, she balanced her studies with helping her parents on the farm.
She credits her success to her parents’ progressive mindset. “Though my parents came from a modest background, they were progressive in their thinking. They educated me, and that allowed me to work,” she said.
After completing her studies in electrical engineering, Ms Yadav came across a newspaper advertisement by the Indian Railways seeking assistant train drivers.
Unaware that there were no women in the role at the time, she applied simply to earn a living and passed the tough selection process.
In 1989, she began her career driving goods trains, becoming the first woman in India to do so. When she arrived for her training, she was surprised to find herself the only woman among all the trainees.
“I wondered what to do. But I thought, if I don’t take up the job, someone else will. Since I’ve been selected, I’ll do it,” she recalled.
Over the years, Ms Yadav drove various passenger and goods trains across India, often through challenging routes and harsh weather.
Today, her courage has paved the way for more than 2,000 women train operators across the country.
Her story remains a powerful reminder that determination, not gender, defines ability.
Source; BBC News
