Palakkad: Ranjini was unfazed when she held the steering wheel of a bus for the first time. In fact the ‘lady driver’ of the Balabhadra bus which operates services between Elapully–Kanjikode–Palakkad is one of the few women who have secured a heavy vehicle licence in the state.
Fourth among the five children of Kottayi Kunnamparambil Rajan and Thatha, Ranjini learned driving just out of curiosity, but now it has become a source for her to overcome the difficulties in life.
Ranjini completed her driving course and the subsequent training at the National Driving Institute at Thathamangalam owned by Puthussery native Jagadish. Jagadish, who had great confidence in Ranjini, did not hesitate to make her the driver of one of the buses that he owns.
After completing the trail run through the fixed routes with the help of her colleagues, Ranjini took over the wheels of the Balabhadra bus two days ago. The passengers, who saw a woman on the driving seat for the first time was a little surprised. But their surprise gave way to appreciation when they understood how good a driver Ranjini was.
Ranjini became interested in driving after completing her plus two at a school at Kottayi. It was a pickup van that she drove for the first time and later began driving cars. Though she worked at many firms as a driver, the family’s financial status hardly improved. It was as a last resort that she enrolled at Jadadish’s driving school to earn a heavy vehicle licence.
Though Ranjini was a little tense in the beginning, she soon took the control over her bus through her sheer hard work and perseverance. The people in the locality once even stopped Ranjini’s bus midway to congratulate and felicitate their favourite ‘lady driver’.
