Meet Kusum, the only woman e-rickshaw driver in North Campus

Speaking about her livelihood, Kusum says: “My house runs on my daily income alone. That’s why I cannot be shy and anxious about what I do.” She started driving her e-rickshaw two years back. 

Kusum is a native of Etawah, a small district in Uttar Pradesh. She shifted to Delhi after her marriage at a very young age. Before taking to e-rickshaw driving, she worked for almost 15 years in Sadar Bazaar, making handicraft and later shifted to work in a factory in Uttam Nagar, stitching hosiery cloth for wholesale dealers. “It was a meagre job and the money was not enough to sustain my family. I preferred to work for myself rather than anyone else,” she said. 

Kusum’s husband is also an e-rickshaw driver in the same vicinity. She learnt to drive the vehicle on her own and decided to take this up seriously. 

“This is nothing less than a job for me, just more satisfying because I drive my own rickshaw. Every day, I am able to make Rs 800-1000,” she said with a smile on her face. Kusum is not <g data-gr-id="45" style="display: inline; color: inherit !important; font-size: inherit !important; -webkit-background-size: 0px 2px, 100% 2px; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-color: transparent; background-image: url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAA+gAAAACCAYAAADLlPadAAAABmJLR0QA/wD/AP+gvaeTAAAAKklEQVRYhe3OQQEAIAgEsMM6xrMb9SQGny3B6vb7AQAAAFad7QAAAACQDAGHAlfrnYEmAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC), url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAEAAAACCAYAAACZgbYnAAAABmJLR0QA/wD/AP+gvaeTAAAAEklEQVQImWNY/ejYfyYGBgYGABiLA1VQQvxSAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); background-size: 0px 2px, 100% 2px; background-position: 200% 100%, 0px 100%; background-repeat: no-repeat, no-repeat;">literate</g> but she has a very keen interest to read. 

“I can read the Hindi newspaper and like to keep myself updated with what is happening around me,” she added. 

A Bollywood movie fan, Kusum finds herself not less than a heroine amid a male-dominated workspace. She finds this very dignified and is proud of the fact that she is earning her own livelihood and is not dependent on anybody. 

“I cannot afford to be scared if I have to earn my bread,” she says. 

The other male rickshaw drivers treat her like one of their own and respect her courage. “Not every woman can do what <g data-gr-id="47" style="display: inline; color: inherit !important; font-size: inherit !important; -webkit-background-size: 0px 2px, 100% 2px; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-color: transparent; background-image: url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAA+gAAAACCAYAAADLlPadAAAABmJLR0QA/wD/AP+gvaeTAAAAK0lEQVRYhe3OMQEAIAwDsA6DHPh/ZoTJ2JMoSPW7PwAAAMCqsx0AAAAAkgHerQKHq3BtYQAAAABJRU5ErkJggg==), url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAEAAAACCAYAAACZgbYnAAAABmJLR0QA/wD/AP+gvaeTAAAAEklEQVQImWP4vGvnfyYGBgYGABl4A2hm/SKhAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); background-size: 0px 2px, 100% 2px; background-position: 200% 100%, 0px 100%; background-repeat: no-repeat, no-repeat;">Kusumji</g> is doing. It is not easy to toil in the sun, rain and cold, ferrying passengers across the area,” said Kailash, another e-rickshaw driver.

With no children to look after, Kusum drives her rickshaw from Burari to Vishwavidyalaya Metro Station and Malka <g data-gr-id="44" style="display: inline; color: inherit !important; font-size: inherit !important; -webkit-background-size: 0px 2px, 100% 2px; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-color: transparent; background-image: url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAA+gAAAACCAYAAADLlPadAAAABmJLR0QA/wD/AP+gvaeTAAAAK0lEQVRYhe3OMQEAIAwDsA6DHPh/ZoTJ2JMoSPW7PwAAAMCqsx0AAAAAkgHerQKHq3BtYQAAAABJRU5ErkJggg==), url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAEAAAACCAYAAACZgbYnAAAABmJLR0QA/wD/AP+gvaeTAAAAEklEQVQImWP4vGvnfyYGBgYGABl4A2hm/SKhAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); background-size: 0px 2px, 100% 2px; background-position: 200% 100%, 0px 100%; background-repeat: no-repeat, no-repeat;">Gunj</g>. Her day starts from 9 am and she works for almost 10 hours. 

Talking about her schedule, she says: “I just have to cook food when I reach home, do some other household chores and then sleep to get up early to go out driving.” 

Students visiting the University for admission in undergraduate courses were surprised to see a woman driving an e-rickshaw. “She doesn’t come heckling at us like others but patiently waits for us to board her vehicle. She talks throughout the journey, telling us about the location of each college in the North Campus, making it a delightful experience to ride in her rickshaw,” said Aman, a first-time visitor to Delhi University.

With women safety a major concern in the national Capital, Kusum’s choice of work is definitely worth an applause.