Woman, masters in economics, drives taxi in Gadchiroli

NAGPUR: Humorous and hard-working 24-year-old Kiran Kurma is making history in the Maoist-affected tribal district of Gadchiroli. She is the only woman, and the only post graduate in economics, to be driving a passenger taxi jeep. Her foray into this man’s world is a story of grit, a simple woman rising to the occasion to meet the challenges of life.
Kiran’s life could have been the best example of ‘Beti bachao, beti padhao’ campaign, however, it also raises questions whether the government is doing enough for such educated daughters.Her village is surrounded by hillocks and farms in the southernmost tip of Maharashtra, where education is a distant dream for most, with her family being the exception.
Kiran, youngest of three sisters, completed her bachelors and then masters in economics from Osmania University at Hyderabad in 2018-2019. She mulled pursuing a PhD, before shifting to Delhi for six months to train in an aviation institute, but destiny grounded her plans. Kiran, member of special backward class, also considered government service, but said the reservation criteria made her chances bleak.
After her father met with an accident, Kiran had to sacrifice her dreams, but not her humorous outlook towards life. “After two daughters, my parents had planned and hoped for a boy. But the almighty played an April Fool joke, and I was born on April 1,” she says with a giggle.
“But my parents would simply not give up. They named me Kiran, just so it sounded like a boy, and also dressed me like one since childhood. My father too chose me to save his business after his accident, instead of my other siblings, one of whom is a post graduate in science and a Bachelor in Education. I had to come back from Delhi to lend him a hand,” she said.
Kiran’s father Ramesh had been the first to start driving a passenger jeep between remote Regunta and Sironcha, when villagers used to cover the distance on foot or bullock cart. Kiran has been driving the same route between her village Regunta and Sironch, a distance of around 70km in Sironcha taluka of south Gadchiroli. She has been daily traversing dense forest in the Maoist heartland for the last five years, but this route became her income source in 2018.
Kiran brings a trip to Sironcha in the morning and returns in the evening, earning around Rs2,000-Rs3,000 and her father earns Rs4,000-Rs5,000 per day. “Many times, I do not ask for money from senior citizens or women if I feel they cannot pay me. I feel it’s my duty to serve my fellow human beings,” says Kiran.
Ramesh had started off with a second-hand jeep, but the father-daughter duo went on to own five vehicles within a short period. They had to sell off two, though, unable to find a sincere driver, and still own three.
Asked whether she expects something from the government, she laughs and says, “Forget anything for me, a proper road for all, so that our bodies and vehicles remain intact while moving on them would be enough.”