Story of India’s first woman train driver | Fusion - WeRIndia

Surekha Yadev was born in the Satara district of Maharashtra to farmers Sonabai and Ramchandra Bhosale, with four younger siblings. Although she came from a humble background, she did excellently in nearly every subject in school and got a diploma in electrical engineering.

Originally, she planned to make a career as a teacher, but instead her life led her to become the first ever female train driver in India. Surekha was simply looking for a full-time job after she had completed her electrical engineering diploma, and she found an opening in the Indian Railways.

Despite the fact that there had never been a female Indian train driver before, she decided to take up the task.

Surekha leisurely wrote the form and written exam for the position, but was surprised to find out that she had actually gotten in. In 1986, she joined the Central Railway as an assistant driver in training, and has spent her life on the railways ever since.

She made an Indian milestone in 1989 when she became the first official Indian female assistant train driver. Since then, Surekha has only climbed the ladder, becoming the first full female train driver in India, driving both goods trains and passenger trains.

Surekha has become extremely diversified in her field. She first trained to drive both local and long-distance goods trains, and then trained to drive passenger trains, which have twin engines. When she became the first official female passenger train driver, the media became ecstatic about her milestone, and fans would come from all around to get her autograph and picture.

 

One of her biggest accomplishments was on the 8th of March in 2011, Women’s Day, where she became the first female driver to drive the Deccan Queen from Pune to CST (Chatrapati Sivaji Terminus, Mumbai).

The moral that people can take from her story, Surekha says, is to be bold about your passions and don’t let anything make you hesitate about achieving your dreams.

Image Reference: TheBetterIndia