Steering through stereotypes, Shumitra Devi shares her story

Every morning before sunrise, 43-year-old Shumitra Devi takes her place behind the steering wheel.

But she is not just preparing to drive passengers from one destination to another. She is preparing to face judgment, doubt and discrimination.

Ms Devi owns Marama ni Tabua Taxi, a business her father started many years ago.

When COVID-19 struck in 2020, the business nearly collapsed. There were no passengers. Income stopped. Drivers left.

Many believed it was the end. For Shumitra, it was the beginning.

Starting from scratch, she stepped into a role many believed was not meant for women. Determined to keep her father’s dream alive and provide for her family, she chose to drive the taxi herself.

What she did not expect was how often she would have to defend that decision.

“Why did you want to drive a taxi?” some passengers ask.

“It doesn’t look good for a woman to drive a taxi,” others say.

Some laugh. Some stare. Some refuse to sit in her car. The comments may seem small, but hearing them almost every day takes its toll.

“As a female taxi driver, the challenges are many,” Ms Devi said. “But this is the kind of mindset that needs to change.”

In a job dominated largely by men, she has learned that discrimination does not always shout. Sometimes it whispers. Sometimes it appears as doubt. Sometimes it hides behind a smile.

There were days she went home feeling hurt. Days when the comments lingered long after the engine was switched off. But quitting was never an option.

“This is my bread and butter,” she said.

For Ms Devi, driving is not just about earning an income. It is about independence. It is about respect. It is about proving that no job belongs to one gender alone.

Four years after taking over the struggling business, Marama ni Tabua Taxi is still running. And so is she.

Her message to other women, especially those working in male-dominated fields, is simple:

“Don’t be afraid. Do you. That’s your bread and butter.”

Behind the wheel, Ms Devi is more than a driver. She is a daughter protecting her father’s legacy, a businesswoman rebuilding after crisis, and a woman who refuses to let discrimination decide her direction.

Every time she starts her engine, she is not just driving forward, she is driving change.

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