During hours when most women are blissfully asleep, Radha Devi Tuladhar, 35, is busy ferrying passengers along the dark deserted streets of the capital in her taxi. This continues till midnight every day.
Tuladhar is the only woman taxi driver in Nepal, according to Nepal Transportation Labor Union. Unlike driving tempos that ply along distinct routes, taxi driving requires the person at the steering to be prepared to head for any destination passenger’s demand. This makes the profession unattractive to women. Apart from that, taxis have to be driven till late in the night if the driver wants to earn more, said Madhav Kafle, secretary of Nepal Taxi Drivers Association, Kalanki, explaining why there is only one woman taxi driver in the country.
But these factors do not seem to bother Tuladhar. “How long can a human being live fearing fellow humans?” she asked. “I’ve stopped being afraid. I’ve come to know that things scare you only if you allow yourself to be scared by them,” she said rather philosophically.
There have been instances when Tuladhar got mugged. Once she was looted by a group of youngsters. “They snatched away my gold chain and a ring,” she said of the incident that happened some four years ago near Maipi area.
“I have learnt how to take care of such risks. Now I have some tricks that protect me in difficult situations,” she said, declining to reveal her tricks. Tuladhar has been driving her taxi for six years now. She believes the profession has made her a free woman.
Life taught her that freedom can only be earned and not be given.
Tuladhar was just thirteen when her parents, natives of Kirtipur, married her off to a man 25 years older. Despite the age gap, the two managed to spend ten years together. But a day came when things no longer worked for them.
“It was thirteen years ago. I started feeling that that my life had become a pain due to him. I decided to find a new life for myself and my children,” she reminisced. “I never got happiness through married life, and I did not spend time looking for it after my marriage failed.”
Tuladhar used to earn money through contract jobs even when she was with her husband. She used to sell wine and beer to earn for herself and her kids. But the money she earned was not enough. “I wanted to provide a good education to my children but did not have enough money. I then considered the taxi business.”
Since she didn’t know how to drive then, she bought a taxi in partnership and hired a driver. Unfortunately, she lost the 450,000 rupees she had invested in the taxi as her partner took away the taxi (Ba 1 Ja 2925) taking advantage of her illiteracy and ignorance. She also lost another taxi (Ba 1 Ja 3967) in which she had also invested, as she was unable to pay the balance of Rs 250,000 to the taxi owner.
But the lady with an iron will refused to give up. She got another taxi (Ba 1 Ja 3515) on loan and began driving it herself. While she still has to pay a part of the loan, she is a content woman. Her son passed SLC in first division from a boarding school this year and her daughter is doing well at AVM School.
Tuladhar understands that being a woman, it is tough for her to make people accept her in this profession. “Nobody wants to see their women folk driving a taxi. My own children suggest that I run a shop instead. But if I’m good at driving and enjoy this job why shouldn’t I do it? Should I live for others or for myself?” she questions.
Today, Tuladhar earns more than Rs 17,000 per month driving her own taxi, a private vehicle in the morning, and occasionally training others to drive. Trips outside the Valley is something she never misses whenever the chance comes. “I enjoy long trips, and they pay well,” she said. Driving a taxi has given her something more important: freedom.
“Fear is what all ladies should give up, as that is what makes them lag behind,” she said, adding, “Freedom is the best thing life has to offer.”
– Anjali Subedi
