KHAMMAM: In the dim, dust-choked tunnels of the PVK-5 mine of Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL), 24-year-old Ambati Mounika adjusts her helmet, its headlamp cutting through the darkness. As the first woman in SCCL’s 132-year history to join its underground rescue team, every step she takes is a quiet revolution.
Hailing from Khammam’s lower-middle-class neighbourhood, where girls are often nudged toward ‘safer’ careers, Mounika defied expectations. Her father, Venkata Suryanarayana, an electrician, became her anchor. “People, including our relatives, said mines were no place for a woman,” Mounika tells TNIE, adding, “I almost switched to computer science or electrical engineering. But my heart refused to let go.”
Her resolve crystallised during her mining engineering studies at Kothagudem College. Mounika’s training in Nagpur’s rigorous rescue programme was a baptism by fire. She mastered navigating collapsing walls, fires and methane leaks — scenarios where seconds separate life from tragedy. Before joining SCCL, she honed her skills at Hindustan Zinc.
Now, Mounika’s days blend routine inspections and simmering anticipation. Though yet to deploy in a live crisis, her readiness is unquestioned. Manager Shyan Prasad remarks, “She is a brave one. During drills, she is not afraid of working in deep mines.”
Her family watches with pride. Her elder sister is an IT professional in Hyderabad. Meanwhile, her father, Suryanarayana, says, “Since childhood, Mounika has been a brave girl and excellent at studies.”
As SCCL plans deeper mines, Mounika stands ready. “Let the chance come,” she declares. “When it does, I’ll show that women don’t just belong in the light. We belong wherever the world needs us.”