The 1990s saw J Jayalalithaa become the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu for the first time. It was also the decade when the state took strides towards becoming the Detroit of India with auto majors Hyundai and Ford setting up factories.
In the state capital, meanwhile, four women—Selvi, Kasturi, Bhavani and Raji—were unleashing a revolution of their own.
In 1993, when many believed only men could do it, Selvi began driving autos in Chennai. She recalled being scorned by male drivers for trying to 'steal' their jobs and being mocked when she sought help for fixing a punctured tyre.
Kasturi took up auto driving a year later in 1994. When asked why, she said, "Naangale muthalali, naangale thozhilaali maathiri irukkalam" (I enjoyed the fact that I could be the owner and the worker).
Bhavani has been driving autos since 1998—for over 27 years.
She too echoed Selvi's sentiments, adding that many asked her to 'stay at home' instead. She shrugged off the criticism and said, "God showed me a way to earn money just like how men are earning, so why should I stay away from it?"
The last of our heroines, Raji, relocated to Chennai in 1999 after the Coimbatore blasts. She started driving an auto to support herself in a new city.
"Sometimes, the kickstarter didn't work and the skin on my hands would peel off after trying too hard," she remembered.
Being one of the very few women auto drivers in Chennai at the time, she struggled to find her footing, but she was determined to persist.
So, what has changed for them from then to now?
'Antha kaalam athu oru kaalam...'
In these days when smartphones and online ride platforms dominate, the human interactions that made their job rewarding are what these drivers miss the most.
"The happiness I used to get when someone put out their hand for a ride is gone, now that Uber and Rapido autos have arrived," Bhavani recalls.
She notices a change in the attitude of customers these days. She said the customers weren't as detached earlier and used to break into conversations every now and then.
"Once in 2000, a customer forgot and left a full bag of cash in my auto. Another customer pointed it out, and then I returned it."
Happy to find his cash, he gave Bhavani Rs 500. "It was a big amount back in the days, but I still haven't used it, I kept it."
A good bond with the customer developed, and he later invited Bhavani to his daughter's wedding and for family rides.
“Antha kaalam athu oru kaalam… (Those were the days...)” Bhavani broke into a song while reminiscing about old times.
She remembered how she helped a drunkard get home. "It is all about intuition to figure out if a person is good or bad. I felt bad for this person and wanted to get him back to his family."
She spoke of how she can even detect light drinkers and avoid them, but this was an exception she made.
Selvi, who has been driving school students for years, had a story to share too.
"The children who came in my auto have grown up, but they haven't forgotten me. They invite me to their weddings, Pongal, Diwali, and sometimes even leave their children for me to babysit if they have work commitments."
Not just memorable interactions, money prospects too diminished after app-based taxi services became the norm, the women say.
"There were even days when I used to earn Rs 1,000 back then, but now it is difficult to make that much," said Bhavani, adding that there were very few autos earlier.
"It was a good time to drive autos. I used to earn a good income, and there was no competition," Raji said, adding that she used to make Rs 400 to 600 a day, which easily covered her monthly rent of just Rs 1,700.
"I didn't have to work around the clock either. If I started at around 3 in the morning, I would be back by 10 am," she explained.
The flexible working hours also helped Raji take care of her children.
Nowadays, auto drivers have to work around 16 to 17 hours a day and earn only Rs 2,000 in hand, which is insufficient for daily expenses, Raji said.
Raji described that period as "heavenly for auto drivers."
By 2015, auto drivers started noticing shifts in consumer behaviour. Raji said, "I used to tell auto drivers to drive using meters, or customers would find a way to replace us."
She blames the takeover of Ola and Uber on the auto drivers themselves, adding, "Now, technology has caught up; it's a big tree that can't be uprooted."
The changing consumer attitudes can in part be attributed to the evolution of affordable private transport. Raji has witnessed the evolution herself.
"People heavily depended on autos in the 2000s," she stated, explaining that there were no Share Autos or Tata Magic vehicles, and only a few taxis, which mainly clustered around the Egmore station.
Traffic in Chennai increased after construction began near Perambur bridge.
Raji felt that the metro wasn't a solution to the city's traffic woes, saying, "Traffic increased after metro construction. The width of the road kept decreasing as construction work progressed in Chennai."
The diesel auto services began operating around 2005 in North Chennai, and Tata Magic appeared around 2010.
Raji mentioned that "school vans started coming up after Tata Magic became popular. Until then, there were only school buses, autos, or small Omnis to transport students."
'For us, our auto is safer than offices…'
Selvi is selective about her customers due to safety reasons. After an encounter with drunken passengers in 1995, she began avoiding certain customers and areas. Her husband, she said, has been supportive but concerned about her safety. He prefers that she drive families and students. She doesn't do late nights.
Bhavani also continues to work only during the daytime—between 7am and 6pm.
"When the RTO gave me a licence, they suggested that I drive only during the daytime because of safety concerns, and I follow that even now."
She believes the city has changed over the years, with increased surveillance and safety measures to protect women.
Raji also considers auto driving a relatively safer profession and relied on CCTV cameras, police booths, and the Kavalan app when travelling at night. At the same time, she acknowledged that no initiative can guarantee complete safety.
"I'm not saying I haven’t faced problems, but I feel a woman is safer driving an auto in public than working in a closed office," she said.
Kasturi recalled avoiding certain areas, including slums, when she first began driving due to safety concerns. Over time, she said, Chennai has become a much safer city.
The women auto drivers also added that there is more acceptance from male drivers. "Now they see us as co-workers and help us," said Selvi.
Speaking about worker unions, Raji said, "There used to be a time when trade unions supported labourers, but now they support the ruling party."
She added that once a trade union becomes affiliated with a political party, it fails to support labourers.
Driving on, on their own terms
Despite hardships, Selvi and Kasturi continue to ride autos, inspiring hundreds to be independent and self-sufficient.
Bhavani started an organisation of around 1,000 women in Chennai, comprising gig workers and auto drivers, called Auto Ottum Dheera Pengal Thozhil Sangam. Her organisation is now government registered, helping women learn how to drive and access government schemes to buy autos.
Raji started an NGO called Inaiyum Kaikal to provide financial assistance to struggling children. Through her organisation, several students from economically weaker backgrounds have accessed quality education. Their funds have also been used to provide medicines and food to children with cancer at Egmore Children’s Hospital.
"We have a WhatsApp group where we pool money among ourselves, and sometimes our NRI customers support us to run this," she explained.
Right now, Raji has taken a break from riding an auto and is driving an ambulance in Kollengode, Palakkad.
Even on the rockiest roads, the wheels do not stop.