BHUBANESWAR: When the Republic Day tableaux rolls out on Mahatma Gandhi Marg in Bhubaneswar on Monday, ‘Nari Shakti’ would be firmly in focus with a 41-year-old woman storming the male bastion.
Muni Tigga will be one of the participating members in the tableaux themed ‘Women in Transport Sector’ put together by the Commerce and Transport department of Odisha government for the R-Day celebration. The 41-year-old’s representation, however, stands out as she is from the small pool of women loco pilots in the East Coast Railway (ECoR) zone.
There are 7,498 train drivers, comprising loco pilots and assistant loco pilots, in the ECoR. Of them, 161 are women, translating to just 2.1% share. Thirty-five female drivers serve as loco pilots while 126 are assistant loco pilots. Muni is among the 30 women loco pilots who belong to Odisha.
A freight train driver for last 14 years, Muni’s a story of defying the stereotypes in a career which is dominated by men and considered unsuitable for women given the toll it takes physically and mentally. From working as a labourer to pay for her studies to be among a handful of women loco pilots in the state, she has been a trailblazer.
Hailing from Sundargarh’s Hatibari village in Nuagaon block, she fought poverty early in life. Belonging to a farming family, Muni topped her batch in 2002 while studying in Kumjharia girl’s high school. Struggling with finances and basic needs of seven children, Muni’s father was unable to pay for her higher studies.
Disheartened, young Muni started to assist her father in farming in their small field. With ends not meeting, she began working as a labourer in a private factory about 13 km to 14 km away from her house.
She recalls the struggles. “My mother would wake me up at 2 am every day so that I can leave for work on a bicycle an hour later,” she said. She would cycle all the way to work on poor roads and return in the evening.
Even as her mundane life and struggle continued, she visited her elder sister in Rourkela in 2004. During her stay, she noticed one of her school friends was studying in a college in Rourkela. She then decided to get back to academics and took admission in Plus II science in Sushilavati Government Women’s College in Rourkela. Her aspiration to pursue education was shattered when she failed in the examination two years later due to personal reasons.
Disillusioned, she wanted to return to her village but a group of students preparing for competitive examinations encouraged her to try for railway jobs. Muni got enrolled into the government ITI college in Bargarh in 2006. There has been no turning back ever since. After passing the course, she appeared for railway examinations in different zones.
Her hard work paid off when she cracked the railway examination and joined the service as an assistant loco pilot in November 2011. She was promoted as a loco pilot in 2016. Married in 2013, she and her husband have a son and daughter.
“Providing education to my children is a top priority and I would love to witness both of them emerge as independent individuals,” said Muni who currently drives a goods train from Palasa in Andhra Pradesh to Khurda. “Every woman should pursue her dreams and not bow down to the societal influences,” she says.