Women who scale the heights of their careers and those who turn breadwinners for their families have always been inspirational. Their stories have become case studies. However, what often lie behind the glowing faces of the women achievers are stories of struggle, hardship and compulsion. Anybody who has watched the Julia Roberts-starrer Erin Brockovich would understand the difficulties that working women have to deal with.
Gulesh Chouhan’s tale is no different. The independent and self-driven Gulesh is one of the first female cab drivers in Delhi-NCR. Her life has been celebrated by one and all, but little does the world know that Gulesh has had to undergo tremendous ordeals to reach where she has in life.
Gulesh was happily married and a proud mother. Like any other woman in a similar situation, she was busy building a home and raising her child. Life was carefree.
Things, however, soon turned ugly. Gulesh lost her husband when she was just 27. The tragedy left her shattered, and she found herself drowning quickly in the quicksand of despair. Life, for Gulesh, had hit a dead end. Yet, it gave her no respite. She could barely grieve the loss of her husband when a thousand responsibilities were thrust upon her. Her child was now totally dependent on her. She was all that the child had; the child was all that she had. Raising a child as a widowed mother carried with it added difficulties. The child, however, tended to give Gulesh a new lease of life and she bravely took up every challenge that she was faced with. She became a cab driver and started life afresh.
We came across Gulesh during the dark days of the Covid-induced lockdown. She was hesitant at first, but gradually opened up and shared her story. We found this intrepid woman grappling with a financial crisis and wasted no time in providing help. Sewa Nyaya Utthan Foundation immediately arranged for a relief grant, with which Gulesh was able to clear the obstacles in her way and cruise along on the highway of success.
The motto of the foundation is to ensure that monetary difficulties never become the cause for ambitions going unfulfilled, and we have helped many others like Gulesh to be always ready with answers no matter what question life poses. Do support us so that we can make sure that women like Gulesh never have to give up their decision of turning independent.
