Demand for women driving instructors grows in Pune
Publication: DNA Sunday
Date: 24/05/2011

The chatter and gossip subside into silence the moment she enters grabs the car keys and signals the group of people to get going These are women who control the wheel without being in the driverrsquos seat quite literally

Many driving schools in the city are hiring women instructors as they are becoming the most sought after by the same gender

Kirti Raut who works at the Maruti Driving School in Kondhwa Budruk is loved by all her students The 26yearold mother of one who has students from the age group of 2145 years said ldquoWomen are good learners Many who come here to learn ask for a female tutor probably because they feel safe Being taught by a person of the same gender probably makes learning easy and comfortablerdquo

Raut originally from Karnataka learnt driving from her father and shifted to Pune in search of a job Raut is strict about teaching only women learners ldquoI always taught women since the beginning Hence teaching men was never in questionrdquo said Raut who has taught driving to more than 100 women in her twoyear career

Neeta Kushare who once didnrsquot know how to ride a bicycle today teaches women how to drive twowheelers ldquoI am teaching women to ride since 10 years nowrdquo said Kushare who learnt to ride a bicycle when she got married

She praises her husband who always motivated and encouraged her to drive ldquoMy husband got a twowheeler when we had children so that I could them to school I had a liking for bikes and slowly I graduated to geared bikes and then carsrdquo she said

Thirtysevenyear old Vidula Pharande a resident of Chinchwad is a busy woman ldquoI get calls from women from Bibvewadi and Kothrud to give them private driving classes but I canrsquot because my son is in standard Xrdquo she said Though household responsibilities made her give up her job at a driving school she has not given up her passion and continues giving private lessons to both men and women

ldquoWomen are comfortable learning from us because questions such as am I wearing appropriate clothes how am I looking am I doing things as they been instructed by the tutor donrsquot cross their mind Also when they make a mistake they do not hesitate in asking the or feel scared about being judgedrdquo said Pharande

She added ldquoWomen are expressive and also talk freely They tell me what their husbands and children say about their driving and making such light talks helps them learn fasterrdquo

The ladies get aggressive when asked about Puneitesrsquo attitude towards women drivers ldquoWomen have always been looked down upon in our society The opposite gender thinks that women are always scared and so they bog them downrdquo said Kushare who proudly says that the truck is going to be her next bastion to capture

ldquoWomen are careful unlike men who like to ride speedilyrdquo Raut said ldquoWomen also follow the traffic rulesrdquo Pharande said ldquoWomen have to multitask mdash they look after the house children and work They have the knack to handle many things at the same time so why should they be scared of driving? A little bit of encouragement and they can excel in this toordquo