Manju Devi, a 38-year old woman, who happens to be the sole bread earner of her family consisting of three teenage kids, has been working as a porter since 2013. The profession of a coolie is considered to be dominated by males but Manju defied all odds to take up the job. She is the first female coolie of North Western Railways.
Manju’s husband died 10 years ago followed by which she was left with the responsibility of her three children. Apart from struggling with livelihood, she also had to face family conflicts and psychological hurdles to reach where she is today.
It was back in 2013 when she packed her bags and moved to Jaipur with two daughters and a son. With her mother’s encouragement and her own determination, Manju decided to take up the job of her deceased husband and became the first female coolie of North Western Railway.
Manu Devi with her kids (Image Courtesy: Hindustan Times)
However, it wasn’t an easy thing to do. Initially, she had to struggle with the heavy weight of the luggage as she herself weighed just 30 kgs. Apart from the physical obstacles, she also had to go through the psychological trouble.
Being the only female coolie, people used to stare at her when she picked up the luggage. Besides, she didn’t have any female friends to talk at the workplace and found it odd to sit amongst men all day.
There were days when she used to ask herself if she is doing the right thing and if it’s the right profession for her!
However, gradually she overcame all her fears and insecurities which is an inspiration for many women, especially in the rural parts of India. It took her a while to make peace with the reality from designing her own uniform to finding a place for herself in a male bastion.
Manju Devi was among 112 women who were felicitated by Ministry of Women and Child Development a few months ago. These included achievers from various fields like Aishwarya Rai, Nicole Faria, Anshu Jamsenpa, Tessy Thomas, etc.
