Patna, Jan 26 (PTI) A tableau featuring a women-driven pink bus secured the first position at the Republic Day celebrations at Patna’s Gandhi Maidan on Monday.
A total of 12 tableaux were showcased at the Republic Day celebrations in the state capital.
In the driver’s seat were women from the marginalised Musahar communities in their early twenties who took turns to drive the vehicle.
Some women were also among the passengers and some walked along with the vehicle.
The pink bus service, catering to women passengers, came into operation in May 2025, but was being driven by men before these women broke the practice.
Speaking to PTI, Saraswati Kumari, one of the drivers, said, “Driving transport vehicles is considered a man’s job, but women, too, should be allowed by their family members to venture into the profession. The dreams a woman keeps suppressed in her heart should come to the fore.” She urged women of her ilk to pursue their dreams by eliciting the active support of their family members.
Another driver, Ragini Kumari, said that she, along with other drivers, underwent light motor vehicle (LMV) training at the Institute of Driving and Traffic Research (IDTR) Aurangabad in 2023 and took heavy motor vehicle (HMV) training through the Bihar Mahadalit Development Mission in 2025.
“All this has become possible through the efforts of Padma Shri awardee Sudha Varghese, secretary of non-governmental organisation ‘Nari Gunjan’,” she said.
The NGO has played an instrumental role in encouraging women in this work, as highlighted by all the drivers. Sudha Varghese is a social activist who works for the upliftment of the Musahar community.
Speaking to PTI, Varghese said, “I am very happy with their achievement. This will definitely inspire other girls to follow their path, which is exactly what we want. The Musahar community is so poverty-stricken that most of them don’t even own a piece of land. I encouraged the girls to study, and the amount of hard work and appreciation they put in was impressive.” “In the beginning, even their families didn’t comprehend what they were going to do. So, they were not ready to cooperate. People also taunted them a lot. This was a big challenge for us, but we sailed through it,” she added.
On the question of the security of women, Ragini Kumari said, “It is true that women face crimes, including sexual assault, in public life, but we are well-trained to handle such things.” Another driver, Gayatri Kumari, urged women and girls to come forward and “take up unconventional roles” to challenge stereotypes.
“We have worked really hard to become drivers. Sudha didi has been a guide and great help throughout,” she said.
Aarti Kumari, who hails from Bhojpur district, said, “It is a happy moment for us that we came here on such a big occasion, drove the bus before dignitaries, and secured the first prize.” Baby Kumari from Punpun said that she had to face a lot of public scrutiny and even went through body shaming as she decided to become a driver.
“People have taunted me a lot about my short height, raising questions about whether I will be able to drive a bus or not. But I want to tell girls that their bodily attributes do not matter. What matters is their dedication to work and excel,” she said.
Anita Kumari, another driver, expressed happiness on her tableau winning the first prize and urged girls to “come forward and live a life of their dreams”. PTI SUK ACD
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