Shila Dawre is country’s first woman auto rickshaw driver when she first stepped into the ‘male-dominated’ zone in the year 1988. Dawre is belong from Pune , and she wants to now start an academy for women interested in becoming trained auto drivers.

In the year 1988, Dawre came to Pune from Parbhani district to become the country’s first female auto-rickshaw driver – in what is still considered a male-dominated profession. She started driving autos when regular drivers went on leave and soon saved enough money to buy her own. She has been recognised in the Limca Book of Records and conferred with ‘First Ladies’ award. She says in a video interview with a Pune based website. She also dreams to start an academy for women interested in becoming trained auto drivers.

When an 18-year-old Shila Dawre took the decision to leave her parents’ home in Parbhani district to go to Pune, she only had Rs 12 in her hand and big dreams in her eyes. No more was Shila going to be told that her aspirations were worthless and driving was not a profession girls from good households ventured into. Not in the era of 1980s.

Recorded in the Limca Book of World Records as the first woman auto-rickshaw driver in the country, Shila Dawre never in her life imagined to become trailblazer and as women she became driving auto-rickshaws becuase nobody ever thinks this type of things in their dream but restrained themselves because it was a male-dominated sphere.

According Shila She says that “She never think that she took up the profession to make a record, In fact reality is that she was unaware about of the Limca Book Records the title bestowing upon me, until I was approached by people,” she says in a video interview with Pune-based Autowale.in. Shila is associated with them to encourage women to take up the profession of driving.