I salute Yogitha Reghuvanshi , a
lawyer who turns a truck driver for her survival. This time I am talking to you
about Ms.Yogitha Reghuvanshi from Bhopal, a lean tall young woman. This unknown
young lady is the epitome of feminine beauty and strength. A few years ago her
husband Raj Bahadoor, who had been a truck driver was killed in a road
accident. At that time Yogitha, the mother of two children had been doing her
LLB course and was about to practice Law in the court. The death of Raj
Bahadoor was a bolt from the blue for Yogitha as there was no one to help this
poor middle class widow and soon she found that her lawyer’s profession could
not give her enough financial assistance to run a big family of two children
and her husband’s old parents and relations, who wanted costly medicines and
hospital care. She had no time to beg or cry. She neither waited for the
‘freebees of the government or any other charitable institutions for help.
Instead she thought of fighting for survival.
As she was a novice in the Law court she had
very few cases and could not earn enough money to run her family. So she
thought of new ways to overcome her poverty and she had no hesitation to become
a truck driver to make both ends meet. She learned to drive National Permit
heavy vehicles. It was a Herculian task but she was determined. She put down
the dark clown and put on kakkhi uniform and began to drive the heavy truck
carrying average 1200 cases of liquor bottles regularly from Bhopal to Kerala
covering over 2200 kilometers, passing through various states braving extreme
climate and, sometimes there are
landslides, hartal, strikes, snow falling, heavy rain and thieves and robbers.
Having overcome these odds, she always safely reaches destinations. She takes
six days to reach Palakkadu in Kerala, all the way from Bhopal in Madhya
Pradesh.
She is happy that her children
can continue their college studies and her in laws are quite hale and hearty,
thanks to the hard work and determination of the iron lady of Bhopal. Her modus
operandi is to collect beforehand as much details as possible about the states
through which she is driving her truck. She would collect the telephone numbers
of the hotels and motels on the way, details about the resting places, food in
various states and the telephone numbers of nearest police stations on the high
way. Months passed by and her truck reached the spot always in time and it
pleased her clients. Very soon her
contracting company found her one of the best drivers, and her skill in the art
of driving was noted by everyone in the field. Moreover she is sincere and a
symbol of self reliance and Mahindra Company offered her a new vehicle as a
gift and all possible help.
This unknown, young mother of two children
gives us inspiration to face the day to day difficulties of life. When she
reaches home after a long drive lasting more than half a month, she writes
about her new experiences of life, new friends and, strange places and events
she had come across and felt, she says with an innocent smile. She also adds
that her education and the knowledge of law always help her to a great extend,
to overcome traffic and other problems in her driving career.
After unloading the liquor bottles in the
Beverage ware house at Cannanore, she drove her vehicle to Palakkad godown of
the Beverage store. When the unloading was done, she sat again on the driving
seat, turned the ignition key and the engine started with a roar, but when her
light foot pressed on the accelerator, the truck, like an obedient child of a
loving mother moved on along the National Highway to Bhilai, far far from
Kerala, where in a small house, four souls anxiously waiting for the horn of
Yogitha’s vehicle. Yes. Ms Yogitha
Reghuvanshi has promises to keep, And miles to go before sleep, And miles to go
before sleep’. The wheels of her heavy vehicle roll on to a bright future far,
far away. Don’t you think Yogitha the unknown young woman is the symbol of
self-reliance?
Kjt/27-05-2016
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