- Nandhini once worked as a parking attendant and now owns a pink autorickshaw
- The Pink Auto initiative in Chennai supports women from disadvantaged backgrounds
- The project provides training and financial aid including grants loans and personal contributions
When Nandhini drops her daughter at school these days, she does so not as a parking lot worker struggling to make ends meet, but as the owner of a pink autorickshaw. The single mother, who earlier earned about Rs 15,000 a month at a mall parking lot, now hopes to double her income while giving her daughter a better future.
"Those who ill-treated me should regret looking at my success," she asserts, while noting she wants to set an example by refusing to overcharge passengers and even offering free rides to the elderly and persons with disabilities.
Nandhini is among the 50 women from economically challenged backgrounds who have become auto owners under Chennai's new Pink Auto initiative. Launched amid growing concerns over crimes against women, the initiative seeks to improve women's safety while simultaneously transforming the lives of women through financial independence.
For Mohana, the journey has come full circle. Once a domestic worker, she now drives a pink auto and trains other women to take the wheel. "I am the king. I decide when to work," she says, speaking about the freedom the profession has given her. The flexible working hours, she says, allow women to balance work and family responsibilities while earning a better livelihood.
Rajeshwari, who lost her husband and is raising her three-year-old son, says owning a pink auto has restored her confidence. "This auto has given me the confidence that I can achieve," she says, adding that her young son proudly cheers her on every day.
The project has been initiated by the Rotary Club of Anna Nagar Madras in partnership with Aptus Value Housing Finance Ltd and ANEW, a non-profit organisation. Under the model, Aptus provides a grant of Rs 1 lakh for every beneficiary, each woman contributes Rs 20,000, while the remaining Rs 1.5 lakh is financed through a bank loan to be repaid in monthly instalments. ANEW identifies beneficiaries from vulnerable backgrounds and trains them to become professional drivers.
"Our focus is financial stability for women. We also plan to train women to operate cabs," says Dr Annalakshmi M, Chairperson of ANEW, adding that women drivers can earn up to Rs 1,500 a day.
Aptus founder M Anandan says the goal is "to make women financially independent," while Rotary District Governor Suresh Jain says, "Empowering women is empowering the country."
Beyond livelihoods, the initiative places equal emphasis on ethics. Drivers are encouraged not to overcharge passengers, reinforcing the project's broader vision of creating safer, reliable transport for women while helping 50 women rewrite the stories of their own lives.
