Photo: Sudhakar Jain-NIE PhotographerAt an age,when her classmates were learning stitching and other household chores, Prema,who is now officially the first city bus driver,rode bikes and learned driving buses.
But for Prema Ramappa Nadabatti, the realisation of her ambition took a long road from Gokak in Belgaum to Bangalore and 24-years of waiting to bring to pass,what she dreamt as a sixteen year old.
Now a single mother,Prema drives the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation buses on routes as challenging as Shivaji Nagar to KR Market and Brigade Road to Electronic City.
Prema,however, is a believer that if you have determination,there is nothing that is impossible. "When I was a child,I wanted to learn bicycle but it was scary in the beginning,later it was so much easier and it was the same with driving a bus as well," Prema says.
"There are challenges,but there is nothing impossible," she adds with a smile.
In a profession such as driving public transport buses - which is primarily dominated by men,for Prema,it is the support and encouragement of male colleagues and supervisors that put her on the right path.
"All my male colleagues cheered when I first took the bus and even on the roads in traffic,bikers when they see me driving give me a thumps up," says this mother of a single child.
Prema,before joining BMTC, was with Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation,however, since there she was given the job of a conductor,she opted for BMTC.
Life,however, is still difficult for this 'lady' BMTC driver,who alone has to shoulder the education of her son,who is in first standard now. She gets a salary of ` 3,000 along with extra ` 60 per day,when she drives the Pushpak as driver cum conductor.
"There are days,when my whole body starts to aches due to physical strain,but I am happy because, I am doing what I wanted to do," she adds.
Ambitions such as of Prema are made of sterner stuff,who understands the challenges of her profession,but knows what she can accomplish. Now next she wants to be first woman Volvo driver in Bangalore.
But for Prema Ramappa Nadabatti, the realisation of her ambition took a long road from Gokak in Belgaum to Bangalore and 24-years of waiting to bring to pass,what she dreamt as a sixteen year old.
Now a single mother,Prema drives the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation buses on routes as challenging as Shivaji Nagar to KR Market and Brigade Road to Electronic City.
Prema,however, is a believer that if you have determination,there is nothing that is impossible. "When I was a child,I wanted to learn bicycle but it was scary in the beginning,later it was so much easier and it was the same with driving a bus as well," Prema says.
"There are challenges,but there is nothing impossible," she adds with a smile.
In a profession such as driving public transport buses - which is primarily dominated by men,for Prema,it is the support and encouragement of male colleagues and supervisors that put her on the right path.
"All my male colleagues cheered when I first took the bus and even on the roads in traffic,bikers when they see me driving give me a thumps up," says this mother of a single child.
Prema,before joining BMTC, was with Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation,however, since there she was given the job of a conductor,she opted for BMTC.
Life,however, is still difficult for this 'lady' BMTC driver,who alone has to shoulder the education of her son,who is in first standard now. She gets a salary of ` 3,000 along with extra ` 60 per day,when she drives the Pushpak as driver cum conductor.
"There are days,when my whole body starts to aches due to physical strain,but I am happy because, I am doing what I wanted to do," she adds.
Ambitions such as of Prema are made of sterner stuff,who understands the challenges of her profession,but knows what she can accomplish. Now next she wants to be first woman Volvo driver in Bangalore.
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