Pooja was married off to an alcoholic husband without her knowing. She faced domestic violence for years before finally deciding to separate from her husband. Today, she drives an e-rickshaw to earn a living with hopes of a making her daughter’s life better.
Lucknow: A woman is taught to be patient since her childhood. Even in today’s world, thousands of cases can be heard in remote areas where many families hesitate to send their girls to schools. Despite all the social barriers, only women have the strength of standing bravely against adversities. If it wasn’t for the willpower of women, feminism would not have found its place in the society.
Amroha’s Pooja drives an e-rickshaw to raise her daughter in a better environment. She carries her 3-year-old daughter with a makeshift sling around her body. She attracts the attention of all the passersby and the passengers firstly for being a woman driver and secondly for carrying her baby around on her duty. Some locals call her Jhansi Ki Rani (alias of Rani Laxmi Bai).
Who is Pooja?
Pooja is a resident of Shyampur, Moradabad. She had dreamed of living a comfortable life in her in-laws’ family but the exact opposite thing happened to her. Pooja’s husband was an alcoholic who would beat her up every night. Her in-laws forced her not to disclose this case of domestic violence to her family or the police.
Soon, Pooja became pregnant with her daughter and thought that her life might improve from thereon. But her husband didn’t adopt any change in his life and continued harassing her. Her in-laws favoured their son and did not support Pooja. She suffered from years of domestic violence before finally deciding to leave the house forever.
Mother-in-laws’ scorn
The primary reason women find it impossible to break the shackles of domestic violence is because they are taught to be submissive. They are not given proper education and are contrived into believing that they must remain dependent on their husbands. The scenario would be completely different if our daughters were raised the same way as boys. Pooja had kept silent about the issues and no one outside her in-law’s house knew about her condition.
After listening to her mother-in-law’s humiliating and belittling scorns against her, Pooja moved back to her maternal home with her daughter, Khwahish.
Becoming independent
To earn a living, Pooja bought an e-rickshaw for Rs 30,000 by taking a loan. She even rented a house of her own after spending some time in her maternal home. She carries her daughter to work because she has no other choice. There is no one she can rely on for taking care of her daughter in her absence. She wishes to educate her daughter to see her become a high-rank official.
Pooja desires to give her daughter the best life possible. She is truly an inspiration for every woman who faces domestic violence in their life. Pooja works from 8 am to 10 pm to earn a daily living so that she can send Khwahish to good schools.
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