A female truck mechanic

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Once upon a time, Shanti Devi and her husband were very poor in  

Madhya Pradesh, India. They did many works to maintain they family, 
but they failed. Later they came to 'Sanjay Gandhi Transport 
Nagar'(SGTN), New Delhi, 20 years ago.

This area is spread over an area of more than 75 acres. This is the 
largest trucking stopover point in Asia. Over 70,000 trucks are parked 
here at any given time and around 20,000 trucks pass by every day.

Initially Shanti Devi's husband started his work as a mechanic and 
earning some money. Everyday, Shanti was observing his husband's 
work. She decided to earn money to support her family. Slowly she 
too started learning repairing trucks. Now she has become an efficient 
truck mechanic in India. Almost she is the only female truck mechanic 
in India.

She said "I learnt all about automobiles and changing tyres by watching 
my husband and other mechanics while they were working. Today, I 
know that I am a better mechanic than many men and prove it through 
my work every day. I believe a woman can do any job if she has a 
passion for it. Men still look at me with surprise and interest as I go 
about my job.

There have been occasions when drivers have hesitated to give me 
work. They believe that I would not be able to do it. Some even offer to 
lend a helping hand. When they see that I am quite capable at lifting and 

moving heavy tyres with ease on my own, they give me a happy smile. 
I have earned their respect and have developed a healthy relationship 
with regular customers."