'Ghar mein bahut takleef tha, toh karna pada': Meet Dandu Laxmi, Hyderabad's woman Uber driver

Hyderabad: She swiftly turns the steering wheel and parks the Xylo in style by the roadside. But the steering wheel of her life does not turn that easily. Amidst back-to-back trips in her seven-seater vehicle, Uber driver Dandu Laxmi has several thoughts on her mind—house rent, vehicle EMI, children's education, and so on.

"I have been driving for over five years now. Ghar mein bahut takleef tha, isliye karna pada. Bachon ki padai, house rent vaise bahut expenses tha. Isliye khud ka gaadi khareeda," says Laxmi, a resident of Neredmet in Hyderabad. Laxmi has two children, a son and a daughter. She proudly says her daughter, who recently completed her degree, has secured an MBA seat and is waiting to pay the fees and get admission.

In a day, Laxmi rides for 8-9 hours and earns around Rs. 2,000 per day. She says people at times tell her she is a woman and cannot do it, but Laxmi says she had no choice but to try and make her life better. Besides, Laxmi also says how difficult it is to drive in Hyderabad as there is a lot of traffic on the road.

'After husband's death, all burden fell on me'

Before Covid-19, Laxmi's husband used to take care of all the household work and she had very little to worry about. But during the first wave of Covid-19, her husband tested positive for the virus, and suddenly, the burden of the household and earning for the family fell on her. She had no one to help her. "We did not know about the Covid-19 death certificate and the procedure for application, so we were not eligible for the ex-gratia," she says.

Photo credit: Hima Bindu

'Will I lose my only source of daily bread?'

Laxmi is now worried about something else. She is scared that she will lose her Xylo which she had been using for the past five years. It is her only source of daily bread. "I have to pay the car's EMI before 15 August. It is around Rs. 45,000 and I do not have that much money. I am not sure if I will be able to save my car," says a worried Laxmi.

Cover photo: Hima Bindu