Meet Chennai's Women Auto Drivers Who Win Big At IIM Competition In Kozhikode (Image: X/drthomasisaac)

Kozhikode, Kerala: Divya, Leela Rani, K Sangeetha, and Mohana Sundari, a team of four women auto drivers from Chennai took the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Kozhikode by storm on October 19, 2024. They won the first prize in “Coop 2024” which is a competition promoting cooperative entrepreneurship and took home a cash prize of Rs 50,000.

The pioneer woman auto driver’s co-operative society – Veera Pengal Munnetra Sangam from Chennai – wins first prize at Coop-Pitch organised at ULCCS Centenary Int. Conference held at IIM Kozhikode in collaboration with ICA. Congrats to 4 four-member team led by president MohanaSundari. pic.twitter.com/xfALBuuOQd

— Thomas Isaac (@drthomasisaac) October 19, 2024

According to The Hindu, these four vibrant women auto drivers are those who struggled to understand the discussions at IIM initially, but they soon warmed up and presented their ideas from the heart which was basically their plight and their story of resilience. They spoke about the problems faced by auto drivers in Chennai and their cooperative enterprise, Veera Pengal Munnetra Sangam (VPMS).

VPMS was registered in April 2024 and has around 400 women auto drivers as members. The cooperative aims to provide better working conditions and monetary benefits.

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Mohana Sundari, one of the team members said that they operate like a business model to get transport contracts and provide benefits like PF and ESI to their members.

The report further explained that most women auto drivers in Chennai are single parents quoting Mohana’s words that they  drop and pick up their kids from school, ply the vehicle, and earn money.

This helps them manage their home and children better. However, they face challenges like the ‘auto stand’ culture, where men dominate and also endure limited parking options.

VPMS is supported by Empowering Communities through Education which is a non-profit organisation. The Hindu report quoted the words of Vijay Gnanaprasad, an IT employee, “We’re highlighting the issues of women auto drivers and exploring options to tie up with rail or bus line authorities. The team’s victory is a step towards recognition and empowerment.”

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