Jaipur:
A 33-year-old widow has chosen the male-dominated profession of a railway porter, becoming the first woman porter in Rajasthan.
Manju Devi, a mother of three, was earlier a homemaker and decided to become a porter after the death of her husband Mahadev, who used to work as a porter.
Devi, who has been working at the Jaipur Railway station for the last few days, was formally handed over her licence by the railway officials on Friday.
She was transferred the licence of her deceased husband and handed over badge number 15, North Western Railways spokesperson Tarun Kumar Jain said.
"I lost my husband due to a prolonged illness a few months ago. After his demise, I faced a hard time in fulfilling our requirements. I am illiterate but I can work as a porter," Devi told PTI.
"Someone guided me to contact railway authorities so I approached the officials who transferred my husband's license to me," she said.
"I have no land, no money and I understand that I have to struggle to educate my two daughters and son. I have to stand alone so I took the hard decision and I am satisfied with this," she said.
Devi now lives in a rented accommodation near the railway station whereas her children are staying with her maternal uncle in Harsoli village. Before her husband's demise she lived in Sundarpura village near Renwal in the district.
"When I am settled here, I will bring them to Jaipur and make arrangement for their education," Devi, who works for almost 10-12 hours and manages to earn Rs 100 to 150 in a day, said.
She praises the male porters at the junction and says that they are supportive and guide her in her job.
"It is a male-dominated job but they support me," she said.
According to a male porter it was a matter of pride for them that a woman porter is working with them. "She is new to Jaipur and does not know all the aspect of the work but we help her and keep her with us," Prahlad, a porter said.