How I Learnt to Respect Women: Delhi Cab Driver Pens Open Letter

Taxi driver Sahil Tomar opens up about how Delhi helped him get rid of his misogyny.

Image used for representational purposes. (Photo: iStock)

A man who drives a taxi in Delhi-NCR has penned an open letter, asking his colleagues to respect women and to see them as equals.

The letter by Sahil Tomar, a 32-year-old Ghaziabad resident who works for Ola and Uber, was published in the Hindustan Times.

Tomar, who hails from Uttar Pradesh’s Faizabad district, came to Delhi ten years ago.

In the letter, he writes that he struggled to complete his Class 10 education and dropped out of school soon after. He describes his journey as he went from a youth who ran odd jobs in his village before learning to drive and moving to Delhi at the age of 22.

“When I started driving in Delhi, I used to feel offended by how outspoken women in the city were. They would shout at me for missing a turn, and argue for change and call me tum and tu.”

Tomar admits that the initial culture shock was too much to take for him as women in his village refrain from even stepping out of their homes without covering their heads. He writes that some female passengers he ferried during his first few years in Delhi made him feel uncomfortable.

“Sometimes during late-night pickups, female passengers wearing short clothes would get in my car and sit comfortably on the front seat. It used to make me uncomfortable.”

Tomar writes that over time, the city and its people helped him gain some maturity and taught him how to respect his passengers irrespective of their gender.

“Most importantly, I realised it’s not the women who need to change. It’s me who had to. I had to let go of my shallow thinking.”

He claims to have found what he calls a "trick to adjust to this modern environment". To his fellow cab drivers, he says:

“Think of it this way – would you feel awkward if a man sat comfortably on the front seat and talked to you? Would you raise an eyebrow seeing a man smoke or him being in minimal clothes? No. So, why make such a big issue if a woman does the same things? A woman is as normal as a man.”

Recalling the horrific 2014 incident where a cab driver raped a female passenger, Tomar urges everyone to understand that not all drivers are the same. He also urges his fellow taxi drivers to go the extra mile to make their passengers feel safe.

“Each time we get a new booking from a customer, that person – be it a man or woman – signs an unwritten pact of safety and security with us. And we must be fully conscious of this and behave accordingly to set the right example.”

The satisfaction that a taxi driver enjoys after every safe and successful trip is a badge of honour in itself, Tomar concludes.

Source: Hindustan Times