BHUBANESWAR: Transgender Rani Kinnar has made us all proud by becoming India's first five-star-rated cab driver for Uber, a multinational transport company.
Breaking all social barriers, Rani stood strong and refused to beg for a livelihood in trains and on footpaths.
The trooper's road to success, however, has been anything but smooth, having suffered a setback early on in her career when she drove an auto-rickshaw.
She refused to be bogged down by the lack of trust and support from the society as an auto-rickshaw driver and opted to volunteer as a driver for an ambulance during the holy Ratha Yatra in Puri.
"I started driving auto from the year 2016, but it didn't work for me because people didn't sit in my auto. But later in the year 2017, I opted to drive an ambulance during the Ratha Yatra in Puri," Rani told ANI.
Rani was introduced to the world of cab driving for multinationals by an ex-Uber employee, who encouraged her to join the firm as a partner driver.
After successfully clearing the interview, she purchased her own car and is now inspiring more people from her community to earn their own livelihood with their heads held high.
"By seeing Rani Ma'am, I have become her follower and want to become a driver myself. As you see people, especially girls, feel safe with us while they are travelling during late hours in comparison to male drivers who seem risky," shared Snehashree Kinnar, another member of the trans community in Odisha.