For the first time in India, the dream of giving women a new identity as a bike mechanic was woven by the Samaan Society and
tried to make it come true. The main objective behind this was to change the patriarchal system of work division on the basis of gender. As a result, the gender stereotype was broken in the matter of employment of women.
Today in Indore, women are seen as mechanic. Due to this program, women challenged the patriarchal system by exercising their right to choose employment. Despite all the opposition, they acquired the skill of a mechanic and made new identity by adopting this employment.
This programme was started in April 2018 to link women with bike mechanic profession by training them in it. Under this, in the year 2018-19 to 2020-21 total 250women were trained 68 of them were employed as Bike Mechanic at different service centres of Indore city. Probably for the first time in Madhya Pradesh women are working as mechanics.
Specialised training module has been prepared for the training of bike mechanic. This module covers all the work including servicing, repair, brake, engine, wiring of bikes. The special feature of this module is that in it, a simple language style was created with the viewpoint of women and interesting training methods have been included in it. All the subjects related to bike repairs and maintenance, were divided into 12 chapters in it. In preparing this module, the help of professional mechanics, professors of IIT Indore and professors of Holkar Science College, Indore, was taken.
The three main dimensions of this program are first community mobilization, second training and third placement or self-employment. In all these three processes, along with training and linking women as bike mechanics, leadership development is also ensured in them.
This program is not limited to making women mechanics, but its main goal is to make women empowered and leadership, so that they can live their life under their own control rather than someone else’s control and achieve equality and justice. By doing so, they can contribute towards providing equality and justice for other women.
Various activities will be organized in various settlements of the city to enroll the women as bike mechanic trainees and to add them to employment as mechanic. There are about 712 settlements in the city of Indore, out of which 200 settlements have access to Samaan Organisation through the Women Drivers Program. In these settlements, the women will be linked to this program through FGD, Campaigns and Employment camps.
Training is a special part of this program. There will be two types of trainings, a technical training and second empowerment training.
Technical training – Under the technical training there will be one month’s theory and after that two months of practice. Prior to this training, a training panel will be set up to prepare a simple training module, in which the women can be trained with various simple methods.
Empowerment training – The main concept behind empowerment training is that through this program, not only make women as mechanics, but also to make them empowered women so that they can have control over their own life and they can face the challenges created by the patriarchal society.
Placement is the third stage in this program journey starting with community mobilization. After completion of training, the target is to have placements at various service centers and garage. Also, technical support is provided to the trainees who want to start their own business.
Various activities were carried out for placements. Service centers in the city communicated with the HR manager. We told them about concept of this program and asked to employ to women trained as mechanic. After contact at the service centers,
Women mechanic trained by the Samaan Society placed at the service center “Soumya Vehicles”, Indore
some service centers agreed to give employment. For this, profiles of trained women mechanic was prepared and presented to the HR manager of the service centers. Those invited for the interview. We were facilitated to women mechanic for the interview.
As a result, 50 women got employment as professional bike mechanics. Along with this, many women started the work of mechanics as self-employed. Women Mechanics are working at the service centers of many reputed companies like TVS, Suzuki, Hero etc. in Indore.
Women mechanics have established their own company in the name of ‘Samaan Yantrika Association’. This company of women mechanics operates a women mechanic garage in the name of ‘Yantika Service Center’ in Indore city. There are three such garages operating in different areas in the city.
There was a revolutionary change in the socio-economic condition of the women who got employment as mechanics. On the one hand where they became socially empowered and succeeded in securing the rights of equality. Many women were also freed from domestic and external violence. On the other hand, they have also become financially capable.
Women coming into mechanic employment have been deprived of education in their childhood. As a livelihood, they used to do household chores like cleaning, cleaning utensils, cooking, and labor in factories. In spite of tireless labor in these works, they were able to get only three to four thousand rupees as wages in a month. At the same time, their traditional works did not bring them dignity and respect.
After joining mechanic employment, his income increased three times. Now the income had gone from 8 thousand to 10 rupees per month. Also, now they are called with respectful words from “Mechanic Madam“.