This Working Mother Driving Around Uber With Her Daughter Is Winning Hearts Online

A LinkedIn post made by a Bangalore-based user, Rahul Sasi, is receiving attention from netizens for all the right reasons. The post talks about his unusual encounter with his Uber ride. Having booked a cab, he was least expecting to see a working mother in the field, accompanied by a sleeping daughter beside her in the passenger seat. Surprised and inspired by his Uber driver's efforts, he decided to take her permission to post her story on his profile and take it to many across the world.

Soon enough, it was picked up by netizens who poured in equal amounts of scepticism and appreciation for the working mother who was driving people to their destinations safely. The post also understandably raised a few concerns about the child's safety but had many speaking in favour of the safety that is often assured to women drivers in the field.

The Story

Stories of working women stepping into unorthodox jobs are not new in the space of LinkedIn. However, it sheds light on the growing trend of women confidently moving into fields they are least expected to go into, and that too without compromising on their aspirations and roles, such as that of being a caretaker.

Rahul Sasi's post narrates a similar story of a woman who did not sit back in the face of failures and instead stood back on her feet to regain what she had lost. The woman driver, Nandini, drives around for the e-commerce platform accompanied by her daughter. Rahul was pleasantly surprised to know about this and enquired more about her life. Responding to his curiosities, Nandini said, "My daughter is on vacation now; hence I am working and babysitting together."

Before stepping into the shoes of an Uber driver, Nandini was an aspiring entrepreneur who had invested her all into starting a food truck in Bangalore. The project came to a halt after the pandemic had struck, and she was forced to pick different jobs to make up for the savings she had lost. Despite the adversities ahead of her, she worked about 12 hours a day, determined to build everything back from scratch.

Having heard the story, Rahul told her, "Many people get disheartened after a failure, you are a fighter and continue the fight till you win," and expressed his interest in posting her story online.

The impact of the story began showing soon enough with the Uber country head Prabhjeet Singh reaching out and offering support to their fellow driver. Rahul also contacted Nandini to convey the responses that were pouring in support of her, and she was beyond delighted to know about the social media reactions.

People's Reception

Some users were quick to point out the breach of policies by stating that the driver was carrying her sleeping daughter along with her. This also raised questions about the safety of the child while the mother goes around making trips.

In response to this, a user by the name of Ishleen Singh wrote, "I write this as an Indian citizen - I am not surprised at the criticism about the not-so-young child's safety coming from the privileged masses here."

Talking about the huge economic gap that prevails in society, she reflects on how seating capacity and daycare facilities are not something every individual can afford. Therefore, picking on these factors by downplaying the mother's efforts showed clear oblivion to the systemic desperations faced by many working women.

Adding on to it, she lauded Rahul's efforts to bring out her story to people's attention and said, "I hope she'll continue providing for her child in whatever way she can, and she won't have to take her child to work with her when the child is on vacation."

Few others also, while appreciating the working woman, expressed their sadness about the plight of many in the country. A user by the name of Amanda Stitson said, "I cannot help but feel a little sad. Her daughter, in the front passenger seat, is being driven around for 12+ hours a day."

While appreciating the mother's efforts to provide for her child, she says "I absolutely do not blame the mum, she's doing the best she can. I respect her drive, dedication, and determination. However, no child should have to live this way, and her mum should not have to sacrifice her safety and wellbeing…just to provide for them". This further initiated discussions on the systematic problems and the quality of life that is accepted within the country.

On the brighter side, many people began sharing similar stories of struggles and dedication to convey that Nandini is not alone in this journey of hers. The majority of users lauded the woman's efforts to find the balance between her professional and personal life and commented that working women like Nandini would continue to inspire thousands of women across the country.

Also Read: 'Acche Din Aayenge Sir': This Young Graduate Working As Gas Delivery Agent Is Reinstilling Hopes Of Better Tomorrow