What It’s Like To Be a Woman Truck Driver In India

Riding around on a motorcycle, giving orders to men that are at her beck and call; Sherna Dastur introduces us to Manjuben, in her documentary ‘Manjuben Truck Driver.’ Chewing on beetle nut mix while cruising through the wilds of the country in her truck, Manjuben breaks all the popular gender stereotypes. Working in a profession that’s dominated by men, she runs her own trucking business in hometown Mansa, in Gurjrat; describing herself as ‘half Shiva-half Shakti’ as she puts up a poster of the same on the wall of her office. In a rigid and patriarchal society, she has constructed her own gender identity as a smooth-talking and hard-looking macho truck driver, not allowing herself to be tagged simply as male or female. Called ‘big daddy’ at home, she’s just ‘one of the guys’ hanging out at the local paan shop, joking around and slapping each other on the back. Relaxing with other truckers at dhabas along her routes, she wears men’s clothes and has short hair; with grace and an attitude that commands not only acceptance from her peers, but also their respect.

In the documentary, Dastur takes us on an intimate journey with Manju, as she travels familiar yet unsafe routes, in alternating shifts that last close to 12 hours. On certain roads, dacoits pelt stones at passing trucks, in hopes of the truck driver stopping and disembarking to investigate; that’s when they attack, “they rob and murder for money - we drive for money,” Manju says, but she never slows down. Even after her truck gets damaged or she’s physically harmed, she brushes it off, drinks a beer and moves on with her consignment.

Not fully understanding the meaning of marriage, Manju was wedded at the age of 16. Six days later she divorced her husband, who expected her to be home-bound completing the ‘duties of a good wife,’ but Manju wasn’t one to stay put. Her dream was to travel and earn money, and she enjoyed driving trucks from an early age. In time, she bought a truck, which soon grew into eight trucks and a full fledged business of her own.

Dastur captures her friendly interactions with the opposite sex, as well as the more uncomfortable ones at truck stops where other people’s uncertainty of her gender abounds. But she doesn’t consider herself a victim. In fact, there are no stories of discrimination in her life for her to tell. To her, it doesn’t matter; she stops, has a meal, takes a nap and leaves. Many drivers think she’s just a man without a moustache. In the film, she laughs at the ones who later realise, or are told, that she is in fact a woman. She mimics their reactions, “we couldn’t tell whether she was a boy or a girl!” She has been stopped on several occasions by highway policemen looking for bribes, to whom she’s had to prove her identity, namely her gender. They’re shocked when she shows them her license, at times, even thinking it’s fake.

Manjuben defies gender norms and societal rules as she takes on a man’s world. “She is not really a crusader. It is not that she does not want to be called a woman and, in fact, uses it to her advantage whenever needed. She understands the power equation and that fact that she needs to be financially well off to get the support of her family,’’ says Dastur in an interview with The Hindu. She’s a person of strong will and determination that’s paving a way for herself; happy living life on her terms and breaking ground by just being herself. Miss Manju’s tale is poetic, engaging and beautifully shot, as Dastur silently comments on the prevailing notions of gender in society that surrounds us.

The film has travelled to a host of international festivals, including the International Documentary Film festival in Amsterdam, Creteil (Paris), Zurich, Hungary, Milan, Bombay, Trivandrum, Film South Asia Nepal, Berlin L&G Arts Festival, Turuku Film Festival (Finland), Sao Paulo, Chicago , New York and five other Brazilian cities, among others. The documentary was also submitted for screening at the London Gay and Lesbian Festival, apart from being screened at the Documentary Fortnight exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art, New York.

You can watch Manjuben in action in the full documentary below.