The Hindu Business Line : Spanners at work

The classroom buzzes with women in the 20-30 age-group. Neatly draped in sarees, with an apron in place, these women get ready to exhibit their newly acquired skills. No, they aren't about to cook exotic dishes or showcase their baking talent. In front of them is an old battered TVS Scooty. Their "Madam" asks them to clean the spark plug. Without a moment's hesitation, they come forward with child-like exuberance.

These women are training to become two-wheeler mechanics as part of an initiative launched by the Inner Wheel Club of Madras East, in association with the Gurukulam Community College, Prabha TVS and the Automobile Association of South India.

It is an attempt to provide job opportunities to women in areas traditionally dominated by men. The project draws inspiration from a similar NGO initiative in Bangalore. The first batch of women is expected to complete training by June 2006, says Vineeta Balaraman, President, Inner Wheel Club of Madras East. The women will receive training in all aspects of servicing and repairing two-wheelers. At the end of the 6-8 month programme, they will undergo a week-long training at a dealer's office, followed by a four-day comprehensive training at the TVS' product training centre in Hosur.

The trainees are given a monthly stipend of Rs 300, depending on regular attendance. "We are also setting aside Rs 100 every month, which would be given to them at the end of the training. This is to motivate them to attend the classes regularly," says Vineeta.

The project has already found support for its next batch. Chennai's Dharmambal Polytechnic has agreed to sponsor the trainer's salary (Rs 2,000) and consumables (Rs 500). The participants will also get a certificate from the Government of Tamil Nadu.

Back at the classroom, 23-year-old Sathya, a mother of two, is learning how to fix the carburettor right. She says, "Initially I was scared... terms such as carburettor, gear-box, spark plug, etc intimidated me. But now, we are gaining confidence by the day."

She learnt about the training programme from the pamphlets distributed by Valluvar Gurukulam School, where her children study. And it was the desire to spend time usefully that helped convince her and her family to join the course. "Usually women are accused of gossiping in their free time. We wanted to change that," she says.

Seethalakshmi, 29, is a picture of confidence. She has her future plans worked out. "I want to open a spare-parts shop. I also want to run a two-wheeler driving school," she says.

As part of the training, the women are taught to ride a two-wheeler. Some of them are used to riding bicycles, so learning to ride was not that difficult for them.

The enthusiasm of these women has rubbed off on others in their neighbourhood too. "Many of our neighbours want to join the next batch. I also want to train children in my area who have dropped out of school or have no educational background," says Seethalakshmi.

How encouraging are their husbands? "My husband is very supportive. It is the same with my friends too. They are willing to send us to Hosur for the training," she says.

The trainees express admiration for their instructor Kamalakshi, a beneficiary of the Bangalore project, who has faced difficulties in life with courage and confidence. Says Kamalakshi, "I don't want them to stop with just TVS Scooty models. I want to train them to repair all two-wheelers." She hopes they will get their two-wheeler licence and find suitable employment soon after the training. "They all want to come up in life, despite family problems and constraints," she adds. .

Seethalakshmi sums up their determination to get ahead in life, "Every year it is difficult to pay even our children's school fees. But from next year, we want to pay the school fees of two other children, too."

It looks like they surely will.

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