Her father did not even come to the hospital when Manasi Mridha was born. Her “crime”? She was a daughter. When her younger sister was born a few years later, things only got harder. Her father refused to take responsibility and walked away from the family. Her mother began cooking in other people’s homes to raise her two daughters. But poverty forced Manasi to drop out after Class 9. At just 16, she was married. A few years later, her husband died, leaving her with a young son. She had to leave her in-laws’ home and start over once again. She worked in homes, sold clothes and even worked at a bank. Anything that could help her give her son a better life. Then came a chance to change the way she earned her living. Through the Azad Foundation, Manasi trained as a driver and later joined Sakha as a professional driver. She learned much more than driving: map reading, first aid, self-defence and communication. But she had another dream: to own a car of her own. In 2019, when Kolkata’s Pink Cab initiative for women was launched, Manasi applied. Among nearly 150 applicants, her name appeared first on the selected list. And today, she drives her own Pink Cab through Kolkata, becoming the city’s first Pink Cab driver. The father who once refused to accept her because she was a girl could not define the life she would go on to build. #ManasiMridha #PinkCab #Kolkata #WomenEmpowerment #WomenWhoInspire [Manasi Mridha Kolkata Pink Cab Driver Story, Kolkata Woman Cab Driver Inspiring Story, Inspirational Bengali Women Stories, Women Empowerment Stories From Kolkata, Kolkata Women Entrepreneurs And Changemakers]