#GoodNewsOfTheDay: Meet Ankita Shah, Ahmedabad's first specially abled rickshaw driver

We always fantasise about the idea of superheroes. Be it Batman, Wonder Woman or Superman - we love the idea of a superhero and wish to be like them or meet them at least one day. But in today's world, some superheroes are just like you and me. No, they don't climb the buildings or disappear, nor do they wear capes, but they do things that not only make them a superhero but also inspire us to become a better version of ourselves daily. 

One such superhero that has inspired us tremendously is a 35-year-old woman, Ankita Shah. She is Ahmedabad's first specially-abled female auto driver, who works to save her father's life. People often taunted her for her disability, but that didn't stop her from becoming fierce and independent. Read below to find out more about her inspiring life. 

Ankita Shah, a 35-year-old woman, breaks all gender stereotypes by becoming Ahmedabad's first specially-abled ricksha-wali. Leaving a desk job at a call centre, Ankita has been driving rickshaw from the past six months to help her father with his cancer treatment. Being the eldest, among the five siblings, Ankita is a BA economics graduate. She had her right leg amputated due to polio, at an early age. But this didn't stop working hard and educating herself. 

Ankita hails from Palitana and right from her childhood, she was taunted for her leg, and that instigated her to move to Ahmedabad. She moved to Ahmedabad in 2012 and started working in a call centre since then. However, things were not good for her, since, in spite of working for 12 hours daily, she used to make Rs. 12,000 a month. Her father was diagnosed with intestine cancer, and she had to juggle between Ahmedabad and Surat for her father's treatment. The expenditure was more than the income, and that's when she decided to quit her job. 

After quitting the job, Ankita went on several interviews, but because of her disability, she was unable to get a well-paying job. Making ends had become difficult for them, and that made her guilty since she wasn't able to contribute to her father's treatment. And that's when she decided to do something on her own.

She decided to become a rickshaw driver, and that didn't make her family happy. Because being specially-abled, it seemed like a difficult task to do. But Ankita was determined to improve her family's financial condition and went to learn rickshaw from a friend- Lalji Barot – who is also physically challenged and drives a rickshaw too. Apart from teaching her how to ride a rickshaw, he also taught her to customise her rickshaw. 

And now, with her hard work and dedication, Ankita makes around Rs. 20,000 a month without taking much pressure in life. She also plans to start a taxi business in the future!