For women, leaving home after dusk implies an automatic invitation to danger and societal censure. Some people have even justified sexual assault and rape on the premise that women out late at night should expect aggression.Amidst this, four women — a cab driver, a bouncer at a popular club, a bar dancer, and a home guard constable guarding the women’s compartment in the local trains — have been defying societal constraints and patriarchal mindsets each night when they go to work. These four Mumbai women work through the night, breaking boundaries that society has traditionally set on women’s mobility, morality, and sexuality.Here are their stories.This episode follows Nisha, a cab driver who gives as good as she gets from the male drivers who outnumber her.NISHA, THE TAXI DRIVERVoice OverAudio Montage 1English News Anchor speaksMale politician: I believe that if my sister or daughter goes out in the night on NewYear’s Eve with men other than her father or husband, then I can’t expect her to betreated with respect by people.Male politician: Every one has a ‘Lakshman Rekha’ drawn around them. If anyonecrosses that Rekha, then they are bound to land in danger.Voice OverNisha: You know people have that fear sometimes. Hence, they keep saying that Ishould not drive in the night. But, the problem is, I love driving in the night! It is abreeze to drive in the night, no cops to worry about, no traffic lights; you can zipacross the city.Voice OverNisha: I used to work in a security firm earlier. Once, I met a lady cab driver who wasdropping a passenger off at my workplace. Till that day, I had no idea that therewere women cab drivers. I always felt driving was not for women. I took down thedetails about the cab agency and went to my supervisor and convinced him to giveme only night shifts for two months because I wanted to learn something new. Heagreed so I started learning how to drive, without even mentioning this to mymother.Voice OverNisha: When I finally got my license, I told my mother. But she would not agree tolet me drive. She would just not budge. I even got a few lady drivers and friends tocome and convince her. We had to work really hard at convincing her. Finally sheagreed and allowed me to take up the driver’s job.But then, my mother’s brother started creating problems. He would incessantlycriticise my mother for allowing me to drive. He said our family does not allowwomen to drive. My mother tried reasoning with him, but I felt like I had to step in. Itold him that this is my life, this is my problem. I told him I won’t do anything to givemy mother a bad name. So there will be no problem.Kunal: But was that just this uncle or did other members of your family oppose yourdecision as well?Nisha: All the male members of the family. (Laughs) Because I was the only womanin the family to drive. Their daughters and sisters were all wearing the veil, so theywanted me to do the same.Voice OverNisha: My father used to be driver. He died in a car accident, while driving. Fromthat day, my mother has been so scared of vehicles that she still does not allow mybrother to buy a bike.Kunal: So your mother’s objection stemmed from this fear, primarily?Nisha: It was this fear, yes. But now she is not scared. In fact, she rides in my carwith me a lot. She has conquered her fear. But she still worries about the night, soshe keeps telling me to not drive in the night. But I love driving in the night!Voice OverAmbient conversation with Nisha and her colleagues.Voice OverNisha and her colleagues: At the counter for prepaid taxis, they ask passengers ifthey are okay with a woman driver. This has to stop. This must end. They should notbe asking such questions. Do they ask people if they are okay with a male driver?Because of such questions when customers come to us, especially men, they look atus in a cheap way and ask what are the extra ‘facilities’ we are giving them?Some passengers also come and question us about why the people at the counterask such questions. They say, “Are you any different from male drivers?” In fact,many of them even say that world over, things are changing for women, but is Indiastill so regressive that it thinks women can’t drive? They ask us this. Mostly, visitorsfrom other countries ask such questions. In fact, they are shocked at thisdiscrimination.When a solo male passenger is given this choice, he starts having bad thoughtsabout us.Voice OverNisha: You know how people would earlier say that women can’t drive and onlymen can be good drivers? Even now, 99 per cent of the customers feel this way.They get scared, especially the women passengers. When they see that we aregoing to drive them, they refuse. Just because they can’t drive, they think otherwomen also can’t drive well.Voice OverKunal: So, you are always waiting in this food court?Nisha: Yes, till we get a fare.Kunal: But isn’t there a waiting room or a designated place for drivers to rest andwait or use restrooms?Nisha: Leave alone a waiting room, we would be thankful even if we just get somerespect around here. (Her friend laughs)Look, these tables belong to the food court. If they have customers, they evict us.Then, we sit there (points in one direction), but if we chat or laugh there, the airportofficials come and tell us to leave. Then, there (points in another direction), wherethe security stands, if we sit there then the Taj Hotel’s security comes to evict us.Kunal: So, where are you supposed to sit?Nisha: We are not supposed to sit. They say, you stand and wait if you want orleave. Or occupy a quiet corner somewhere. If you don’t, they call the cops to throwus out.Voice OverBackground conversation plays out between a passenger, a male cabbie and Nishaand her friend.Nisha: When we get a big ride, let us say worth Rs 500 or more, from the airportcounter, even before the passengers can come to our cabs, the male driversintercept them mid-way. Then, they try and convince passengers that womendrivers are neither safe nor reliable. They say we are not ‘good’ women. It happensright here, in front of us.Once they plant the seed of doubt in the minds of passengers, the passengers feellike it is a risk to sit in our cars. This is all because the male drivers feel so jealousthat us, women, are getting such big-ticket rides and they aren’t. That’s why they tryso hard to mislead the passengers that the passengers go back to the airport andcancel their rides with us.If you want, you can try this yourself and you’ll see that you will want to cancel ourcab too.Kunal: Do people actually cancel your cabs?Nisha: Lots of them do!Nisha’s friend: Then our supervisor often pleads with them and tells them that weare safe and very reliable drivers. But, once there is doubt in their minds, it is verydifficult for us to change their mindset. Even if you ferry them for free, they won’tcome.Voice OverNisha’s friend: Yes. We even tried offering free rides to passengers! (Laughs). Weagreed to pay them if they didn’t like our driving.Voice OverNisha: Much before Ola and Uber entered the market, there used to be Meru andTab Cabs and the like. They used to compete with us fiercely.Kunal: But, amidst the competition, did they ever behave badly with you?Nisha: Yes, plenty of times. Whenever they saw one of our cars going, they woulddeliberately overtake our cars and cut through very rashly. Then, they would oftenabuse us while we would be driving past. They wouldn’t even care that oneshouldn’t abuse a woman.But, that’s where we drew the line. Whenever they would abuse, we would lose it.Why should we listen to their abuses? We are here, trying to earn a living by drivinga car. We aren’t committing a crime that we must bear their abuses. We can’t bear aman abusing us. So, if a male driver abuses us, we stop his car in the middle of theroad and thrash them. We make it a point that we thrash him in a way that heremembers it for life. That is the one rule we follow — we will not bear someoneabusing us.Kunal: So, how does this work? If a lady driver has such an altercation, what happensnext?Nisha: The issue is resolved right there and then. If she has the confidence, she willthrash the driver herself. If she doesn’t, she will call us and then we all gather thereto teach him a lesson.What do we do? If we must survive in their field, we must become like them. Theywon’t let us survive if they think we are docile and delicate. That’s the problem.Kunal: Do you feel like you have to project a sense of, what is conventionallyconsidered, masculine traits to them?Nisha: Absolutely. We are not scared anymore. In fact, even the cops say that weare fearless, and we don’t fear anyone anymore. (laughs)Voice OverNisha: This guy, he would always travel in our cabs. This one time, he came out ofthe airport and he was drunk. As soon as he sat in the cab, he started asking meabout my family. Generally, when passengers ask us such details, we are happy totell them. While we were talking, he asked me something very inappropriate. Hesaid, I’ll do this and that. I told him one thing straight: I have a very big weapon withme at this point, one that you can’t imagine. I have the steering wheel with me. Idon’t care, I’ll crash into a wall or something and I will surely die but I will ensureyou die, too. I am not scared of dying.It’s only then that he backed off and apologised. He’s never taken lady-driven cabsafter that.Kunal: Do you think being in this profession has changed you?Nisha: Immensely. Earlier, I was not allowed to step out without a burkha. But, now,I am so carefree. The other thing is, I did not know what it was to abuse. But, now,abuses, rough talking, I can do it all so easily. That’s why I say, this profession isgood but also bad. It can transform people but it can also ruin them in some ways.Earlier, I used to be so shy that I would never talk to anyone apart from my closeones. But now, I can talk to anyone who comes my way. Now, I can’t stop talking!Sometimes, I still can’t wrap my head around just how much I have changed in theselast few years!Voice OverNisha: Look, earlier, I used to have really long hair and now, I have a boy cut. I faceda lot of flak from the male members of the family for this. They blamed my motherfor my transformation and criticised her a lot. But my mother told them that this isher life and she gets to decide what she wants to do. My mother doesn’t tell us howwe must live or who we must pay heed to. She tells my brother and me to live ourlives the way we want to, but just ensure that the family’s reputation is nevertarnished. If my mother backs me, I don’t care about anyone else in the world.Voice OverNisha: I told my maternal uncle that if you truly care for us, then you should havesupported us when we really needed it.When I wanted to get married, none of these uncles supported us. I didn’t have afather so we needed their support. But, they didn’t support my mother. So, Icouldn’t get married. That’s when I decided that I will never marry.When we really needed it, they didn’t help us. They didn’t support my mother.Now, when I am living on my own terms, we don’t need their backing. They lost theright to interfere in my life when they decided to not back me when I needed themto. That’s why, I don’t care about them anymore. My mother doesn’t have aproblem with the way I am living my life.Voice OverNisha: Yes, this profession has created these problems for me. Before I came intothis, I used to only wear long-sleeved dresses with my head covered at all times. Iled a very different life then.Kunal: And you once mentioned what your name meant.Nisha: Yes, my name is Hayatunnisha. Hayaat is Life and Nisha means in the Night.(Laughs)This transcript has been lightly edited for clarity.