Wearing her brother’s clothes, driving a cycle-loading rickshaw, Rani Bibi says she chooses hard work over begging
Wearing her brother’s shalwar kameez, and with her hair cut in a masculine style, a woman in Karachi has adopted a male appearance that allows her to work and earn for her family.
Rani Bibi (not her real name) even speaks less so people perceive her as a man.
Although she lives in Khuda Ki Basti, Surjani Town, Rani rides every day for two hours in a bicycle-loading rickshaw and reaches Liaquatabad with her exceptionally talented brother.
There she parks her means of transport near the market and delivers goods in it. If the load is light, she says, she will step on the rickshaw. If the load is heavier, she pulls it manually.
Sometimes Rani receives two or more jobs a day, allowing her to earn Rs800 or more.
Rani lives in a rented house with her able-bodied brother, widowed sister and sister’s two children and is the sole breadwinner for her family. Uneducated, she says she doesn’t know any specific skills either, which is why she bought her cycle-loading rickshaw for Rs10,000 after saving up.
Her delivery of goods in Liaquatabad enables her family to eat once or twice a day sometimes, she says. Sometimes the family even goes to bed hungry.
When asked why she, as a woman, adopted a male appearance, Rani says that in this society, if a woman has no skills, it becomes very difficult to earn a salary, so she adopted a male appearance out of necessity.
Rani says her brother used to drive the rickshaw but had an accident and sustained an injury to his leg which left him unable to work. Now, unable to operate the rickshaw, he accompanies his sister.
Rani adds that there is more dignity in earning by hard work than in begging. She claims that no woman becomes a man by choice, saying that social problems and hunger lead to a change in appearance.
“I am a woman and if I wear men’s clothes and have changed my appearance to work, there is a blessing in earning legal support. I am not begging from anyone, nor am I appealing for help. Pray for me that I earn my living through hard work,” she states.
Counseling helpless women, Rani advises, “Instead of going in the wrong direction or seeking help, turn to the path of hard work. You will earn a living and your difficulties will be eased”.
