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Updated July 9th, 2019 at 22:24 IST

Meet Mumbai's "Dabbang" woman auti-rickshaw driver Shireen

Thousands have been touched after a viral post about Shireen, a woman auto-rickshaw driver, was shared online, telling her full story

Reported by: Shloak Prabhu
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Thousands have been touched as a viral post about a woman auto-rickshaw driver made rounds on social media. The inspiring story has been shared by Humans of Bombay and speaks about Shireen, who is identified only by her first name. Shireen built her life against all the odds after receiving significant setbacks at every turn, having overcome a broken marriage and having lost her mother and sister. 

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In the post, Shireen goes on to talk about how her parents got separated when she was 11. Her mother, taunted by a group of men when she married again, committed suicide after having been badly affected by the abuse directed at her and her son (Shireen's brother) who was also with her at the time. 

Furthermore, Shireen also lost her sister who was being harassed by her in-laws for dowry and was later poisoned when she got pregnant. Shireen, with a heavy heart, said:

"I was shattered... I had lost the two people I'd loved the most. I was in a dark place - but when I got pregnant and my son came into this world, I had no choice but to move on, for him," she says.

Even so, Shireen was not doing too great in her marriage and after the birth of her third child, her husband issued her a 'Triple Talaq'.

"After the birth of my third child, he refused to take care of us," says Shireen, who was forced to leave her home with her three children.

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"I was left alone on the street, with 3 mouths to feed," she added, speaking about her initial effort to establish a livelihood by opening a Biryani stand, which was shut down by the BMC.

Then, however, she made a decision that gave her a ray of hope. Shireen decided to drive an auto rickshaw- generally considered to be a profession which is dominated by men. 

"I earned well, but a lot people harassed me - they'd abuse me, put me down, and doubt me simply because I'm a woman," says Shireen recounting the early days.

Shireen is now known as a 'Dabbang' which literally means fearless. Her name stemmed after a passenger calling her 'Dabbang' after first having called her Bhaiya by mistake. 

"That's what I know I am, and I want other women to know that they can be one too!" she says about being 'Dabbang'.

Shireen's inspiring story of her sheer determination has touched thousands. Netizens are flooding the comment sections and have extended their heartfelt wishes for her. Here are some of the reactions that the inspiring post garnered:

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Published July 9th, 2019 at 17:57 IST

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