Simi Mariya Thomas, Research Scholar, MIDS, selected a photograph from the exhibition, Ambedkar Nagar- Near Kakkan Bridge, Chennai, to write her story for the session on Reading/Writing/Re-writing/Telling/Re-telling using prompts, 20 December 2019.

Superwomen of Chennai always surprise and excite me. They design their life in a manner in which they are fully involved into some sort of activities around the clock.

One of the common sights in Chennai is cycling women. You can find them in gully roads as well as major traffic signals. Irrespective of the age, women in the informal economy as well as housewives prefer cycling for their commute. The easiness with which they cycle with luggage on it has surprised me several times since it is not a common sight in my native state, Kerala. I have only seen young girls on cycles there whereas 700 km apart in Chennai, even grey haired nanny uses to cycle for her purchases and sometimes as part of their job of vending.

This mode of cost effective commuting and life style of women in Chennai always for me sheds a light on the congested and stereotype thoughts of many.

Pedagogical tool: Narrativise a photo