Shobha gave colours to life by painting vehicles

THRISSUR: Shobha took up painting work after her husband lost hope in it due to losses. Shobha is now an expert in painting vehicles. Vehicles started coming to her workshop after the panchayat constructed a new road in front of her workshop.

In the third year of marriage, her husband Roy had to shut down his painting workshop in a rented building due to losses. Later, he had to lead a living using the meagre income he received from house painting works. It was Shobha who then gave him the courage to start a painting workshop close to home using the money obtained by selling her necklace. Although she offered to help Roy with painting works, Roy said that painting on tall vehicles, including buses and tankers, is not suitable for women. He was also concerned about whether vehicles would come for painting in the workshop which was four and a half kilometres away from the main road.

Shobha then brought the problem of the absence of roads in the area to the attention of politicians who came to the election campaign. Later, PV Pathrose kept his word when he became the panchayat president. Both Shobha and Roy became confident when a road came up in front of their house. They then started the work on the workshop and the house by taking a loan and selling the remaining 20 sovereigns of gold.

Here began the success of a woman through determination and the record of the presence of a woman in vehicle painting.

The first vehicle that came to the workshop for painting was a tempo named 'Dwaraka'. Roy handed over the Rs 4,000 he got as wages to Shobha. Shobha learned painting in two months. Soon, people from various places started to approach the couple for painting work due to the low rate, accuracy and clean painting. More than ten vehicles arrive at the workshop every month, including from other districts.

Looking back after 13 years, Shobha is feeling satisfied. She was able to pay off the loan with the money earned from the workshop. Her daughter Sandra is training in Delhi after nursing. Son Sourav Roy is studying medical imaging in Mangalore.