Woman electrician doing door to door electrical fitting work in Jammu, says no work is reserved for men

A woman electrician in Jammu has gone viral on social media recently and is becoming an inspiration for women looking to work independently.

Hailing from Kahara, a remote village in Doda district, Shabnam chose a profession that deviates from tradition, a profession in which women in Jammu and Kashmir have little interest and are mostly taken up by men.

Shabnam passed her 10th examination from Government Higher Secondary School Kalhotran in 2013.

Shabnam completed a diploma in Electrician from Polytechnic Colleg Srinagar in 2016.

After her father died in 2014, Shabnam said that her family underwent mental stress due to financial problems at home.

She returned to Jammu, got training in electrical fittings and started to work there.

Shabnam said she goes in search of work from house to house doing electrical fittings to earn her living.

"I started this work under compulsion but now I want to establish a name in this field after receiving wider recognition for my work," Shabnam told a local newspaper.

Shabnam said that she is covering the expenses of her house with the earnings she gets from this work. Shabnam said that no field is reserved for men or women. You just have to have the passion for doing it, and success, fame and Respect come automatically. Self-confidence, dedication, and integrity will get you far.

She said that the support provided by her family enabled her to advance in this profession.

"Some people criticize but we should face such people and focus on our work. Our work can be the answer to their every question. When we pay full attention to our work and reach our destination, these same people will not be able to remain silent tomorrow without appreciating our work, but the condition is that a person should show consistency in his work," Shabnam added.

Aqib Rashid Khan, a civil service aspirant, who has done MTech, has formed a team with his colleagues. Aqib plans to open an office in Jammu and also looks forward to launching a website to make services available online.

Shabnam said, "Aqib Rashid Khan is my classmate. He has formed a team of electricians and has made me a part of this team. I work with this team. I feel safe while doing work. Girls should try their luck in every field. Because no field is unsafe for girls. There are some narrow-minded people in every field who bring a bad name to their field with their actions".

"In order to fight against such elements, efforts should be made to participate in all outdoor activities. Then such elements should be taught a lesson, " Shabnam added.

( With inputs from ANI )