Thane: Each morning, Kareena Aade begins her day like many auto drivers in Navi Mumbai and Thane—engine humming, eyes alert for potholes and potential passengers. What sets her apart isn’t just the occasional stares or surprised glances at seeing a transgender person behind the wheel, but her grit, resilience, and determination to break stereotypes and carve out a new identity. At 49, Kareena is a trailblazer. Decades ago, in her hometown of Akola, she realised she was transgender. Shunned by society and eventually by her own family, she could have easily broken down, but instead, she chose to fight back. Now driving a pink e-auto gifted through a corporate social responsibility initiative, Kareena is finally on the road—literally and figuratively—to independence. “She is the first trans-person to drive an auto in the metropolitan region and possibly in the state also,” said Thane transport official Mansingh Khade, who was present for the function where Aade was presented with the auto.Equipped with a valid licence and badge, she works in two shifts: early mornings and late evenings, often cruising the streets until midnight. During the day, she also helps care for two children of her relatives, who provide her with food and shelter.“It’s been just a week since I started, but the response has been heartening,” she says. “Some passengers and fellow drivers are surprised, but most have been kind. Many passengers often ask for my number to refer me to others—they feel safer travelling in my auto, I think.”“I want to start my own travel agency and also find a home of my own.”Her journey wasn’t easy. Emotional yet composed, Kareena recalls arriving in Mumbai years ago with barely enough money for a few meals. “I was a regular kid until my teens when I began expressing myself through cross-dressing,” she says. “My family couldn’t support me under society pressure. So one day, I left home with nothing but determination.” She began working in a canteen near JNPT, where she interacted with a few kind truck drivers and also assisted them on short hauls, eventually helping her get a driver’s licence.Soon, through an NGO, she landed a job escorting BPO employees—until the pandemic brought that work to a halt.Forced to return to her village, Kareena later returned to Mumbai and struggled to find work when NGO Samarth Bharat Vyaaspeeth selected her for an empowerment programme, gifting her an e-auto. “We verified her background and were impressed by her perseverance,” said Bhatu Sawant of the NGO.