By early 2023, the dusty lanes outside Shilpa AutoCare in Rewa started seeing more footfalls than usual. Not from customers — but from journalists, filmmakers, and curious visitors. What started as a survival tactic had now turned into a symbol of resilience, dignity, and empowerment.
Shilpa had officially crossed a milestone — servicing over 4,000 two-wheelers, including scooters, bikes, and a few autorickshaws. From puncture repairs to complete engine overhauls, she and her tiny team handled it all with the professionalism of a branded service center.
She was now earning over ₹30,000 per month, a respectable figure in any small Indian town — and remarkable for a young woman with no formal degree, no business backing, and certainly no roadmap.
But more than the earnings, what truly marked her transformation was her evolution from a lone mechanic to a community mentor.
When the World Took Notice
It began with a profile by Khabar Lahariya, the grassroots rural media collective known for covering women’s stories from the heartlands. They featured Shilpa as one of the “New Age Nari Shakti Icons” — gritty, grounded, and game-changing.
Soon after, her name was pitched to DD Kisan, India’s national channel dedicated to rural and agrarian programming. A feature segment aired on their “Gram Bhavishya” program, focusing on self-employed youth in agriculture-adjacent sectors.
But the real turning point was a 12-minute YouTube documentary, shot by an independent filmmaker titled:
🎥 “Grease on Her Hands, Steel in Her Heart.”
The documentary showed:
- Shilpa’s early struggle post her father’s death
- Her first few months fixing cycles and scooters
- Her perseverance through mockery, misogyny, and mental exhaustion
- And ultimately, her triumph — not as a businesswoman, but as a beacon of self-worth
The video amassed over 500,000 views in just six months.
Building a Sisterhood in a Shed
Before long, young women began appearing at her garage — not to get their scooters repaired, but to learn how to repair.
Some came from neighboring towns. A few arrived quietly, hoping not to be seen. Many had never held a spanner in their lives. They weren’t mechanics. They were college dropouts, school-leavers, single mothers, or daughters of daily wage laborers — all in search of something more than income: agency.
“When I fix a bike, I feel strong,” says Pooja, 19, a former domestic worker. “I never thought fixing a scooter would teach me how to fix my life.”
A Day at Shilpa AutoCare (Now a Training Garage)
- 7:00 a.m.: Morning briefing and chai
- 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.: Learning sessions — parts recognition, common issues, live demos
- 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.: Customer service work — supervised by Shilpa
- 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.: Business basics — bills, pricing, inventory logging
- Evening: Group sessions on confidence building, communication, and planning for the future
Her garage now had a board painted in red:
“Girls Welcome Here — Learn. Work. Grow.”
Launching “FixHer” — A Rural Women’s Skill Movement
With help from a local NGO, Shilpa formally launched her grassroots training initiative: FixHer.
Under this:
- She trains 8–10 girls every quarter
- Offers a stipend through small business revenue
- Connects trainees with local garages or helps them open roadside stalls of their own
- Organizes community demos to destigmatize women doing mechanical work
By mid-2024, FixHer had trained over 30 women — 12 of whom had set up their own stalls or were employed in other service centers.
“It’s not about just learning to fix things,” Shilpa says. “It’s about believing that your hands — no matter how small, dark, or bruised — can build something beautiful.”
🌍 The Ripple Effect
Her story inspired:
- A college in Bhopal to start a motorbike maintenance elective for girls
- A startup in Pune to sponsor toolkits for rural women mechanics
- Coverage in online portals like YourStory, SheThePeople, and IndiaSpend
More importantly, her success became proof of concept for a new kind of vocational skilling — one that:
- Respected local wisdom
- Didn’t demand formal English or degrees
- Delivered dignity alongside income
Scaling Slowly, on Her Own Terms
Today, Shilpa still runs her original garage. But she has plans — not to become a franchise, but to become a replicable model.
“I’m not building a chain. I’m planting a seed in every girl who walks in.”
She’s been approached by corporates to partner under CSR. Some want to sponsor her training program. Others want to feature her in ad campaigns.
But Shilpa is deliberate.
“I don’t want my girls to be marketing stories. I want them to be owners of their lives.”
Lessons from Shilpa’s Journey
For Youth:
- Start small — even with broken tools and borrowed dreams
- Learn by doing. YouTube, neighbors, old manuals — anything can be your teacher
- Don’t wait for permission to be different
For Policymakers:
- Simplify government schemes with regional, in-person support
- Invest in rural women’s entrepreneurship in non-traditional sectors
- Offer mentorship, not just capital
For Changemakers:
- Highlight rural success stories — not just the metro unicorns
- Fund dignity-driven models, not just scale-first ventures
- Create safe spaces where girls can lead with their hands
💬 The Last Word
In the heart of a small town, among rusted engines and recycled bolts, a movement was born — not of noise, but of quiet, everyday action. One girl fixed a scooter. Then she fixed her finances. Then she began fixing a broken belief:
“That some jobs aren’t for women.”
By 2025, Shilpa AutoCare was no longer just a garage.
It was a classroom.
A sisterhood.
A symbol.
And perhaps, a starting point for many more stories that are waiting to be written — not with pens or policies, but with grease-streaked fingers and unshakable courage.
