Mee Telugu Ammayi

One expected to see a tall, strapping, bold woman. At least that was the vision conjured up by the mind when one thought of India's, nay Asia's,first woman train engine driver. But the lady who appeared for the interview was a far cry from it. A thin, extremely soft-spoken woman, who bore no traces of victory at having crossed over into so male-dominated a domain.Nonchalance and calm marks the make-up of Surekha Shankar Yadav . Dressed in trousers and a silk shirt, 35-year-old Yadav is a picture of understated confidence. "I have never thought about myself as a novelty. Though the fact remains that women train drivers are a rare breed, when one gets down to the work at hand, it is like any other job. At least it is not something thatonly a man can do," says Yadav matter-of-factually. Feminism must be a word that rarely crossed Yadav's mind. "I love the job i am doing. I did not take it up because I wanted to prove anything to myself or the world...