Journalism of Courage
For the residents of Prabhat road and Bhandarkar road,a petite woman dressed in a yellow jacket and cap,directing and controlling the traffic near the Symbiosis school,is a common figure. 76-year-old,Prabha Nene,has been manning the traffic at two junctions in the area for over ten years now. Being an auto-enthusiast myself,it is very hard for me to stand unruly driving, says Nene.
Nene has had a passion for all things automotive since she was a little girl. Showing us a collection of Wilco matchboxes with antique car pictures on them,Nene says,I used to collect them when I was a little girl. I loved cars, she says with a smile. Her hobby grew into passion when she acquired her first scooter a second-hand Italian Vespa. Nene was arguably one of the first woman scooter rally participant in the country. My first rally was in 1970,when I rode all the way from Nagpur to (former) Bombay. It was around 900 kms, says Nene proudly. A friend saw an advertisement for the rally in a newspaper and — since I used to drive almost 15 kms everyday to work — suggested jokingly that I take part in it, she says with a smile. I had to convince the rally organisers to let me participate — since I was the only woman contender, she says,showing us a series of trophies.
Nene has since taken part in scores of car and scooter rallies and now is a part of the Fiat Classic Car Club of India — she possesses a vintage Fiat and a Bajaj M50 scooter.
Nene moved to Pune with her parents and two siblings in the early ’40s from Rangoon,where her father worked in the civil services. Things were very tumultuous during the World War II. We had to move from Rangoon in haste. I must have been around five years old then,but I still remember hitchhiking our way through Assam,Calcutta,Delhi and finally to Pune, she says.
