Bhadralok or masculine labour: Gendering of auto-rickshaw operators in Kolkata

Abstract

The paper looks into the gendering of auto-rickshaw operators in relation to the politics of the sector. It is argued that the operators’ aspiration for upward class mobility, clash with passengers, etc. have their roots in their gendering which also make them different from the rest of the informal labours. The paper tries to understand the contradictions between how the auto-rickshaw operators aspire to see them and what the political milieu expects from them.