Highlights
- Melbourne resident Gulshan Goraya is a mother of two, make-up artist and tram driver
- Ms Goraya hopes to see more women follow her "unconventional route to self-discovery"
- "I take my job seriously and stay focused all the time as I have a duty of care towards my passengers,” says Ms Goraya
Born and brought up in Gurdaspur, Punjab, Gulshan Goraya migrated to Australia nearly a decade ago.
After working as a make-up artist for a few years, she now works in the public transport industry as a tram driver.
Ms Goraya isn’t claiming that she is the first woman to sit in the hot seat of a tram, but she is hoping to inspire more women to follow her "unconventional route to self-discovery".
In an interview with SBS Punjabi, Ms Goraya said she has transitioned through a variety of professions as she likes exploring and experiencing new things.
“I’m a dental hygienist as per what I’ve studied but I’ve been working as a make-up artist for the last eight years now.
“I’ve always been fascinated with new experiences in life hence I joined the public transport sector and now I’ve been working as a tram driver for the past couple of months,” said Ms Goraya.
At the age of 37, this mother of two also hopes to drive out stereotypes that have been attached to the transport industry.
I’m a dental hygienist as per what I’ve studied but I’ve also been working as a make-up artist for the last 8 years now. Source: Supplied by Gulshan Goraya
She said that even though the job looks easy, there's a lot of responsibility involved as you need to monitor the tracks while driving the tram.
“Driving a tram is a lot different from driving any other road transport, you cannot be distracted at any time while you are in the driver's cabin as you have to change the tracks to navigate the tram in the right direction.”
“So I take my job seriously and stay focused all the time as I have a duty of care towards my fellow passengers.”
Getting so much love and respect from the community gives me a great sense of satisfaction
Despite the hard work the job demands, Ms Goraya said that all it takes is simple courtesy from her passengers to brighten her day.
“My heart swells with joy and pride when my passengers greet me with a smile. I have received special praise from people within the community and that’s what I feel I have really earned,” said Ms Goraya.
Sharing an interesting incident, Ms Goraya said, “I was waiting at a tram stop when a little child told his mother to wave at me saying that the tram driver is Indian.”
“They both then hopped into the tram and his mother told me that he is very excited to see an Indian woman driving a tram,” she added.
Further talking about her love for the job, Ms Goraya said that there's nothing a woman cannot achieve.
Gulshan says she has received special praise from people within the community and that’s what she feels she has really earned. Source: Supplied by Gulshan Goraya
"While the world might seem like a struggling space, one should never lose hope and patience."
"The times have changed and now it is our time to showcase what a woman is capable of doing," said Ms Goraya.
Click on the player at the top of the page to listen to Ms Goraya's full interview in Punjabi.
