Hyderabad: Bandi Gayatri from Hyderabad is the first ever female mining engineer in the 114-year history of Tata Steel to work in an underground coal mine. Her passion to do something unique led her to pursue this path.
In a conversation with ETV Bharat, Gayati said, ''It has been my habit since childhood to be unique in whatever I do. That's why I never wanted to undergo the traditional line of education." Her father Bandi Venu is a retired captain of Indian Army and mother, Taraka is vice president of JP Morgan Chase. Her elder sister is in the investment banking sector.
With her love for maths and physics, Gayatri excelled in data science and received many prizes in hackathons. She got many job opportunities in this field but never opted for those because it was not her aim.
Gayatri said since childhood she had the habit of repairing anything that was broken. "My mother always said that I would become a mechanical engineer when I grew up. But, contrary to everyone's expectations, I found my career in mining engineering. I studied up to class 12 from Hyderabad Public School and enjoyed participating in sports and cultural activities. I loved both lawn tennis and Carnatic music," she said
''Unfortunately, my leg was fractured when I was preparing for the JEE exam. But, I decided to appear at the exam despite the pain. I secured a good rank and joined Mining Engineering department at IIT BHU, Varanasi. There were very few girls in my department. Often teachers would suggest me to go abroad or pursue higher studies. But, I wanted to do just the opposite and decided to show it in practice rather than words. I received the prestigious Chanakya Techmin Fellowship from IIT (ISM) Dhanbad. This led me to pursue research on hyperspectral images in mining'," Gayatri said.
She said people would ask her why she chose an unconventional stream like mining engineering. Her answer was, "If we are afraid of difficulty, we cannot grow. Despite knowing that girls are rare in this field, I stepped forward. After completing B.Tech, I joined Tata Steel. First I worked in open cast metal mines in Novamundi for six months. Later I got an opportunity to work in the underground coal mines in Jharia. However, I did not back down even though I heard that it was difficult for a girl to work in an underground mine'' she said.
''The company felt very happy to announce that in the last 114 years, not a single female engineer has worked in the underground mine and I am the first to do so. Although there were concerns about security, my superiors encouraged me a lot. Initially, I thought that I was performing my duties but now I have realised that I am standing as an inspiration to others who join this field after me'' she added.
According to Gayatri, a job in the mining sector is not easy as one has to work at a depth of 500 metres amid darkness in an underground mine. She said one never knows when the roof will collapse. Moreover, due to the presence of gas in the Jharia Mines, no digital devices, phones, or watches can be taken inside.
"One has to walk all day and sometimes even carry weights. Newcomers are troubled by asthma, injuries and many other ailments. However, identifying these, one needs to increase physical strength, and face all situation. In the beginning, I started working as one of the 300 employees but now I have taken some responsibilities in a key department with 1000 staff. Unlike my friend, I don't work in AC rooms or spend time on social media. But I can work with satisfaction. There is nothing that girls cannot do. Doing something that we like is never difficult," she said.
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