I know many people like myself who still don’t drive even after having a licence. The laminated card sits quietly in a purse, more an identity proof than a symbol of mobility. But here is a septuagenarian who hits very differently.

Meet Radhamani Amma, better known as Maniamma, from Thoppumpadi in Kochi — a woman at 75 who doesn’t just drive a car or a scooter, but almost anything with wheels and an engine. From motorcycles to heavy vehicles and even cranes, Maniamma has collected 12 different driving licences, including an international driving permit, turning what most people consider a routine skill into a lifelong adventure. In a world where many hesitate to sit behind the wheel, Maniamma has spent decades mastering vehicles of every size.
 

On the occasion of International Women’s Day, the Kochi Corporation felicitated Maniamma, but that honour is only one among many recognitions she has earned over the years. Her remarkable journey has also found a place in the Limca Book of Records, where she is recognised as the oldest woman to secure as many as 11 driving licences, including those for heavy vehicles. And true to her spirit of constantly pushing boundaries, she later went on to add one more licence to the list.
 

Her story didn’t begin with a grand ambition to break records. As they say, necessity is the mother of invention. Maniamma had to learn driving because her husband, whom she married at the age of 17, started a driving school at home and insisted that she obtain a licence. In those days, five years of driving experience was required to secure a licence to run a driving school. So she simply tried her hand at it, fighting back her fears to take her first licence at 31 years for a four-wheeler — an Ambassador car they owned. In time, she became the first woman in the state to hold a driving school licence in her name.

She recalls how people used to keep a finger on their nose in amazement while watching her drive in the 1970s. Learning was not easy then as vehicles lacked proper equipment that instructors could control. In many ways, she was learning by herself under her husband’s guidance.

At a time when conversations around women and mobility are gaining momentum, Maniamma quietly embodies that change. Her journey is not only about the machines she can drive, but about the barriers she refused to accept.

And perhaps that is what makes her story so compelling. While many of us postpone learning, hesitate to practise or let our licences gather dust, Maniamma continues to add new skills to her repertoire — proving that the road is open at any age.

When asked which vehicle was the most difficult to tame, she says it was the trailer. But now, she laughs, it also is “smooth as butter” for her. As for her favourite vehicle, Maniamma says she likes all the new versions because of how easy they are to drive.
 

What started as necessary curiosity slowly turned into determination. Over the years, that curiosity took her from two-wheelers to cars, and then to heavy vehicles that most people would hesitate to even climb into. Each new licence became less about paperwork and more about proving that age and stereotypes are merely suggestions, not limits.

People who see her handle massive machinery like a crane often react with disbelief. But for Maniamma, driving is not about spectacle. It is about freedom — the ability to move, to learn and to keep challenging herself even in her seventies.

Of her three children, her only daughter is now carrying forward the legacy by running a driving school in Vaikom. Her six grandchildren are also fully supportive, helping her stay updated with new vehicles and technology. Maniamma says she never misses a chance to drive a new vehicle whenever she sees one.

“It is women who can handle almost everything. The only thing you need is the will to do it. Unless you take an interest in something yourself, everything will seem impossible. It was only when I started driving that I realised nothing is impossible. Women who do things on their own will never be affected by setbacks in life, because they know how to handle them — just like you overcome the bumps on the road while driving.

“So what are you waiting for? Nothing — not even your age — should be a hindrance to learning something new like driving. What you need is good health and the strength to face the world. Then nothing can stop you from achieving your goals,” says Maniamma with a radiant smile.