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Meet Kashish Sharma, Construction Engineer Who Calls Herself The 'Desi Bob The Builder'

There is not really any contradiction to the fact that she is in fact the Indian version of Bob the builder, given her pictures and videos of being covered in mud and sweat, evident of her tough job.

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Aashna Jain
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female construction engineer, kashish sharma
Women in construction jobs, a myth? Not Anymore. This 23-year-old girl went against all odds to become an Inspection Engineer for an Indian Railways project. Kashish Sharma is a living advocate of the fact that women can lead at jobs that have long been reserved for men only. Her journey is an inspiration to so many others.  Female Construction Engineer
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"I loved building things as a kid. It gave me immense joy to see something that I ideated come to life in front of my eyes. That is when I knew I wanted to be in this field. The feeling that you get after you pass from a developed site years later is what makes me keep going," Kashish says in an interview to SheThePeople.

The Builder

She calls herself desi Bob the Builder while sharing posts of her workplace and doing some heavy lifting. In one of such posts, Sharma shared a picture of herself with other two women police officers and captioned the post, "We, women are conquering the 'dream jobs' and not just 'winning hearts' as we are made to believe since our births."

When Society Raised Questions

When you choose to do something different, society comes after you. Sharma was no different. "A family friend of my mother called her after she came across my Instagram page."
"She said things like how are you letting your daughter do all of this, are you not concerned about her at all? That aunty also went to the length to say how she would never let her daughter do something so unsafe like this ever," Sharma recounts.
"My mom simply laughed at this because she knew how much I love doing my job. Even though she is concerned about my safety, she supports all my endeavours with her whole heart."
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Turning Railway Engineer

Sharma, at a the job, often says 'it's my way or the railway'.

"I am going to complete three years in September in this field. I remember how different things were in the beginning when I felt alienated amidst all my colleagues. No one would talk to me or they would stop talking when I was around. When I came to the site, no one would think oh there’s a new colleague but they would think, oh that’s a girl," she shares with SheThePeople.

She regularly posts content on Instagram about breaking stereotypes as a woman in the construction engineering business. From real-life anecdotes of why and how she chose construction life to insights about trains and mechanics, her social media is all about inspiration.

Kashish Sharma PC: Kashish Sharma/Instagram

Kashish Sharma On Gender Bias On Emotions

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It's not easy when you are breaking the norm. Sharma faces challenges on the site but nothing that she didn't expect. "There are still challenges that I face on the site. Because the field is so male-dominated, everything in the business is tailored according to the needs of men. I remember that in the beginning there were not a single washroom in a radius of 60 km and I had to wait for 2 to 3 hours until I got home to use the washroom."

Sharma shared a reel on her account which mentioned that she was always given advice of 'staying elegant' and calm irrespective of whatever the blunder is at the construction site. Sometimes the language used by labourers on site is abusive but she is just fine with it. Sharma says she was once asked to suppress her emotions because of her gender.

"It's a funny world, treating humans like computer programs. Boys shouldn't cry & feel emotional, girls shouldn't show anger and annoyance," she wrote in the caption of the post.

She added, "Not promoting rage and anger, just asking for the space to feel & express whatever we feel in our head, without the gender biasing."

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Kashish Sharma