A woman is like a tea bag — you never know how strong she is until she gets in hot water. – Eleanor Roosevelt

As the quote denotes, meet Sheela Bathumalai who takes the male-dominated industry by storm as a food delivery rider.

Hustling has become a part of our work life, and people seek more jobs while working at a primary one to earn extra cash. However, what do you do when your side hustle makes you more moolah to help your spouse in terms of finances?




The mother of two children decided to not only depend on her husband's salary to run the whole household expenses and registered herself as a GrabFood rider in August 2020. Sheela felt that this job might be the perfect fit for her after noticing the flexibility that Grab has offered her husband (a Grab driver-partner since 2018) on the job and the growing preference for food delivery services.

The decision made her realize that it was a great choice of doing Grab since it allows her to choose her preferred timings and spend more quality time with her family. Perhaps best known for her role as a mother, wife, and daughter, Sheela has found a sisterhood bond kind of friendship with two other women, Chellamuthu Jeyavalli and Senthilkumar Dhanam who are also working as food delivery riders.

Sheela considers this friendship as one of the most wonderful things that have happened during her working period, since she has learned from working with Grab, and wouldn't trade it for anything.

When questioned about her friendship with her two best friends, Sheela uttered, "My two friends are very important to me because we will share all our problems. I'll talk to them if I'm going through a difficult phase, and they will give me solutions so that by the time I reach home, the problem is solved, and I'll be more focused on my children's stuff."




Sheela never neglected her household duties and proved a woman can have it all if she is willing to fight for it. Asked about the one piece of advice that she would give to mothers who plan to join food delivery:

“Always be mindful of your safety, take your time, and follow instructions precisely. There will be a few clients who want to rush you, but I urge you to take your time since your safety comes first. Remember your kids constantly. Consider your actions thoroughly before acting on impulse, always. If you deliver not on time, explain the situation to the customer; I'm sure they will understand.”

Mothers tend to face formidable challenges just to raise strong, healthy, and happy children. Every day, we come across women who set an inspiration because of their courage and dedication to help their families deal with difficult circumstances.

And you’re among one of them, Sheela. Thank you for being a great example for the women out there!

Image & Source Credit: Grab.com / MS News