Women wary of travelling at night with a male driver has someone to turn to: Rapido ‘Captain’ from Chennai, 45-year-old Mahalakshmi Ramalingam. She offers bike rides on Rapido late in the night. She is known as ‘Karate Mahalakshmi’ for a reason: she has been teaching and practising karate for two decades.“From 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. my bookings are reserved for women, especially those returning from a long-distance trip alighting at Koyambedu bus terminus or Perambur railway station and unable to get a bus,” says the resident of Mogappair who has been with the ride-hailing app for the last two years.Prior to that, Mahalakshmi had worked as assistant karate instructor with various schools including Velammal Group of Schools, Chennai Public School and Queen Mary’s College, where she is often greeted by students who appreciate her influence as a trainer.Her journey into martial art training began when she was 19, her mother enrolling her in a karate class in the neighbourhood for self-defence. “I lost my father when I was 17 and that protective feeling was missing at home. I was overweight for my age with thyroid-related complaints, and people made fun of me,” says Mahalakshmi.Although karate empowered and boosted her confidence, she faced many hardships at home and in the workplace.