Life as an Italian American Sikh female taxi driver in NYC

She looks and dresses like a traditional Indian woman, yet she speaks with an American-Italian Brooklyn accent.

Maria Provenzano Singh is also one of the few women cab drivers in New York City.

Recently, a young man pulled out a gun at the end of the ride in Harlem. She sped away, the cab's door slammed closed by the speed, and then continued working all day. "You can't be afraid and do this job," she says.

The 57-year-old emigrated to the US with her family when she was a toddler, but she has not spoken to her relatives for years after falling in love with, and marrying, a Sikh man from the Punjab.

"If they can't accept him, they can't accept me," she says with a calm smile.

She loves her husband, likes his religion and enjoys cooking Indian food. In August, she and her husband will leave New York to run a gas station in the Midwest state of Indiana.

In this First Person account Maria explains why Italian and Sikh culture have a lot in common.

Category:

People & Blogs

Tags:

• Sikh
• Sikhism
• Indian
• India
• America
• Italian
• Brooklyn
• New
• York
• City
• Maria
• Provenzano
• Singh
• Harlem
• Punjab
• Punjabi
• Panjab
• Panjabi

[bikramjitbakshi]

i so love her,great lady!

[TheAmardeep94]

I'm Sikh from the UK and love NYC! and i love this women! She seems fab!! Lol ;D

[Jotgrewal]

When i was living in Manhatten I had the pleasure of meeting Maria! What a lovely lady. She was supposed to introduce me to her friends daughter hahaha!!!! A genuinely warm person that makes you feel 8ft tall.

[popcan4u]

you guys gotta stop having this exclusive mentality between Sikhism and Punjab. Its seriously getting over played.

[r1oot]

haha seems like a cool lady!

[p1nkn0va]

I wanna meet dis lady when i visit NYC!

[disandthat]

I'm a man and used to drive an NYC cab. I drove it for 2 years, 5 days a week and 12 hours each day. After each shift, especially in the summer time, the smell between my inner thigh is never a pleasing one. As a woman, how do you keep your thigh smelling fresh?

[bswalia1]

Great

[dakulol]

I've noticed that Punjabi's and Italians are very similar culturally. I live in a Canadian city that is 65% Italian and 20% Punjabi. They are both passionate about their cuisine and love to be around and have large families.

[thezombiekiller87]

sick lady pronounced sick

[gona420]

God bliss her