 "Life's most memorable event: Vande Bharat loco pilot on interaction with PM")
The loco pilot who operated the upgraded Vande Bharat 2.0 train to Ahmedabad after Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged it off from nearby Gandhinagar in Gujarat on Friday morning said it was the "most memorable event" of his life.
Satish Sarin, a loco pilot (rail lingo for driver of electric traction train) posted in Western Railway's Ahmedabad division, said the prime minister interacted with him and his co-pilot KK Thakur for a few minutes and took a lowdown of the various features of the state-of-the-art train and aspects of piloting it.
"It was a brief interaction that lasted for three to four minutes, but it is the most memorable event of my life as the prime minister spoke with me," Sarin, with 35 years of railway service behind him and the senior most loco pilot in WR's Ahmedabad division, said.
Sarin, who has helmed prestigious superfast trains in the zone like the Mumbai-Ahmedabad Shatabdi Express, Tejas Express and Double-Decker express trains, said, "The PM first asked us our names and later interacted with us on the features of the train and aspects of piloting it."
Sarin said he was told a few days ago he would be helming the train that would be flagged off by the PM, adding that he has taken centre-stage among his kin, including musician son Brijesh, due to this proud feat.
The prime minister also interacted with other people on board the train as it travelled from Gandhinagar to Ahmedabad.