'Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav': Railways to launch week-long celebrations covering 27 trains, 75 stations

The Railways on Monday announced its week-long plans to celebrate ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’ from July 18-23 covering 27 trains and 75 railway stations across 24 states linked to the Indian freedom struggle. ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’ is a government’s initiative to celebrate and commemorate 75 years of Indian independence.

”The Railways is planning a week-long celebration, which will be called ”Azadi ki Rail Gadi” at these stations, while the trains will be decorated as they undertake their usual journeys.

”While the stations will be called ”Swatantrata stations”, the trains will be called ”spotlight trains,” said Chairman and CEO Railway Board VK Tripathi. ”As part of the ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’, the event ‘Azadi Ki Rail Gadi aur Stations’ will be held during this week called as ‘Iconic Week’ under the overall spirit of ‘Jan Bhagidari and Jan Andolan which will showcase the convergence of values and glories of the freedom struggle of the past with the aspirations and dreams of a young, new and iconic India,” he said. This week will culminate with the milestone function on July 23,” said Tripathi.

Public announcement systems at railway stations will play patriotic songs throughout these days, he said.

Most of the trains identified are linked to Mahatma Gandhi — the Ahimsa Express which runs between Ahmedabad and Pune, Ashram Express (Ahmadabad – Delhi), August Kranti Tejas Express (Mumbai Central –Hazrat Nizamuddin), Hutatma Express (Pune – Solapur), Lokshakti Express (Bandra Terminus – Ahmadabad) and Navjeevan Express (Ahmadabad – Chennai Central). Other trains include Navyug Express (Mangalore Central – Jammu Tawi), Sabarmati Express (Ahmadabad – Varanasi and Ahmadabad – Darbhanga), Sarvodaya (Ahmadabad – Jammu Tawi), Sewagram Express (Mumbai C.S.T. – Nagpur), Shanti Express (Gandhinagar Capital – Indore) and Swaraj Express (Bandra Terminus – Jammu Tawi), officials said.

The list also includes trains named after famous poet Rabindranath Tagore who wrote songs hailing the Indian independence movement and raising the spirits of the freedom fighters.

These trains include Shantiniketan Express (Howrah – Bolpur), Gitanjali Express (Mumbai CST–Howrah) and Gurudev Express (Nagercoil – Shalimar), they added.

Trains named after Netaji Subhash Bose — Netaji Express (Howrah – Kalka) and Azad Hind Express (Pune – Howrah)– have also been included in the list, officials said. Some of the stations include Cuttack (Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose’s birth place), Puri (Chakhi Khuntia and Utkalmani Gopabandhu Das), Sambalpur (Veer Surendra Sai), Dhenkanal( Baji Rout), they said. Gomoh station in Jharkhand and Khudiram Bose Pusa Railway station in Bihar have been chosen for their link to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose and Khudiram Bose respectively, officials said. North Eastern Railway will include stations like NER Chauri Chaura and Ballia, officials said. The Northeast Frontier Railways has nine stations where it will celebrate the occasion, while the NCR will mark the celebrations at four locations. Central Railways will be celebrating ‘Azadi ki Rail Gadi Aur Stations’ at Guntur, Vijayawada, Gadwal and Hyderabad while West Central Railway will do so at Jabalpur and Bhopal, officials said. Photo exhibition and selfie point in the backdrop of ‘Azadi Ki Rail Gadi’ would be set up and remain at these station premises during the entire iconic week event, they said. On the day of the milestone function in Delhi, family members of freedom fighters from the respective local area will be invited to the stations to share their story. Under the programme ‘spot lighting of trains’, 27 identified trains will be flagged off by freedom fighter’s family from the originating stations. These trains will be appropriately decorated and historical facts about the trains would be depicted for the benefit of our citizens, particularly the younger generation, officials added.