Vande Bharat's 1st female loco pilot gets R-Day invite

RITIKA Tirkey, the first female tribal assistant loco pilot of the Vande Bharat Express, was left speechless when she opened her door to a team of Post Office officials who had come to deliver an invitation for the 'At Home' reception at Rashtrapati Bhawan.

- MUKESH RANJAN @ Ranchi

According to 27-year-old Tirkey, she had never thought in her wildest dreams that the President would ever invite her as a loco pilot.

When she received an e-mail, she thought it to be fake, but a formal invitation from the Rashtrapati Bhawan left her dumbfounded.

The invite was delivered to Ritika's residence at Jugsalai in Jamshedpur by the postman under the supervision of Assistant Postal Superintendent (West) Parikshit Seth.

"Initially, when I received the e-mail, I thought it to be fake, but when a team from the Post Office knocked on my door, it overwhelmed me," said Tirkey.

It is an honour that a tribal girl from a simple family has got this unique opportunity, she added.