KOCHI: Shobhana P P was glued to the television at her home in Moozhikulam near Aluva on Sunday when Narendra Modi took oath as India’s Prime Minister. She felt proud.
Reason: Her only daughter, Aishwarya S Menon, was among the few Malayalis invited to the PM’s swearing-in ceremony at the Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi, having received the special invite from Modi himself.
Aishwarya, 29, a loco pilot of the Vande Bharat Express, received the invite just a few days ago, said Shobhana. “Some four days ago, she told me she had received an invitation from the PM. On Friday, she left for New Delhi to attend the event,” said the 62-year-old.
“Only a handful of Indians get the opportunity to witness the oath-taking ceremony of a new government. I am glad my daughter was able to make it there,” Shobhana said.
Aishwarya joined Indian Railways in 2019, and is currently a senior assistant loco pilot with the Southern Railways’ Chennai division.
Ever since the launch of Vande Bharat Express, she has operated its services between Chennai and Coimbatore, and Chennai and Vijayawada.
Besides Aishwarya, nine other loco pilots attended the event. They included Surekha Yadav from Maharashtra, India’s first female loco pilot.