Time: A Year Gone By, A Year Beckoning

Time: A Year Gone By, A Year Beckoning
On the 31st of December, one year quietly slipped into history, no farewell speeches, no dramatic exit. And here we stand, on the threshold of a brand-new year, with 365 fresh days stretched out before us like an unwritten map.
And ,now comes the uncomfortable question: what exactly are we planning to draw on it?
A masterpiece or another doodle we pretend not to notice?
Most of us probably welcomed the year in grand style. There was music, laughter, food that ignored calorie counts, drinks that  encouraged optimism, and the ritualistic countdown. Ten, nine, eight… three, two, one! Cheers, hugs, fireworks, wishes, hope.
And then silently the seconds have started ticking again.
But wait… hadn’t they been ticking all along last year too?
A mild discomfort may probably set in if we look back honestly. Many of us may realise that weeks, months and entire seasons slipped past while we were busy being “very busy” without actually achieving much.
Time, after all, is the only resource that comes with no rewind, no exchange policy, and no second chances. Lose a moment and it’s gone for good.
Yet, how sincerely do we respect time?
We say we are  “saving” time while simultaneously “killing” it.
We claim we have all the time in the world until suddenly we don’t have even five minutes.
We complain about time moving too fast, but behave as though it’s on permanent standby.
Am I being a spoiler through this alert?
Friends, time is stubborn. It doesn’t wait for our mood, motivation or Monday mornings. As we were taught in school, “Time and tide wait for no man.”  Ironically, despite knowing this, time remains the most neglected asset in our lives.
We postpone the important stuff, health check-ups, family conversations, personal growth, long-held dreams confident that “tomorrow” is a guaranteed appointment. Saint Kabir tried to save us from this illusion centuries ago:
“Kaal kare so aaj kar,
Aaj kare so ab…”
Do tomorrow’s work today. Do today’s work now because life doesn’t send reminders.
Of course, some creative souls rewrote Kabir’s wisdom into,  "Aaj kare so kal kar, kal kare so parson…"  apparently under the assumption that time has unlimited patience and a soft corner for procrastinators.
No, It certainly doesn’t.
I still remember a powerful session on time management by the then Director of LBSNAA, Shri Sanjeev Chopra, who summed it up beautifully: manage time well, and you will  find room not just for responsibility, but also for joy. Planning doesn’t restrict life, it actually gives it breathing space. Regret, as it turns out, is simply unused time returning to haunt us.
Stephen Covey put it perfectly:
“The key is not in spending time, but in investing it.” When we invest time, we give it meaning. We attach it to growth, purpose, and fulfillment. And perhaps that’s why time feels so fast because it doesn’t linger where it isn’t valued.
It feels like just yesterday we were young. Just yesterday our children were racing through the house, scribbling on walls, spilling water and filling our lives with fun-filled joy. Today, we have grown and so have they. Time moved swiftly, silently, without asking for permission.
The future, after all, is something everyone reaches at the reliable speed of 60 minutes an hour.
So as this year unfolds, let’s try something radical: notice time. Catch the pulse of each second. Live consciously. Act courageously. Contribute meaningfully. Let this year not merely pass let it stand for something.
Now for the real question:
When you reach December 31st this year, what is the one thing you want to be proud of?
Don’t just think it write it down. Not in your head, not on “mental notes,” but on actual paper. Let today be the day you stop negotiating with time and start leading it.
And one last challenge:
What is that one thing you’ve been postponing for “tomorrow” that you will do today? A phone call. A health check. A single page of a book. A long-delayed beginning.
So as this year unfolds, let’s try something radical, let’s notice time. Let’s catch the pulse of each second, live consciously, act courageously and contribute meaningfully to the world around us. Let this year not merely pass, but stand for something. When you look back on December 31st, may you smile knowing you didn’t just count days, you made them count.
Here’s wishing you a New Year where time is not just spent, but well invested. 

R.Vimala,  IAS, 

Resident Commissioner & Secretary, 

Government of Maharashtra & 

PhD Scholar at IIT Bombay 

Thirupaavai Paasuram 16 –Of Entrance and seeking permissions

Thirupaavai Paasuram 16 –Of Entrance and seeking  permissions 

Naayaganaay ninRa Nandagopan udaiya…
Until now, the Gopis were knocking on the doors of their friends homes.  Sleepy, lazy, dramatic friends waking them up, asking them to join the paavai nombu.
Today, there are no longer in the narrow streets of their villages but in front of King Nandagopan’s palace seeking permission to enter.
There is a shift in the scene, Aandaal and the Gopis are not calling out  to Krishna yet. They are at the entrance which is guarded by the gatekeepers so they first address them,
“Naayaganaay ninRa Nandagopan udaiya
Koil kaappaane…”
“O Guardian of Nandagopa’s palace,
Protector of the home where our Nayagan stands!”
Their tone is respectful without arrogance or  entitlement. They know and accept that one cannot enter any divine or higher authority's office without permission.
Andal further calls out to them.as  “Kodi thonrum thoraNa vaasal kaappaane” The  ones who protect the flags fluttering high and festoons which announce grandeur.
The Gopis plead, “MaNi kaDavam thaaL thiRavaay”. Open the jeweled door.” a door which is not any ordinary door as it takes you closer to God.
Just like hands are clapped before we open temple doors or places of worship,
Just like we wait,  hands folded,  breathes held for some doors to open. This door also has to be opened in grace.
There is an added humility when she says
“We are just simple cowherd girls.” “Aayar siRumiyomukku arai paRai” Not learned. Not powerful but sincere.
In today’s world of name dropping or using influence this request is extremely innocent.
In anxiousness they also say , He has Called Us. “Maayan MaNi vaNNan nennele vaay neRundaaN”. The wondrous sapphire-hued Lord called us yesterday and promised us, His darshan.
This potrays trust that Krishna himself gave His word. And the Gopis know : When God promises, doors cannot remain closed.
They clarify their intent quickly by saying,  “Thooyomaay vandhom thuyiLeda paaduvaan.” We have had a bath and come with pure minds, to wake Him, to sing with Him.”
Not for wealth or miracles, not even for answers but just to wake God and sing His praise.
Isn’t that appealing?  Sometimes devotion is not asking God to solve our problems, but simply saying: “Get up, God , let us spend this dawn together.”
Then comes a gentle but firm plea to the guards,
“Vaayaal munnamunNam maatRaadhe amma nee”. Don’t refuse us with words, don't block our way with authority.
Andal is quietly sharing something powerful here, Acharyas, leaders, gatekeepers must  become bridges not obstacles. And she knows the power of the gatekeeper so she insists, “Nesanilai kadhavam neekkeLor embaavay” Open the door with compassion.” because devotion does not break locks.It melts them.
In our daily lives we meet gatekeepers at  temples, in institutions, in systems and in life itself.
There is always a watchman from whom we have to seek permission or give a slip for entry.
Paasuram 16 reminds us,
• Humility opens doors
• Purity earns passage
• Promise gives confidence
• Right guidance leads to God
And sometimes, before we meet Krishna,
we must learn how to stand respectfully at the gate and be permitted to enter.
And of course a bhakta, true devotee is never stopped —she is only guided to doors which open. 

Paasuram 16

Naayaganaay ninRa Nandagopan udaiya

Koil kaappaane kodi thhonrum thoraNa

Vaasal kaappaane maNi kaDavam thaaL thiRavaay

Aayar siRumiyomukku arai paRai

Maayan maNi vaNNan nennele vaay neRundaaN

Thooyomaay vandhom thuyiLeda paaduvaan

Vaayaal munnamunNam maatRaadhe amma nee

Nesanilai kadhavam neekkeLor embaavay

R.Vimala,  IAS,  

Resident Commissioner & Secretary, 

Government of Maharashtra & 

PhD Scholar at IIT Bombay 

Thirupaavai Paasuram Fifteen, “Elle Iḷangkiḷiye” : When Friendship Becomes the First Step to Bhakti

Thirupaavai  Paasuram 15
“Elle Iḷangkiḷiye” : When Friendship Becomes the First Step to Bhakti

There is something strikingly modern about Aandal’s fifteenth Paasuram. Read it once, and you will feel you are overhearing a group of friends outside a house, teasing, arguing, sulking, laughing and finally walking together towards something meaningful. Replace the words 'elle', 'valleer', 'vallee' with “yaar!”, “buddy!”, “come on!” and the scene could belong to today’s hostel corridors or late-night group chats. And yet, this is divine poetry written hunderds of years ago.
It begins with “Elle Iḷangkiḷiye ! Are you still sleeping?” This is not a sermon but a knock on the door.
Aandaal's voice is  not commanding but like a teasingly loving calls of a friend. The gopi inside responds, hurt: “Why are you speaking so harshly?”
Immediately, the tone changes. There is wit, gentle sarcasm, affection, and emotional honesty. Andal says, “Pande un vaai arithom, We know your sweet tongue very well.”
Anyone who has close friends knows this line. It’s what we say when someone pretends innocence but we know their brilliance, their sharpness, their capability, kind of, " Come on , don't I know? "
Andal describes the friends she is calling as
• Nangaai neer – Pure-hearted, virtuous
• Valleer – Smart, capable, efficient
• Vallee – Strong in goodness, inner strength
In short , appreciating the good and this is definitely a powerful guide for today’s youth.
Spiritual life is often misunderstood as boring, old-fashioned , a  weakness or withdrawal. Andal says the opposite:
Strength, intelligence, and goodness together please the Gods. Krishna is not impressed by passivity. He is drawn to capable hearts with humility.
One of the most touching moments is when the gopi inside accepts her fault and asks  What can I do now?”   "naanEthaan aayiduga"  This is not helplessness but melting of ego.
It is suggestively reminds us of Bharata blaming himself for Rama’s exile “NaanEthaan aayiduga” even when the fault was not his. True devotion is the courage to accept blame so harmony is preserved.
In a world obsessed with being right, Andal celebrates the soul who says, “Let me step back if it keeps love intact.”
Before stepping out, the gopi also asks: “Have all those who were supposed to come arrived?” She does not want to come unless everyone is included.
This is a very important lesson for our times when success has become personal, achievement is individual and faith private.
But Aandal reminds us that joy is incomplete if even one is missing. Bhakti is not a solo journey. It is a satsang, walking together, waiting for the slowest friend, calling out to the one who lingers behind.
In Pasuram fifteen,  I felt like Andal is speaking directly to young hearts:
• To those who hesitate, thinking they are not ready
• To those who stay behind out of humility or doubt
• To those who fear harsh words and judgment
She calls out to each one,  “Come out. Count us if you want. We are all here , with the purpose to sing glories of 'Vallaanai konRaanai maatRaaRai maatRazhikka
Vallanai, maayanai ppaadElOr embaavaay',
the mysterious Krishna who destroys ego and enemies alike. The same Krishna who crushed Kuvalayapeedam becomes bound by friendship and love.
This is the only Paasuram which is purely in a dialogue form. No description. No narration. Only voices. Because devotion is a conversation, a relationship, a connection.
Andal teaches us that the doorway to God often looks like a friend calling you out, a gentle argument or a shared walk with loved ones. She is standing outside your door, calling you, “Elle Iḷangkiḷiye…
We are all here. Come, let us go together.”
And in that one step from isolation to togetherness, Bhakti begins.


Paasuram 15 Thiruppaavai
EllE iLangkiLiyE! innam uRangudhiyO,
Sil enRu azhayEn min nangaimeer! pOdharukinREn
Vallai un katturaigaL pandeyun vAy aRidhum
ValleergaL neengaLE naanEthaan aayiduga
Ollai nee pOdhaay! unakenna veRudaiyai
Ellaarum pOndhaarO? pOndhaar pOndhu eNNikkoL,
Vallaanai konRaanai maatRaaRai maatRazhikka
Vallanai, maayanai ppaadElOr embaavaay.

R.Vimala, IAS, 

Resident Commissioner & Secretary, 

Government of Maharashtra & 

PhD Scholar at IIT Bombay 

When Dawn Knocks… and We Pretend Not to HearReflections on Andal’s 14th Thiruppavai Paasuram – “UngaL Puzhakkadai”

When Dawn Knocks… and We Pretend Not to Hear
Reflections on Andal’s 14th Thiruppavai Paasuram – “UngaL Puzhakkadai”

Aandaal’s fourteenth paasuram is delightfully human as it is not abstract or philosophical but begins right at our doorstep—quite literally, at the 'puzhakkadai', the backyard entrance of a gopi’s house. 

With the onset of dawn, the vows have begun and promises have been made, of getting up and waking others and yet the Gopi who promised to wake others is still fast asleep. She is no ordinary girl. She is articulate, confident, perhaps even a little boastful. The kind who speaks beautifully, promises grandly and assures everyone, “Don’t worry, I’ll wake you all up first.”
But when the moment arrives, she is nowhere to be seen.
So the other gopis gather at her house, not in anger, but in playful affection. What follows is one of the most vivid and lively conversations in the entire Thiruppavai.
They point out the unmistakable signs of dawn - In the backyard pond, red lotuses have bloomed, while blue lilies that open at night have closed. Nature itself has awakened. Saffron-clad sages, with radiant white smiles, are already on their way to the temple to blow the conch shells and conduct the morning worship.
How much clearer can dawn be they ask ? And yet, Aandaal and her companions face resistance from inside as the sleeping gopi argues back questioning whether the flowers truly signal morning, teasing the others about their eyes and mouths, engaging them in witty debate instead of getting up.
At this point, the gopis lovingly but firmly call her out:
“Nangaay! ezhundhiraay! naaNaadhaay naavudaiyaay!”
Wake up Nangaay !  Stop being boastful about yourself . The scene , a gentle mockery carrying truth , once again maybe  playful but Andal is doing something profound here.

 Her call is not just about waking up from sleep but about waking up to responsibility, integrity, and devotion.
The gopis remind their friend of her broken promise. Andal tells us that in life words matter but only when you live up to them and back them with action. Eloquence without commitment is empty.
How often do we speak beautifully about faith, service, or discipline yet delay when it is time to act?
The gopi Nangaay is gifted with speech which Andal does not condemn but redirects towards consciousness of keeping up promises. The tongue is not meant for boasting or clever excuses it is meant to sing the names of the Lord.
What a powerful reminder for all of us who write, speak, teach, or lead. Aandaal and her companions never say, “Stay asleep; we will go without you.” Instead, they insist again and again that they will go together and she must join them.
Devotion, Andal reminds us, is not solitary pride. It is shared humility, walking together towards the Divine.
The pasuram culminates in the vision of Kannan, the lotus-eyed Lord, holding the conch and discus, 'sanghu and chakram' waiting to be praised.
All talents, all conversations, all awakenings must finally turn toward Him.
This pasuram gently asks us some  uncomfortable questions:
• Do my actions match my promises?
• Am I using my talents in service or merely for self-display?
• When the call of devotion comes, do I wake up or argue that it’s “not really morning yet”?
Andal does not scold. She smiles, teases, nudges and awakens.
Perhaps that is why Thiruppavai feels so timeless. Each pasuram feels less like scripture and more like a loving knock on the door of our own hearts.
So when dawn comes tomorrow , when duty calls, when devotion whispers, when conscience stirs let's not argue like the sleeping gopi. Let's rise, join the others,
and sing together:
“Pangaya kaNNaanai ppaadElOr embaavaay.”

Paasuram 14
"UngaL puzhakkadai thOtaththu vaaviyuL
Sengazhuneer vaay nekiLndhu aambal vaay koombinakaaN
SengaR podikkoorai veNbal thavaththavar,
ThangaL thirukkOil sangiduvaan pOkinRaar
EngaLai munnam ezhuppuvaan vaay pEsum
Nangaay! ezhundhiraay! naaNaadhaay naavudaiyaay!
Shangodu sakkaram Endum tadakkaiyan
Pangaya kaNNaanai ppaadElOr embaavaay." 

R.Vimala,  IAS, 

Resident Commissioner & Secretary, 

Government of Maharashtra & 

PhD Scholar at IIT Bombay 

Thiruppavai Pasuram Thirteen: Awakening Beyond Sleep, Beyond Divisions

Thiruppavai Pasuram Thirteen : Awakening Beyond Sleep, Beyond Divisions

"PuLLin vaay keeNdaanai pollaavarakkanai
KiLLi kkaLaindhaanai keerthimai paadippOy"

Aandaal continues to call another sleeping Gopi in the thirteenth pasuram of Thiruppavai with firmness which is deeper and more philosophical. It is a call to awaken consciousness, unity and discernment. So she begins by invoking Krishna as PuLLin vaay keeNdaanai, the one who tore open the beak of Bakasura, who had come disguised as a crane to harm Krishna as well as innocent devotees. Krishna’s acted with compassion and the sole intention of protecting his bhaktas tore open it's beak. 

 In the same breath, she also remembers pollaavarakkanai kiLLi kaLaindhaanai, that is Rama, who vanquished the evil Ravana. Scholars also see here a subtle reference to Narasimha, who tore apart Hiranyakashipu to protect Prahlada.
Through these layered references, Andal offers great Vedantic insight:
The protector is One, though His forms maybe many.
Krishna, Rama, Narasimha are all avataars of the same Narayana without hierarchy,  division or “higher” or “lower” manifestation. Hence Aandal is issuing gentle yet firm warning against groupism and sectarianism.
Do not differentiate.
Do not fragment devotion.
Narayana is the same Supreme Reality, experienced differently by different hearts as Narasimha,  Rama or Krishna in different avataars. 
She then calls out to the Gopi: PiLLaigaL ellaarum paavai kaLambukkaar meaning “All the girls have assembled for the Paavai Nombu.” This is not an individual pursuit anymore and  Aandal reminds us, that bhakti grows in  togetherness, humility, and shared resolve. We become egoistic when we go alone but we grow when we go together in collective devotion. 
She also points out to Venus saying has risen and that Jupiter has set, "VeLLi ezhundhu viyaazhamuRangitRu". So even the heavens have moved forward. Nature is awake. Birds are chirping. The world is ready. "PuLLum silambinakaaN pOdharik kaNNinaay", This verse also refers to birds as she says  “O beautiful deer-eyed maiden, even the birds are awake!”

How can one remain wrapped in comfort, warmth, and laziness when the purpose is purification? Andal questions the propriety of staying in bed, avoiding the ice cold bath in the pond not merely a physical bath, but the cleansing of ego, attachment, and complacency. "KuLLakkuLir kudainthu neeraadaadhE". 
The cold water signifies tapas, discipline, and effort which is essential for spiritual awakening.
Finally, Andal’s appeal reaches its moral peak when she says, "KaLLam thavirndhu kalandhElOr embaavaay"
“Discard deceit, abandon separation, and join us.”
Andaal transcends time by calling out not just to the Gopi, but to all of us. It is a call to abandon inner falsehood, let go of created divisions of prayer, path, or pride.

She re-emphasizes that participation in Paavai Nombu, the collective journey towards Narayana is possible only after that.
Pasuram 13 is not about waking up from sleep. It is about waking up from ignorance, inertia, and isolation.
Andal, with the authority of a mystic and the tenderness of a friend, reminds us that Bhagavan has already risen and the world is ready. The path towards Bhakti has been shared. Will we rise too?
Elor empaavaay.

"PuLLin vaay keeNdaanai pollaavarakkanai** KiLLi kkaLaindhaanai keerthimai paadippOy PiLLaigaL ellaarum paavai kaLambukkaar VeLLi ezhundhu viyaazhamuRangitRu PuLLum silambinakaaN pOdharik kaNNinaay KuLLakkuLir kudainthu neeraadaadhE PaLLikkidaththiyO paavaay nee nannaaLaal KaLLam thavirndhu kalandhElOr embaavaay" 13 

Aandal Thiruvadigale Sharanam. 

R.Vimala, IAS, 

Resident Commissioner &Secretary 

Government of Maharashtra & 

PhD Scholar at IIT Bombay 

Thiruppaavai –Paasuram twelve , Aandaal’s Expansive Bhakti: Remembering Rama while Seeking Krishna...

Thiruppaavai –Paasuram twelve
Aandaal’s Expansive Bhakti: Remembering Rama while Seeking Krishna...

Aandaal’s Thiruppaavai is not merely a devotional hymn but a versatile literary masterpiece where geography, season, imagery, epic lores and spiritualism merge seamlessly.
The twelfth paasuram is a call to Narselvan Tangai, Narselvan's sister. Aandaal and her friends have reached her house in the cold dawn of Margazhi, only to find the courtyard slushy and muddy with milk, 'mulaivazhiye nindru paal chora' because the unmilked buffaloes have let their milk overflow while thinking of their calves, ' kannaittilaṅg katterumai kandruk kirangi' Added to it is a misty fog enveloping the place intensifying the winter chill. 'pani talai vīzhanin vaaśal kaḍai patti'

Yet, nothing deters the Gopikas. Even the physical discomfort of cold, slush, and fog cannot stop their spiritual devotion.
Aanddal’s genius lies in how effortlessly she sanctifies the ordinary. The milk-slushed courtyard is not just a rural scene, it symbolises abundance, maternal instinct, and the overflowing grace of bhakti. Even disorder becomes sacred when touched by devotion.
Aandaal knows that Narselvan Tangai is a Rama bhakta so she cleverly uses her epic consciousness  by invoking Rama’s compassion and righteous anger by saying ,
"cinattinaal ten ilangai kōmaanai cetta | manattukkiniyaanai paaḍavum nee vaay tiṛavaay" . We know that Rama destroyed Rāvaṇa when His wife,Sita and Bhakta Hanuman were harmed, so at least join us singing praises of Rama.
This isn't any mythological confusion but spiritual unity. For Aandaal , Rama and Krishna are not separate both are Narayana.
Therefore in essence, Aandaal declares, “If not for Krishna, then just come for Rāma!”
But finally the goal is not individual salvation as Aandaal insists on togetherness "inittān ezhundirāy itenna pēr uṛakkam |
 anait-illat tarum aṛindelor empaavaai."
So she once again pleads to the Gopika and says get up at least now as we all have come and let us all go together to receive Narayana's blessings.
The twelfth Pasuram of Tiruppāvai stands as a testament to Aandaal's unmatched devotion, scriptural mastery, and emotional intelligence. She moves effortlessly from cowsheds to epics, from fog-covered courtyards to cosmic spiritualism. By invoking Rāma while seeking Kṛṣṇa, she teaches us that true devotion is expansive, never restrictive.
In Aandaal’s world every name leads to Him, every path is sacred and every dawn of Margazhi is an invitation to wake up and to remember God.
Aandaal Thiruvadigale Sharanam...

R.Vimala,  IAS,  

Resident Commissioner & Secretary,  

Government of Maharashtra, &

PhD Scholar at IIT Bombay 

From a Traffic Jam to a Train of Tomorrow with NCRTC..

From a Traffic Jam to a Train of Tomorrow with NCRTC...

A few years ago I remember being stuck in a traffic jam ahead of Meerut on my way to Rishikesh. It was sometime in the afternoon and the heat was unbearable. Vehicles were bumper to bumper. Tempers were short. The air was heavy with impatience. Every glance at the clock brought fresh irritation. Travel, in that moment, felt like punishment.
And yesterday, I experienced the exact opposite of that memory.
Almost poetically, this contrast unfolded in the backdrop of Good Governance Day, which we observed on 25th December 2025, the revered Bharat Ratna Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s birth anniversary. A day that quietly reminds us that governance matters most when it improves everyday life.
We often accept traffic jams as fate, as an inseparable part of urban life. Long hours lost, physical discomfort, mental fatigue, and the constant question: “Why does it have to be this way?”
In summers, it is worse. The heat, the noise, the helplessness. Travel becomes an endurance test rather than a journey.
This will soon be the old normal for Delhi and its periphery thanks to National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC).
With the operationalisation of NAMO Bharat,  the Rapid Regional Transport System by NCRTC  a new normal is coming into existence.
Thanks to NITI Aayog, MoHUA and NCRTC, a travel aboard a trial run train from New Ashok Vihar Terminal to Duhai Depot brought me face to face with an emerging India.
Entering the terminal itself was great experience, the concourse was spacious, well-planned, and aesthetically appealing. Ample parking for thousands of cars made arriving effortless. Elevators, lifts, and barrier-free access ensured ease for everyone, including children, senior citizens and persons with disabilities.
Ticketing looked easy. Connectivity with other modes seamless. Everything flowed quietly, efficiently, without instructions being shouted or directions being confusing. It felt intuitive, very calming.
The train itself was very delightful due to  the comfortable seats, spacious interiors and a  smooth ride. The facilities like a dedicated space for stretchers reflected great concern and care for the citizens. All this was enabled by advanced technology and AI-enabled systems. 

Being a trial run we were allowed to visit the driver's cabin and I felt greater pride to see a lady seated in the driving seat taking us on this swift yet serene journey. No honking.No jolts.No stress. A drive with smooth movement which was clean, precise, and purposeful.
Distances that once needed over an hour and drained our energy were covered with ease in minutes. The Delhi–Duhai Depot 55 km stretch, now operational, feels reimagined.
Designed in Hyderabad, the trains have a design speed of 180 km/h (110 mph) with an operational speed of 160 km/h (99 mph), making them the fastest rapid transit trains in India. Each fully air-conditioned, six-car train set, which could be extended to eight coaches based on demand, consists of one premium coach and one coach reserved for women, and has a capacity of 1,750 passengers. It is compatible with a host of train protection systems like automatic train protection and automatic train control systems, and also features regenerative braking.
The trains are the first-ever rapid transit trains in India to feature an aerodynamic and sleek design and ergonomically designed seats. Several facilities and amenities such as ticket scanners, food vending machines, information display systems, window blinds, charging points, CCTVs, and dedicated seats for physically-challenged passengers are available aboard.
This is what fast-growing cities need, polycentric development, a globally proven model for balanced urban growth, with transport that is reliable, affordable, dignified, and respectful of people’s time.

What was very evident during the presentation by NCRTC and the drive was not just the speed but the relief. Relief from wasted hours. Relief from exhaustion. Relief from the constant mental load of commuting.When travel becomes efficient, life expands. People can live a little farther, breathe a little easier, spend quality time at home, and still stay connected to opportunity. Reduced travel time means less pollution, less stress, and better balance.
My mind also went back to the first time I travelled on the Mumbai Metro Aqua line, I could feel that same quiet pride, that same sense of “Our country has done this”. Experiencing the RRTS brought that feeling back more strongly.
In the background of Good Governance Day, this journey felt like its most authentic expression not in speeches or files, but in a train that arrives on time, a station that welcomes you, a system that simply works using green energy and rainwater harvesting and is inclusive. 
From being annoyed and irritated in a traffic jam to feeling relaxed, comfortable, and happy on NAMO Bharat the contrast could not have been sharper.A couple of years ago, this felt distant. Thanks to NCRTC , today, it is real.
And as the train glided ahead through tunnels and bridges, one thought stayed with me, this is not just a mode of transport. It is a glimpse of India’s future of Viksit Bharat under the extraordinary vision and leadership of our Hon’ble Prime Minister, Shri. Narendra Modi.
A future that moves smoothly, thinks thoughtfully, and travels with confidence. NAMO Bharat what a joy to experience it.
Feel so proud to belong to this India.

R.Vimala,  IAS,  

Resident Commissioner & Secretary, 

Government of Maharashtra & 

PhD Scholar at IIT Bombay