RANCHI: 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. 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 Rashtrapti 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. This honour comes as recognition of her outstanding achievements in a male-dominated field, where she has broken barriers to carve a path for women in the Indian Railways.“The Rashtrapati Bhawan has invited me as a ‘woman achiever’ and I believe that every woman should be independent. I think women have been working in almost every field, and where they have not, will reach very soon,” said Tirkey. No work is small in this world; the only pre-condition is that it should be done with complete dedication, and then success is bound to follow, she added.According to Tirkey, her first achievement was being the co-pilot when Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off the Vande Bharat train on September 15, 2024, and now, attending the President’s ‘At Home Reception,’ would be her second achievement.
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