Ranchi
On September 15, Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually flagged off six Vande Bharat trains from the Ranchi airport as inclement weather forced the cancellation of the scheduled official function at Tatanagar Railway Station in Jamshedpur.
Among the six was the Tatanagar-Patna Vande Bharat Express, with key specialities including a drastic reduction in travel time — from the usual 10 hours to 7.15 hours running at 160 kmph on average — besides better amenities and facilities on board.
But what stood out were the drivers of the train. The Loco Pilot, S.S. Munda as well as the Senior Assistant Loco Pilot, Ritika Tirkey, were both tribals. It was the first all-tribal crew for Vande Bharat. And then, Ritika also became the first tribal female driver of the Vande Bharat series of trains.
What’s even more amazing for Ritika is the fact that she is a qualified Mechanical Engineer from the prestigious Birla Institute of Technology, Mesra.
With her senior colleague S. S. Munda on the loco pilot’s seat, it was Ritika who initiated the journey when the Prime Minister flagged off the train. She drove it from Tatanagar to Gomoh, approximately191 kms at a maximum speed of 130 kmph. She stopped at all the scheduled stations enroute till her official duty ended.
“Though the maximum permissible speed limit of Vande Bharat train is 160 kmph, the permissible track limit in this stretch is only 130 kmph. Overall, it was a memorable and enriching experience,” the 27-year-old told The Indian Tribal.
She firmly owed her success to her parents’ blessings. But, in the same vein, she expressed gratitude to her higher-ups, especially the Railway Board Chairman, South Eastern Railway General Manager, and the Divisional Railway Manager of Chakradharpur among others. “It is they who selected me in the crew. They should be given the real credit,” she insisted coyly.
Hailing from tribal-dominated Gumla district of Jharkhand, Ritika, as a kid, shifted to the Mander block of Ranchi district for her school education. Her father, Lutiya Bhagat, worked as a forest guard here. She was enrolled in St Anna’s Girls School, where she studied upto Class X.
Thereafter, she did her Plus Two at Ursuline Inter College here and finally, secured admission to the B. E. (Mechanical) course at BIT, Mesra.
However, it was her choice of profession following her Engineering degree that left one and all amazed. Instead of trying to find a job in any MNC or a reputed company with the Engineering degree in hand, she decided to do something that is rarely even imagined by most: To operate a train.
With a “spirit of adventure in her”, she applied for the Assistant Loco Pilot’s job, notified by the Railway Recruitment Board, Ranchi in 2018 and was selected in 2019.
After completing nearly four months of training in Gomoh, she was posted in Chandrapura. Initially, she brushed her skills running goods and short distance passenger trains.
In 2021, she was transferred to Tatanagar, where she gradually started operating mail and express trains and where she lives with her husband. While it was in March, this year, that she was promoted as a Senior Assistant Loco Pilot rank, it was only a few weeks ago that she was selected for the Vande Bharat crew and given special training.
“My earnest appeal to the youth of new generation is that they should never give up. Just keep trying. Success is bound to come,” Ritika outlined adding, “I would like it if more women take this up as a career and lead the way.”
Her unique achievement is not only receiving cheers from different quarters but it has also become a new source of inspiration for especially those belonging to the Scheduled Tribes and other such weaker sections of the society.
