Imagine the enthusiasm and gaiety of people of Malda as they turned up in large numbers to welcome the Kolkata-New Jalpaiguri Vande Bharat Express the way they celebrate their favourite festival, Durga Puja. This is amply evident in the video on Twitter showing people in large numbers at the station waving the Tricolour and playing dhak – the traditional drum which is an integral part of the festivities associated with Ma Durga.
Video
People have come with dhaaks to welcome the #VandeBharatExpress in Malda. Believe no other State were as excited as Bengal was to get this one as gift. @narendramodipic.twitter.com/qJ6xFVDufh
— Sudhanidhi Bandyopadhyay (@SudhanidhiB) December 30, 2022
Prime Minister Narendra Modi after performing the last rites of his mother in Ahmedabad had flagged off this train through video conferencing last week. It will reduce the travel time between Kolkata and New Jalpaiguri by three hours. The train which is blue-and-white covers 564 kilometres in seven hours and 45 minutes and has three stops – Barsoi, Malda and Bolpur.