A day to Remember

"The next station is Vishwavidyalaya. Doors will open on the left. Please mind the gap" the recorded voice announced. She said the same thing every day, with every Metro, but today it sounded different, I thought.

My friend S invited me to her college Annual Day. It was the 83rd Annual Day of Shri Ram College of Commerce (SRCC). Dr.E.Sreedharan, Managing Director, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation was the Chief Guest while Mr.Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, Film maker and an eminent alumnus of the college was the Guest of Honour.



The event started sharp at 10:00 A.M.

After the welcome address and the presentation of the College Annual Report, Sreedharan sir took stage. And blew us over.

The Delhi Metro is his brainchild and he is the man who is solely responsible for changing the way this bustling city travels. It caters to 8 lakh passengers everyday, has one of the lowest fares in the world (second lowest, Kolkata Metro fares are the lowest), and is the first in the world to introduce the coin system to promote one trip travels. It uses the most advanced and expensive technology available, and yet manages to make an operating profit.



He spoke to us at length about the Delhi Metro, and the reasons behind its success. There are four principles that govern the working of all DMRC officials, he said. These are:

1. Punctuality
2. Integrity
3. Professional Competence and
4. Social Responsibility and Accountability

He stressed on the importance of time, honesty and sincerity, and the role they played in the success of a project. A motivating and inspiring speaker, through those examples, he had taught us lessons for life. Thank you sir. : )

Towards the end of Sreedharan sir's speech, Rakeysh sir joined us, looking smart in a black shirt and jeans. He then took stage, and apologized for the delay, as his flight had got delayed because of the fog, and jokingly requested Sreedharan sir to make a Metro between Mumbai and New Delhi. The crowd loved him! He also said that the college was still the same, just as he had left it.

He also added that he respected Sreedharan sir a lot, and to him, he dedicated two lines from a poem by the great poet Dushyant Kumar.

"Kaun kehta hai aasmaan pe chhed nahin ho sakta
Ek paththar toh tabeeyat se uchchalo yaaron"

And with that beautiful quote, he wrapped up his short and crisp speech, and wished us luck.

As the event got over, I ran ahead to get their autographs. Sreedharan sir disappeared before I could get to him, not wasting a moment. I somehow made my way through the crowd, to Rakeysh sir and this time I was lucky! He took the chit of paper, looked at me, and signed his name on it! Ah! I felt so blessed!


It felt divine to have met the creators of two masterpieces. One, the man with a vision, the man who created the wonder train, a great gift that all Delhiites are proud of, and a visit to the city is considered incomplete without a ride on it. Another, the man who made the cult classic, that Rang De Basanti that connected with the youth, the way no other film had, that masterpiece that woke up the citizen in each of us, and made us more Indian than ever before.

Thank you God and thank you S! : )