Railways renames Howrah-Kalka Mail as 'Netaji Express'

The Howrah-Kalka Mail is the oldest train in India connecting Howrah in Kolkata to Kalka in Haryana. According to reports, Bose took Kalka mail from Gomoh in Bihar after he escaped from his house in Kolkata in 1941.

New Delhi:The Indian Railways on Tuesday renamed the Howrah-Kalka Mail as the ‘Netaji Express’ to commemorate the 125th birth anniversary of freedom fighter Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose to be celebrated on January 23.

In a tweet, Railway Minister Piyush Goyal said, “Netaji’s prakram had put India on the express route of freedom and development. I am thrilled to celebrate his anniversary with the introduction of ‘Netaji Express’.”

The Howrah-Kalka Mail is the oldest train in India connecting Howrah in Kolkata to Kalka in Haryana. According to reports, Bose took Kalka mail from Gomoh in Bihar after he escaped from his house in Kolkata in 1941.

Recently, the Indian government had decided to celebrate Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose's birthday as 'Parakram Diwas' every year.

On December 21, 2020, Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged people to mark 125th birth anniversary celebrations of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose in a grand manner.

A committee headed by the PM has also been constituted for deciding the programs, and to supervise and guide the event.

Born to advocate Janakinath Bose in Odisha's Cuttack on January 23, 1897, Netaji played a crucial role in India's freedom movement.

Subhash Chandra Bose had also established the Azad Hind Fauj.

While there is controversy over Bose's death in a plane crash in Taipei on August 18, 1945, the Central government had in an RTI in 2017 confirmed that he had died in the incident.

(With inputs from ANI)