In dedication and homage to the Great Masters- Dada J. P. Vaswani and Sadhu T. L. Vaswani, the Government of India through the Indian Railways, a few months ago, renamed the 1293/ 1294 Pune-Nizamuddin AC Express to the Darshan Express after the Darshan Museum of the Sadhu Vaswani Mission.
On 13thSeptember, 2019, a gratitude ceremony was held at the Delhi Nizamuddin Station. Speaking on the occasion, Suresh Angadi, Minister of Railways of India said, “I feel truly fortunate that I have the opportunity to flag off the Darshan Express. It is at the behest of the Prime Minister of India, Hon’ble Narendra Modi that this initiative has come to fruition and has been named after the Great Masters- Rev. Dada J .P. Vaswani and Sadhu T. L. Vaswani.”
At Baroda:
As Dada’s will had it, and devotees called it a miracle, Darshan Express arrived early at Baroda, making it a 40-minute halt!
A slow rumble and a whistle announced the arrival of The Darshan Express at Baroda, Gujarat from Delhi. Drummers had set the tone for the welcome of the train and the Baroda Station echoed in the clear celebratory melody of the drums. Lunch packets, mithai and goodies awaited the passengers.
250 volunteers of the Sadhu Vaswani Mission joy knew no bounds for their dilemma had been put to rest by a miracle! A stop of 10 minutes had surprisingly changed to 40 minutes! The train arrived half an hour earlier adding to the minutes of seva! In spontaneity, the group broke into the ‘Shukarana Anthem’.
Within a minute to the train’s arrival, volunteers spread out and began distributing lunch packets and mithai to the passengers. Copies of ‘Dil ka Dwar Khol’, a monthly Hindi magazine of the Sadhu Vaswani Mission were distributed. The engine drivers and staff were felicitated. MLA’s and VIP’s too were present to join in the celebrations.
40 minutes flew past amidst sevas and celebrations and the train left with a slow chugging sound flagged off, flag in gratitude to the Indian Railways, not with the traditional green flag but that of the Sadhu Vaswani School’s green flag! Only to soon arrive at its destination- Pune, the home to the Great Master.
At Pune:
In homage to the Great Masters, arrives in Pune, the Darshan Express!
The clock struck 21:25 and right on-time arrived the majestic Darshan Express; to its very home in Pune!
The Sadhu Vaswani Mission volunteers who were already stationed at the arriving platform were overjoyed at the sight of the train as they waited with a banner welcoming the train and its on-board passengers to their destination! Echoes of ‘Dada Shyam’ resonated in the Pune Railway Station. The spirited group of the Mission welcomed the passengers with warmth and love, giving them goodies and a pen souvenir.
The train driver and staff were honoured with shawls, gifted T-shirts and goodie bags. Everyone was seen smiling their way home.
A long journey had been turned into a joyous and memorable one! An onboard passenger said, “We have been pampered throughout this entire journey.”
Finally, the dusk had set in leaving a momentous and memorable day behind to cherish and relive. With the grace of the Masters, the Darshan Express will continue to serve the people of the nation, helping them all reach their homes and destination for decades to come.