Do You Know Delhi Metro Mascot Maitree's Story?

Interestingly, Maitree, the Delhi Metro's mascot is named after the first female child born in it. The mascot, seen at almost every metro station, greeting passengers near baggage checks and smart card queues has been a part of Delhi Metro since July 2012. Maitree, dressed in her royal blue uniform and a red beret, is named after a girl born on Khan market station on July 2, 2012.

A Twitter user recently spoke about the interesting story of her name.

Most folks who have travelled in the Delhi metro must have come across an image of a girl in a blue school uniform.

That’s the Delhi Metro Mascot and her name is Maitree. A girl who was born in the Delhi metro in 2012.

A 🧵 on this less known story.. pic.twitter.com/hsIN7nAT1L

— Rahul Paul (@betterrcallpaul) August 4, 2020

Juli Devi, a resident of Faridabad, gave birth to the baby at 7.28 am near the Khan Market station, a week before her due date on July 30th 2012. She was on her way to Safdarjung Hospital for her pre-delivery check-ups. She was accompanied by her husband Ranjeet, younger daughter Saraswati and brother-in-law Sanjeet. With the help of two other women, they delivered the baby inside the last compartment of the train. Post this, they went to the Central Secretariat metro station. The metro staff arranged for an ambulance to take them to Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, where they were admitted until July 27 2012.

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The parents chose the name Maitree as it is phonetically similar to the word, 'metro'. "Our baby was born in a Metro train and we were told that she is the first child in the country to be born in a Metro coach. We are also indebted to Metro officials for the help extended by them. So we have decided to name her Maitree. We thought it would be a small gesture on our part," said Sanjeet Kumar, the uncle of the newborn.

Nowadays, Maitree is seen over Delhi Metro Rail Corporations social media handles - wearing a mask and gloves and spreading information about COVID 19 prevention and social distancing. Alas, due to the pandemic, it's still uncertain when Delhites and the Delhi metro will be united soon.

Also Read: Free Public Transport For Women In Delhi: Equality Isn’t A Free Ride

Photo Credits : Twitter/ Rahul Paul

Anureet is an Intern at SheThePeople TV.