Know about the mascot of the Indian Railways

On April 16, 1853, the Indian Railways came into existence with the first passenger train covering a distance of 34 kilometres in Maharashtra, running from Bori Bandar to Thane. 

Over the years, the Indian Railways has seen a massive transformation. For the uninitiated, the Indian Railways is the world’s third-largest railway network. That the Indian Railways got its mascot is another interesting thing that happened to it. 

Do you know what the Mascot of the Indian Railways is? 

The name of the mascot is ‘Bholu’ and it is a cartoon of an elephant holding a signal lamp with a green light in one hand. Created by the National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad in collaboration with the Ministry of Railways, it was unveiled on April 16, 2002, on the occasion of the Indian Railways’ 150th-anniversary celebrations. 

Why an Elephant? 

At the mention of elephant, one thing among many others that comes to our mind is the use of elephant for transporting goods and people from one place to another. This is the prime job of the Indian Railways. This apart, an elephant is synonymous with being trustworthy, sincere, helpful and friendly. 

Notably, the Indian Government released a two-rupee-coin with an impression of Bholu on the reverse side in 2003.