Deccan Queen is perhaps the only train in India, whose birthday is celebrated every year in a traditional manner. On the day,the queen is decorated with flowers & is worshiped by the daily commuters before the start of its run from Pune. Loco pilot is crowned and a cake is cut. Large number of daily passengers and rail fans gather near the loco for the ceremony. In recent years, faster road connection by means of express way has come up between Pune & Mumbai. But the queen still remains the charm of many. In this picture, we see the birthday queen speeding over the railway bridge on her 80th birthday. Note the painting of "Jigar"-the tiger-official mascot of 2008 commonwealth games, seems to be wishing the queen.
