In 31st attempt, bullet train logo winner hits bull's eye

NEW DELHI:  Chakradhar Aalla, whose design of a Cheetah on a loco will be the calling card of the ambitious bullet train project of the government, has hit the bull's eye after 30 unsuccessful attempts in various logo competitions.

The 27-year-old second-year student of National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad, says he participated in probably every design competition floated by the Narendra Modi government on the portal MyGov.in. But luck did not favour him until his winning design in the bullet train project.

Chakradhar says he cannot wait to see his creation on every government document, letter head and communication on the bullet train.

He says if one looks closely at the logo, one will see it is like a train map - with the dots representing every station and the routes concerned. He also says his design incorporates several aspects of the country's high-speed train.

"The design looks simple, but it has deeper meaning. While the Cheetah represents speed, dependability and trust, it also represents a typical train map with the rail network etched out on its body," Chakradhar told PTI.

Originally from Hyderabad, his father is a bureaucrat and his mother a principal in a school in the city. Growing up with two other siblings, he says his obsession with designing logos and was called the 'logoman' by friends and family.

Chakradhar says his entire portfolio consists of designs that he submitted for the MyGov portal. "I have designed logos for Swachch Bharat and Beti Bachao and many others. The logo of the cheetah on a locomotive was my first win. It couldn't have been better," he says.