DV Suresh, brother of Railway Minister Sadananda Gowda
Sadananda Gowda, who is presenting the Narendra Modi government's first railway budget in Parliament, has a deeper connection with the ministry he leads. His younger brother DV Suresh Gowda is a railway Station Master in Karnataka.
Suresh Gowda, posted at Nandikoor near Mangalore, is disappointed at the hike in train fares but feels it is justified. "It will pinch pockets, but is needed for betterment," he shrugged.
Shortly before Mr Gowda's budget speech, he told NDTV that he is not one to offer advice to the Railway Minister, even if he is his brother and the subject is often dinner table conversation.
"I do have suggestions. We often discuss railways, since I am a staff and luckily he got this portfolio. Maybe this budget will be ok. But over the next few years, he will present better ones, I am confident," Suresh Gowda, 52, told NDTV.
"Like all citizens, I have huge expectations from my brother...like faster trains, safer trains..."
Closer home, Suresh Gowda wants Mangalore to be made a separate division to accommodate the huge traffic.
When Sadananda Gowda was assigned the railways portfolio in May, Suresh was swamped with media questions about what he wanted his brother to do.
"My brother doesn't like me asking for any favours. When he was the Chief Minister, MP and MLA, I did not ask for anything from him," he had said then, confessing that he had no idea that his brother would become Railway Minister.
Suresh Gowda was appointed assistant Station Master in 1985 after he cleared the Railway Recruitment Board Examination. He took charge at Nandikoor station after being deputed to the Konkan Railways in 2008.
He also revealed a wish he had on behalf of every train traveler - that the new minister should make Indian Railways safe and accident-free.
The minister's son Karthik also shared his wish-list. "We want bullet trains. Cleanliness and security is important. There should be Wi-fi and internet," he told reporters this morning.