Chapter 1
Chapter Text
Characters
Principal : Brigadier Chandok
Vice-Principal : Major Nair
Administrative Officer and Navigation Teacher : Major Bhargav
Advance Weaponry Teacher : Captain Abhimanyu Rai Chauhan
Guerrilla Warfare Teacher : Captain Gunraj Singh Randhawa
Drill Commanding Officer : Captain Naveen Singh Ahluwalia
Communication and Strategy Teacher : Captain Rajveer Singh Shekhawat
Infirmary Incharge : Captain Dr. Shalini Singhal
Boy's Hostel Warden and Mess Incharge : Subedar Suri
Girl's Hostel Warden and History Teacher : Subedar Major Lolita Sen
Psychology Teacher and On-Call Psychiatrist : Dr. Ritu Mishra.
Cadet Aalekh Sharma
Cadet Ali Baig
Cadet Amardeep Huda
Cadet Naina Maya Singh (Suryavanshi)
Cadet Pooja Ghai
Cadet Yadhuvansh Sahni
Major General R.S. Gaur
Colonel Shakti Chandra
Major Maya Singh
Vardhan Suryavanshi
Parth Kashyap
Aryan Rai Chauhan
Akriti Bhat Chandra
(Randhir) Rummy Gaur
Ananya Kashyap
Chapter 2
Chapter Text
Prologue
Agar aap se koi yeh kahe ki ek ladki hai jiski mom army mai Major thi. Ek ladki hai jo aapni mom ki legacy aage baadana chahti hai. Ek ladki hai jo wohi military training academy join karna chahti hai jahaan par uski mom ne aapni training poori ki thi. Ek ladki hai jo aapni mom ki tarah uss academy ka best cadet ka title jeetna chahti hai. Ek ladki hai jiske baade mai. And who would have thought that iss ladki ki fav film Mohabbatein hogi?
Par main kya hi karun. I really do like the film yaar after all there are just too many parallels to ignore. Let me explain.
Mohabbatein ki kahaani mainly Gurukul mai bataayi gayi thi aur meri kahaani bhi mainly Kanchenjunga Military Academy, KMA for short, mai hi bataayi jayegi.
Gurukul ke stamph the 'Parampara, Prathishta, Anushasan' aur KMA ke stamph the 'Shakti aur Sammaan'.
Gurukul aur KMA dono hi aapne areas mai desh ke best institutes maane jaate hai. Yaahan se nikle students aapna chaap zaroor chode jaate hai.
Aur bhi bohot parallels hai par wo sab baad mai. Fillal ke liye meri story par focus kare.
Hi I'm Naina and this is My Journey.
Chapter 3
Chapter Text
I
7th January, 2006.
Yeh date bohot important hai. Aap log soch rahe honge kyun? Main batati hun.
KMA ke first year se lekar current year tak, iss date par naaye batch ko welcome kiya jaata hai.
Which also meant ki uss din se meri journey shuru huyi thi.
Main ne tab tak KMA ke baare mai sirf kaahaniyon mai sunna tha. Mom jabhi ghar hoti toh woh humesha aapni academy days ke baare mai bataya karti thi. Unke baad Bade aur Chote Papa KMA ke baare mai bataya karte the.
It felt weird to walk in the halls in which my Mom used to walk in. What was weirder was seeing her photo smack dab middle of the wall of fame. Don't get me wrong, I do have her photographs, even in uniform. It's just the harsh expression on her face was, umm let's just say intresting to see. I was just hoping that I would get used to it eventually.
Vese KMA physically meri bed time stories ke description ko fit kar raha tha par atmosphere wise nahi.
You see recent events ke chalte Army Board ne kuch changes introduce karne ka socha hai. Fillal sirf kuch hi changes ke baare mai humare Naryan Shankar ke extra khadoos version, i.e., Brigadier Chandook ko pata chala hai.
One, iss saal se faculty mai ek Board appointment psychiatrist ko involve kiya jaayega jo nahi sirf students ko psychology padahi gi balki har student ki ek independent report banna kar headquarters mai bheji ki. Ab esaa kyun ho raha hai wo main aap ko baad mai bataungi.
Two, iss saal se newly admitted cadets ka sirf interview hi nahi balki medical check-up and psychatric evaluation bhi kiya jaayega. Sirf itna hi nahi, instead of only the principal on the interview panel the entire faculty will be there.
Three, the buddy project. Iss saal ke cadets ko ek buddy diya jayega. This will help them with their communication skills and team work.
If this wasn't enough the academy was also going to get a Board appointed Communication and Strategy teacher who would also make and send independent reports to the headquarters about the academy's course work.
Needless to say everyone was on an edge with these changes.
But the person who was affected the most with these changes was none other than KMA ke Narayan Shankar, Brigadier Chandook (Principal). Unhe essa lag raha tha jesse ki headquarters unke kabiliyat par shakh kar rahe hai. Aur essa sochna lazmi bhi tha, pichle saal jo hua uske baad koi bhi yehi sochta.
Anyways lets get back to the point. Iss baar 7th Jan was a Saturday, which meant ki faculty ko 36 new cadets ke interviews, medical checkups and psych evaluations kam se kam Sunday shaam, light out ke pehle khatam karne padege. Now that's a challenge.
Par lagta hai humara batch kuch faculty members ke liye kuch zyadda hi challenging hoga.
Brigadier Chandook aur unke "self-proclaimed" right hand man, Major Nair (Vice-Principal and Drill Commanding Officer), firmly believe karate hai ki ladkiyon ki army mai koi jaghe nahi hoti ko ek esse batch se deal karna padega jissme 15 ladkiya hai. Not a promising number but still it's the highest number of girl cadets selected by KMA.(Pichle batch mai sirf 12 ladkiya thi.)
Jaahan Brigadier Chandook aapne outlook ko galat prove hone ke liye tyaar hai vaanhi Major Nair galat prove hona hi nahi chahte. Kamzor aur girl cadets se yeh itna nafraat karte hai ki inke harsh methods and callous behaviour ke chalte pichle batch mai se 5 cadets drop out kar chuke hai. Iss baat se sikh kar badlne ki jaagde wo iss baat ki khushi baante hai ki unn 5 cadets mai 3 cadets ladkiyan thi (which brought the current number of girls in the senior batch to 9).
Par jaahan yeh do log chid rahe hai wanhi 4 log aur the jo shortlisted cadets ke gender divide par khush ho rahe the. Yeh chaar log the Captain Rajveer Singh Shekhawat (Communication and Strategy teacher), Dr. Captain Shalini Singhal (Medical Incharge and Basic Medical Aid teacher), Subedar Major Lolita Sen (Girl's Hostel Warden and History teacher) and Subedar Suri (Boy's Hostel Warden and Mess Incharge). Both women were happy that finally, not by much but still the stupid gender divide was being filled in. Suriji was just hoping ki iss baar yeh cadets Major Nair ke harkaton ke aage haar nahi maanege. Rajveer ko bas Major Nair ko galat prove karna tha. Don't get him wrong, pehle teen logo ki tarah yeh bhi chate the ki gender divide fill karna chate the. It's just that he had noticed, first hand, how Major Nair's behaviour affected the cadets. Woh bas Major Nair ko yeh dekhana chate the ki with correct guidance cadets, irrespective of gender, aur accha perform kar sakte hai.
The only person who was not at all affected by this was the newly appointed psychiatrist, Dr. Ritu Mishra. Not knowing the history, she really didn't understand the hype.
Accha kher now lets focus on the interviews.
Hum sab ko main hall mai 09:00 hours tak report karna tha. So eaxctly 08:50 hours tak hum sab waahan pauch gaye the. Jaahan 36 mai se 34 ne socialize karna shuru kar diya tha wanhi main aur no. 36 sab se thoda dur khade huye the. No. 36 sab ko aapni aankhon se dara dara kar dur kar raha tha aur main. Main nervousness ke chalte khud ko dara kar sab se dur ho rahi thi. Nervous hu bhi kyun nahi. Main waahan thi jaahan se meri Mom ne aapni journey shuru ki thi. Main uss academy ka hissa bana cha rahi thi jaahan se meri Mom 'best cadet' ke title ke saath pass out huyi thi. She was literally the first female cadet to do so. Koi aur bole ya na bole, maane ya na maane, but I did have a huge legacy not only to live up to but also to carry forward. Par fillal main Bhagwan se sirf yeh dua kar rahi thi ki mera interview acche se ho jaaye.
Exactly 09:00 hours par ek perfect arrow head formation mai puri faculty dias par aake khadi ho gayi thi.
1st person (Narayan Shankar mode on) : Good morning cadets. Please take a seat. Main hoon Brigadier Chandook, Kanchenjunga Military Academy ka Commandment Officer. Aap sab ka KMA mai swagat hai.
2nd person (with an intimidating smirk) : Good morning. Mera naam hai Major Prabhat Nair. Main yaahan ka Vice-Principal aur aap ka Drill Commanding Officer. (menacingly) Welcome.
3rd person (with a welcoming smile) : Welcome cadets. Main hoon Captain Rajveer Singh Shekhawat. Main aap sab ko Communication and Strategy padhaunga aur saath hi main rifle training bhi dunga.
4th person (barely containing her excitement) : Welcome everyone. I'm Dr. Captain Shalini Singhal. I'm the Medical Incharge and Basic Medical Aid teacher.
5th person (welcoming) : Hello cadets. I'm Dr. Ritu Mishra, I'm your psychology teacher and also the on call counceller if you need any guidance.
6th person (cool expression) : Welcome everyone. Mera naam hai Subedar Major Lolita Sen. Main aapki History teacher aur Girl's Hostel ki Warden hun.
7th person (happily) : Ohji aap sab ka bohot welcome. Main hun Subedar Suri Mess ka incharge or Boy's Hostel ka Warden.
BC : Aap sab ka interview aaj liya jaayega, after that rooms will be allotted to you. Medical checkups and Psychological evaluation kal kiye jaayenge aur uske baad aapko aapke buddies assign kiye jaayenge. The ordalies will keep you informed.
Aur issi ke saath wo sab conference room mai chale gaye. Interview 6 batches mai hone waale the. It was pretty clear ki wo log har batch ko ek team mai banta hua dekhna cahate the. Mom ne bataya tha ki yeh log pehle waiting area mai small groups baante hai. Unofficially the group you are placed in will either have your future roommate and the group will also be the team in which you will majorly work in.
Mera aur 5 aur logo ka naam 3rd group mai liya gaya.
Orderly : Ali Baig, Pooja Ghai, Amardeep Huda, Yadhuvansh Sahni, Aalekh Sharma, Naina Singh aap log waiting area mai aa kar wait kariye.
Farmaan milte hi hum sab chal diye.
1st person : Ji hum hai Ali Baig, Kanpur se.
2nd person : Umm... Hi I'm Yudi, Ambala se...?
3rd person : Jai Jawaan te Jai Kissan. Myself Amardeep Huda, Karnal se. Par aap sundar janaaniyan mujhe Huda bula saakti hai. Wesse aapka naam kya hai ji.
4th person : Mere handset ka naam Pooja hai aur mera service centre Chandigarh mai hai.
Rest : Hain ????
Pooja : Phate muh ! Mere khene ka matlab hai ki mera naam Pooja hai aur main Chandigarh se hun.
Rest : Ohh....
Iske alawa hum khete bhi kya. Needless to say use baad maahaul bohot ajeeb sa ho gaya tha. Ali, Huda aur Yudi mere aur no.36 ki aur dekh rahe the. Humare naam toh obvious tha par fir bhi is awkward situation se nikal ne ka rasta bhi nahi tha. So I decided to bite the bullet.
Me : Main Naina Singh, Nanital se.
No. 36 : Aapun Aalekh hai, Mumbai Central Jail se.
Agar pehle cheese awkward thi toh ab kessa mahaul tha aap khud hi andaza laga sakte hai.
Orderly : Ali Baig, aap ko andar bulaya hai.
Seriously, God Bless that Orderly. Ek dum sahi waqt par aaya tha wo.
Aagle 30 min kesse kate wo sirf main hi jaanti thi. Par finally,
Orderly : Naina Singh, aap ko bulaya hai...
Chapter 4
Chapter Text
II
Orderly : Naina Singh, aap ko bulaya hai...
Aap ke saath kabhi essa hua hai, jab aap ek esse internal examiner ke viva mai last jaate hai jisko baccho ko fail karne mai alag hi maza aata hai. Uss time ki nervousness bhi alag hi hoti hai na. Unfortunately mujhe bhi bilkul waise hi nervousness ho rahi thi. Par fir bhi conference room mai enter karte hi meri saari nervousness gaya ho gayi. It was still weird to see the faculty at the opposite side of the table, staring at me. But the nervousness had just vanished.
BC : Naina Singh, please take a seat.
Once she was seated
Major Nair (not sounding happy) : Aap humare arms supplier ki beti hai, right? Yeh mat sochiya ka ki aapke dad ke connections ki wajhe se aapko yaahan admission milla hai.
Naina : Of course not Sir. Mujhe yeh bilkul nahi lagta ki mera admission dad ki wajhe se hua hai. In fact I think ki mujhe yahaan admission entrance tests mai top karne ki wajhe se milla hai.
Subedar Sen : Kya aap ki family ka koi aur member army hai ya tha ?
Naina (pride evident in her voice) : Ji, meri mom army mai Major thi.
Subedar Suri (shocked) : Thi ?
Naina : Ji wo field mai shaheed ho gayi thi.
Dr. Capt. Singhal (curiously) : Aap ki mom ka naam ?
Naina : Shaheed Major Maya Singh.
Subedar Suri (even more shocked) : Wo jinki photo bhaar Wall of Fame mai lagi huyi hai.
Subedar Sen : The first female cadet of KMA who won the Sword of Honour. Aap unki beti hai ?
Naina (bashful) : Ji.
Dr. Mishra : If you don't mind me asking ? Aap ke father ka surname Suryavanshi hai. Par aap Singh use karti hai. Essa kyun ?
Naina : Ma'am mera pura naam Naina Maya Singh Suryavanshi hai. Singh aur Suryavanshi dono hi mere official surnames hai. But I prefer using Singh. Aur mere documents mai bhi Singh hi hai.
Dr. Mishra : Par fir bhi aap aapni mom ka surname use karna kyun prefer karti hai ?
Captain Shekhawat (trying to break the awkwardness) : Dr. Mishra aap yeh psychoanalysis kal kar lijye ka. Hume aur bhi interviews lena hai.
BC (stamping her admission papers) : Welcome to KMA Cadet Singh. Subedar Sen..
Subedar Sen (checking the list in front of her) : Girl's Hostel room no. 202. Aaj shaam lights out se 15 min pehle aap baki girl cadets ke saath Hostel ki lobby mai report karengi.
BC : Dismiss.
Dismiss sunte hi mai waahan se fatafat chali gayi. Uska sirf ek reason tha, mera room no.
KMA mai admission ke baare mai main sure thi par mujhe room 202 milega uski umeed mujhe bilkul nahi thi. But I was glad tha it played out in my favour. Mai jaldi se Hostel ki oor chalne lagi.
Maya's Voiceover (flashback) :
Pata hai Ina pehli nazar mai KMA ka har corridor ek jaisa lagta hai par trust me essa bilkul nahi hai. For example conference room se left lead karne waala corridor bilkul right waale corridor ki tarah dikhtha hai. Right side ka corridor KMA ke main hall mai lead karta hai aur isiliye zyaada tar log waahi use karte hai. Left waala on the other hand koi zyaada use nahi karta par wo sab se kaam ka corridor hai. A shortcuts of sorts. You see hostels main building, main hall se hote hue, at least 5-6 km door hai. Par uss corridor ke end par ek door hai jo seedha girls hostel ke pass khulta hai. Mujhe khud iss ke baare mai ek drill mai pata chala. Trust me uss din ke baad mai kabhi bhi class ke liye late nahi huyi hun...
Mom was right wo darwaza mujhe sidhe hostel ke side entrance mai le aaya. Suspicion avoid karne ke liye mai main entrance ki aur chal do gayi par,
Maya's Voiceover (flashback + a little healthy hallucination) :
Pata hai Ina hostels ke chaaro oor flower beds hai par unhe main raaste se aalag karne ke liye koi barriers nahi hai.
Aare shambal ke baccha, dekh tere pair ke neech gulaab aa jaye ka.
Be careful Ina yeh plants sirf dekhawe ke liye nahi laagaye hai. Yeh first batch se lekar ab tak ke saare batches ki mehnat hai. By the way jis gulaab par tum pair rakhne waali thi na wo main ne aapni first punishment mai laagaya tha. So...
Jokes apart, Ina, jaise hi tum hostel ke main entrance se enter karogi na toh tumhe the first female cadets, the first female officer to be posted here, ke portraits dekhenge. Mere floor par bhi unn photos ke chote version the but uske saath - saath har batch ke female cadets aur female officers ki photo lagi huyi hai.
Aah dekh Ina mere kamre ke aage mere batch ki photo lagi huyi hai. Trust me KMA mai wo 2 saal meri life ke best the Ina.
Pata hai, room ke entrance ke bilkul oppositie ek picture window hai jo academy ke kitchen garden ko face karta hai. Baaki ke 2 walls ke along 2 cupboard, single bed and study table sets lage huye hai. Main ne right side ka set occupy kiya tha. Darwaaze waali deewar mai bhi beds ke thik line mai corridor ko face karte huye 2 windows aur hai. Par wo warden ki convenience ke liye zyaada hai.
Aur meri roommate....
....Pooja hai. Walking, talking human version of cell phone waali Pooja, jo aapna cell phone use kar rahi thi.
Naina : KMA campus mai cell phones prohibited hai.
Pooja : Arrey mujhe kahan ya ke tower se ek long talktime rakhana hai. Jesse hi mere handset ne mere Ranjhe, Rohit, ka signal catch kiya na main tabhi yaahan ka roaming band kardungi. Wesse mai left side ka charging station mai aapne handset ko plug kar rahi hun thik hai.
Naina : Haan thik hai main right side ka charging station.....I mean mai right side ka bed le lungi.
Pooja : Wesse tere handset ki accessories ek hi travel bag mai fit ho gayi.
Naina : Haan wo zyaadatar uniform hi pehni hai toh isiliye mai zyaada kaide nahi layi.
Pooja : Main toh dher saare covers layi hun. Bura na maane toh tere coverage area mai rakh lun.
Naina : Mujhe sirf 2 shelves hi chahiye baki mai rakh lo. Not a problem.
Pooja : Thank you. Wesse cell phone ke baare mai tuh kissi ko....
Naina : Nahi batungi, relax.
Pooja : Changa. Wesse humare handsets ke accessories aur covers lagaane ke baad tu mere saath canteen recharge karne chalegi. Wo kya hai na main ne Ali se kaha tha ki hume sur baaki ke 3 se dosti karke rakhani chaiye. Pata hai Ali na aapni family se 3 generation hai army mai. Uske Abu aur uske Dadajaan bhi army mai the.....
Uske baad wo sirf Ali ke baare mai hi baat karti rahi, aur wo bhi normal human language mai. Honestly uss waqt essa lag raha tha jesse ki uska Ranjha Rohit nahi balki Ali tha.
Kissi tarah dinner time tak humne Pooja ka saara saaman dono cupboards mai fit kiya tha. Par fir bhi wo Ali ke baare mai baat kar raki thi. Jab tak Canteen paunch dinner start ho gaya tha.
Mom was so right proper raasta waki mai bohot lamba tha.
Anyways humne khana liya hi tha ki,
Dr. Ritu : Hello cadets.
Both : Good evening ma'am.
Dr. Ritu : I was wondering whether you would like to join us for dinner ?
Naina : Us ?
Dr. Ritu : Capt. Shekhawat, Dr. Shalini, Cadets Ali, Aalekh, Huda and Yudi.
Pooja : Ji zaroor.
As soon as we were seated,
Dr. Shalini : Naina are you sure that's enough. I mean tum toh aaj lunch ke liye bhi nahi aayi.
Dr. Ritu : Haan Naina, yaahan diet follow karogi toh drills ke beech mai baihosh ho jaungi.
Naina : Mujhe bas zyaada bhook nahi hai.
Ali : Fir bhi Naina adha cup dal aur ek roti kaafi hai ?
Naina : Ali don't worry.
Seriously log dusron ki plates mai dekhte hi kyun hai. Jaahan sab mere portion size ko lekar verbal disapproval dikha re the waanhi Aalekh aur Capt. Rajveer sirf disapproving aur worried looks, respectively, de rahe the.
With Dr. Ritu's psychoanalysis which Dr. Shalini was trying to cover to avoid awkwardness only to make it more awkward and Capt. Shekhawat's silence dinner was hell. Khana khatam hote hi main waahan se excuses baana kar chal di.
Phone booths se sab ko phone karne ke baad bhi mere pass 20 mins bacche the, ghoomte ghoomte kab main Wall of Fame ki oor chal di. Kuch photos I recognised then there were some that were.... intresting, for e.g. they had a picture of Captain Ahluwalia. I really wonder why. But eventually I just went back at looking at mom's photo.
Aalekh : Wo khadoos kaun hai.
Naina : Meri ma.
Aalekh : Teri ma bhi army mai thi.
Naina : Same jail, same cell. Der ho rahi hai, chale.
Aalekh : 5 min toh rahe gaaye hai kya farak padta hai.
Naina : Chal.
Aalekh : Kya ?
Naina (grabbing his hand) : Chal.
Waise main itni jaldi kissi ko ghaseetna shuru nahi karti par...
Anyways, we reached just in time for our respective lectures......
Chapter 5
Chapter Text
III
Anyways, we reached just in time for our respective lectures......
Girl's Hostel Lobby :
Lolita Ma'am : Mera naam hai Subedar Major Lolita Sen. Main tumhari warden hun.
Jab tak tum yaahan ho tab tak tum aur tumhara discipline meri zimmedari ho aur main apni zimmedari seriously leti hun.
Iss hostel ke 5 rules hai unhe memorise kar lo.
- Hostel rooms mai kissi tarah ka shor-gul ya fir music allowed nahi hai.
- Lights out ke baad kamre se bahar nikalna allowed nahi hai. Even your rooms lights should be out.
- Campus se bahar jaane ke liye tum he meri permission leni padegi. Toh chae tum apni mummy ko miss karo ya fir doggy ko I don't care.
- No cell phones allowed.
- No boys allowed, chae wo tumhara bhai ya fir cousin hi kyun na ho.
Kal subh 07:00 hours sharp aap sab fir se yaahan report karenge. Dismiss.
Hum sab orderly fashion mai aapne rooms mai aa gaye. Bakiyon ke baare mai mujhe pata nahi par main aur Pooja toh frantically uska cell phone chupane ki jaghe doondhnae lage. Finally hume ek suitable jaghe mai chupa kar so gaye........
8th January, 2006.
06:30 hours tak main ready ho gayi thi aur Pooja... Pooja ab hi bhi ghode-gaadhe bech rahi thi. Main ne sab try kiya. Fan off kar diya, lights on kar di uska blanket tak cheen liya par maajal hai ki wo uthi hai. Finally Lolita ma'am ki mimcri kar ke usse uthaya.
07:00 hours on dot hum lobby paunche.
Lolita Ma'am : Aap sab ko abhi questionnaire diya jaaye ga. Yeh aapke psych evaluation aur medical checkup ke pehla steps hai. Isse bhar kar 07:30 hours tak aap submit karenge.
Anyways 09:00 hours tak hum logo ko 2 groups mai batdiya gaya. Pehla group pehle psych eval kar waye ga aur dusra group pehle medical check-up kar waye ga.
Main first group mai thi. Yay!!
Anyways I did get to interact with a lot of my batchmates.
Sonali, Janhvi, Priya and Shenaaz were nice to talk to. Too bad they were more interested in flirting back and forth with Huda.
Jafar and Arnav were also nice to talk to but it was Aalekh on whom most of my attention was focused on.
Subh se Aalekh mujhe esse ghoor raha tha jesse ki main koi highly complicated code hun. Iss se pehle main kuch bolti,
Orderly : Cadet Aalekh Sharma.
15 min ke baad wo waahan se itne gusse mai nikla, ek ticking time bomb se kam khartanak nahi lag raha tha. Pata nahi kyun par, I really wanted to follow him to make sure he was alright.
Orderly : Cadet Naina Singh.
I really didn't want to talk to Dr. Mishra, par choice bhi kya thi mere pass.
I went in,
Interestingly Dr. Mishra ka cabin ek dum kissi filmy psychiatrist ke cabin jesse laag raha tha.
Conventional study desk ki jagah, soft brown colour mai ek lounge or ek chaise lounge tha. Wo regally longe chair par baithi meri file study kar rahi thi.
Naina : May I come in ma'am ?
Dr. Mishra : Naina please come in. Take a seat.
So how are you.
Naina : I'm fine ma'am, how are you ?
Dr. Mishra : Good. So Naina questionnaire mai tumhare jawaab kaafi consistent the.
Tell me Naina what motivated you to join the army.
Naina : I have always appreciated and admired the people who have put their lives on line to ensure the safety of our country and its people.
Dr. Mishra : Is it because of your mom.....
Naina : I won't lie ma'am. My mom is my inspiration, however she is not the reason for me to join the army.
Dr. Mishra : Yet you use her and not your father's surname.
Naina : I had no idea that this would be an issue. I use my mom's surname because it has always been on my official documents. Plus it's short and easier to spell than Suryavanshi.
Dr. Mishra : I don't follow ?
Naina : Ma'am my family spells Suryavanshi as S-U-R-Y-A-V-A-N-S-H-I instead of S-O-O-R-Y-A-W-A-N-S-H-I, etc.
Dr. Mishra : Oh okay.
Let's start with the evaluation. Yeh evaluation is to check what kind of mind frame and thought process a person posses. Main ek word bolungi aur usse sun kar jo tumhare dimag mai ussey related jo bhi phela word aaye tum mujhe wo bataogi.
Dr. Mishra : Baarish
Naina : Badal
Dr. Mishra : Friends
Naina : Family
Dr. Mishra: Family
Naina : Trust
Dr. Mishra : You may go Cadet.
Naina : Thank you ma'am.
Dr. Mishr a : Oh and Naina. I really hope that one of these days you would tell me the real reason as to why you use your mother's surname.
And that's why Aalekh was pissed.
But comparatively backi ka din was a breeze.
Aur ab wo time aagya tha jab BC sab ko buddies assign kar ne waale the.
BC : Jessa ki aap sab jaante hai ki iss saal se buddy project implement kiya janne waala hai.
Buddy system ke chalte aap aur aapka buddy ek system ki tarah kaam karenge. Classes, drills, assignment mai aap ek unit ki tarah attend, attempt and submit karenge. Your buddy is your responsibility.
Major Nair...
Major Nair : The buddy pairs are,.............................
Ali Baig - Amardeep Huda,
Pooja Ghai - Yadhuvansh Sahni,
Aalekh Sharma - Naina Singh,
..........................................
Dismiss.
Aalekh : Apun ko tujh se baat karni hai. Chal.
Basketball Court :
Aalekh : Dekh aapun ko ghuma-fira kar baat nahi karta. Yeh 2 saal aaram se nikle isliye hume kuch ground rules rakh lene chaiye.
Naina : Agreed. Kuch socha hai ?
Aalekh : 1. Baki logo ke saamne ek dusre ki baat nahi katenge aur ek dusre ko sharminda nahi karenge.
Naina : Lekin iska matlab yeh nahi hai ki agar ek bakwas kar raha hai toh dusra chup baitha rahe.
Aalekh : Thik hai.
2. Baki ke aage raada nahi karenge. Aapun dono ke beech mai jo bhi lafda hai wo alag se sultayenge.
Naina : Thik hai.
Aalekh : 3. Ek dusre se wo sawal nahi karenge jiska jawab hum khud nahi dena chahte.
Aur kuch.
Naina : 4. Ek dusre se jhooth nahi bolenge
- Agar hum sawal ka jawab nahi dena chate hai, ya fir kissi cheeze ke baare mai baat nahi karna chate toh dusra iss baat ki respect karenga.
- Hum koshish karenge ki hume sazaa na mile.
I mean main ne sunna hai ki Mucchad khundas nikal ne mai koi kasar nahi chodta.
Aalekh : Sahi hai.....
Chapter 6
Chapter Text
IV
9th January, 2006.
The first official day. Iss din ko lekar main excited thi. Morning bugle ke bajte hi main aane waale din ki preprations karne lagi.
Main tyar hui hi thi ki suddenly Lolita ma'am humare kamre mai aa gayi. Iss se pehle main kuch kheti unhone paani ka jug liya aur Pooja par ulat diya.
Pooja : Oye, mere handset ka sleepmode off kaun kar raha hai.......... Ma'am ?
Lolita ma'am : Agar aap uth gayi ho cadet toh zara tyaar bhi ho jaaye. And remeber main aapki mummy nahi hun jo roz aapko uthane aaoungi. Kal se time par uth jaaye ga. Understand.
Pooja : Yes ma'am.
Ek baar dono aapane - aapane kaam ke liye chaale gayin, main bhi grounds ke liye nikaal gayi.
Naina : Good morning.
Aalekh : Good morning.
Naina (exasperated): Aalekh subh ke 5:45 ho rahe hai aur tum drink kar rahe ho.
Aalekh (so not in mood for a lecture) : Dekh aapun ko zyaada samjha mat. Aapun drill khadab nahi kadega aur naa hi uss Mucchad ko pata chalega.
Naina : Point wo nahi hai.
Aalekh : Dekh der ho rahi hai chal.
Iss se pehle main aur argue kar paati baaki cadets aur Major Nair aa gaye.
Major Nair : Cadets attention.
Aaj aap sab ka first day hai, aur yeh hai aapki first drill. I'll go easy on you. 30 mins ki class hai, 20 mins mai aap iss ground ke 15 rounds kaatenge. Mind you aap aur aapke buddy ki speed aur pace ek hi honi chaiye.
Begin.
Begin sunte hi hum sab dhodne laage. Main aur Aalekh crowd ke end mai the, meri wajhe se. Aalekh ki frustration mujhe feel ho rahi thi. Thankfully wo kuch keh nahi raha tha. 6th round onwards main ne speed badani shuru kari. Exactly 20 mins mai humara 15th round khatam karke Major Nair ke aage khade the.
Seriously unka chera dekhne laayak tha. Uss se zyaada dekhne laayak chera tha Aalekh ka. Uss bechare ko toh samajh hi nahi aa raha tha ki hum last se first kesse aa gaye.
Humare baad aaye Ali aur Huda at 25 mins, aur last the Pooja aur Yudi at 29 mins.
Nair (trying to hide his evil smirk) : Iss se zayada kamzor batch aaj tak nahi dekha. Tum sab yahan fauji banne aye ho. Kamzor civilians ki tarah behave karna baand karo. Koi thak jaata hai toh kissi ko cramps. Sharam aani chaiye tum sab ko.
Dismiss!
Major Nair yeh keh kar chale gaye, par unki smirk sab ne kesse
Aalekh (slightly impressed) : Yeh 0 se 100 ki speed hum ne kesse pakadi ?
Naina (mischievously) : Jaadu se.
Aalekh (trying to be stern) : Ae shaani zasti shaanpati mat dhikha aur ye bata ki yeh kese hua.
Naina (teacher mode on) : Tum sab time constraints ke aage yahi nahi socha ki agar phele hi saari energy waste kar do ke toh baaki ke rounds aur classes mai kya kaaroge. Hum abhi abhi uthe hain agar bina warm up kiye itne jald - baasi mai bhaag na shuru kardo ke toh yaa toh bohot jaldi thakh jaaoge yaa fir cramps ho jayege.
Pehle 5 rounds warm up, aur uske baad dheere - dheere speed badane ki wajhe se hum relatively zyaada thake bhi nahi aur jaldi khatam bhi ho gaya.
Explanation dete - dete hum main hall tak paunch gaye aur mess ki oor jaye hi rahe the ki,
Huda (trying to be bully on the field) : Oye, Naina mill gaya mujhe teri furti ka karan. Kaun se baba se laayi hai tu yeh tabeez zara hume bhi baata de.
Huda ke haath mai wo tabeez dekh kar mera hato automatically mere gaale par gaya. Huda ne tabeez utari kab ? And how in the 7 hells I didn't realize soneonen taking it off or it falling ?
Naina (slightly on edge) : Huda wo wapas de.
Huda (knowing he got her) : Arrey, ke ho gaya. Takat ke saath - saath jaan bhi basati hai kya iss me.
Naina (slightly threatening) : Wapas do.
Ali (trying to diffuse the tension) : Huda bhai kya kar rahe hai aap. Naina ko unki cheez wapas kar di jiye na.
Aalekh (somehow realising how much this was affecting Naina) : Aye shaane, chup - chap wapas kar.
Huda : Arrey, Qaidi tujhe kya hua ? Ali toh hai hi humare Usool bhai, par tu toh jaanta hi hoga ki finders are keepers, khojak rakhane vaale hote hai.
Naina (deathly whisper) : Huda wapas de !!
Huda : Nahi deta. Kar le jo kar na hai.
Ab toh paani sar ke upar se nikal gaya.
Naina (looking at Ali and Aalekh) : Sorry.
Iss se pehle wo react karte, main ne Huda ke pair uske nichey se bahar nikaal diya aur tabeez wapas le li. (Like in episode 8)
Wo tabeez mere haath mai aate hi I walked away from there.
Chapter 7
Chapter Text
VI
25th January, 2006.
Uff Sunday raat se lekar ab tak sab kuch itna hectic raha hai ki hume literally kuch bui notice karne ka time nahi mila.
Par seriously uss din ke baad se hum sab ke mann mai Rajveer Sir ke liye respect toh bohot baad gayi thi,
Flashback :
(22nd January, 2006. Approx 23:00 hours)
Mujhe academy 23:30 hours se pehle pauchna tha. Par pata nahi kyun I suddenly had this really strong gut feeling to check-in on the others.
Academy ke pass ek hi dhabba tha jo KMA ke cadets frequently jaate hai. And if my memory serves me right seniors ne Yudi ko yaanhi party dene ko bola tha.
Main aandar ghusi hi thi ki I had to duck to avoid the flying piece of furniture that was coming my way. A quick look around told me exactly what I needed to know.
A group of bikers whose most members are strewn about as twigs while the leader looks agitated meaning he was the one who started this but has too much ego to admit that he was wrong.
Capt. Shekhawat holding onto one of the members who has the other piece of furniture meaning that the piece was actually meant for him and not for me. His grim face showing he doesn't prefer this but the twinkle in his eyes means he doesn't feel particularly guilty about beating them up. And by seeing the various positions they are in I doubt there would be any lasting damage. But his back is to those 5 meaning he is either protecting them or keeping them from joining the fight. Given there half turned state means that somehow it's both.
Aah ha there is guilt on Huda's face, meaning he started the thing with the leader. The slight guilt in Aalekh's face means that the had tried to stop this before Sir got here but had failed to do so. Guilt and worry on Ali's face means he had tried to stop Huda from starting this but he hadn't been able to and was worried for............ Pooja?
Oh Pooja is drunk, yeh toh pakka seniors ki hi kartoot hai. Jisse yaad aaya seniors the kahan ? Yaahan toh nahi dikh rahe. Zaroor Capt. ke aane se pehle hi yahaan se bhaag gaye honge.
And Yudi is also worried but his worry is more for........ me ?
Oh the only girl member of the group decided to attack me, seriously how stupid. I mean who with even a small semblance of knowledge about fighting tries to un sheath their knife while lunging at their opponent or in this case victim. I mean either you take out the knife before you lunge or after you've got a good grip on the other person.
But anyways her ignorance was my bliss. It was easy to twist her 'armed' hand behind her back to get her on her knees and take the knife away. I may or may not have sprained the said hand in the process but such things do happen.
Which turned out to be a good move for me, wo leader ki khas thi and so naturally he called off the attack to rescue her.
Once the gang had left,
Capt. Shekhawat (looking sternly at us) : Toh koi batana chaega ki mere aane se pehle yaahan ho kya raha tha, aur kyun. Jooth bolne ke baaremain sochna bhi mat.
Yudi (rushing to explain) : Sir yeh sab meri galti hai. Main ne hi seniors ko kaha tha ki main unko yaahan treat dunga. Aur baaki sab ko chi mere saath aane ke liye convince kiya.
Capt. Shekhawat (still being stern) : Aur yeh Chikha bhai ko bhi aapne hi bhrkaya hoga ?
Huda (upon being nudged and glared at) : Wo Sir ji meri galti hai. Janani ko impress karne ke chakar mai main ne sharth lagayi thi ki agar main ne Chikha bhai ko panje mai haraa diya toh wo humara bill bhaare ga aur agar mai haara toh unka bill hum bharenge. Bill ke pesse nahi the isliye main unka bando bas karne chala gaya.
Aalekh : Huda ke jaane ke baad wo Chikha kuch zyaada hi urne laga isliye aapun ne same to same sharth lagayi, aur jeeth gaya. Uska dimaag thanka aur...
Capt. Shekhawat : Aur aap log ladne baith gaye.
Chaliye aap sab ka bezabri se interaar kiya jaa raha hai....
Wesse wo sahi keh rahe the. Academy mai Suri ji aur Lolita ma'am humara intezar kar rahe the. Hum sab ki band bajane ke liye.
I mean, I'm grateful to Capt..... sorry Rajveer Sir for not ratting us out to BC and Mucchad. But man were they brutal.
Lolita ma'am ne Yudi aur Pooja se puri academy ke kapde dhulwaye, Suri ji ne Ali aur Huda se pure garden ki weeding karwai. Rajveer Sir ne mujhse aur Aalekh se pure armory ki saaf- safaai karwai.
Needless to say that hum sab ka solid band bhaj gaya tha but at least yeh baat dab toh gayi. Uss din se Capt. Shekhawat humare liye Rajveer Sir ban gaye.
Anyways, main kahan thi ? Haan hum itne busy the ki kuch aur notice hi nahi kiya. Isiliye we had no idea what to expect in today's assembly.
Assembly Hall :
All the cadets and faculty members were gathered in the assembly hall for today's assembly. None of the cadets knew as to why this assembly was called.
B.C. : Good morning Cadets and faculty. Jessa ki aap sab jaante hai kal 26th January yaani ki Republic Day hai. KMA mai yeh din kisi festival se kam nahi. Isiliye aaj aur kal koi class koi drill nahi hogi.
Har saal first year cadets iss celebration ko organize karte hai.
Ab main chaaunga ki aap mai se koi ek aage aaye aur aapne batch ki zimmedari uthaye.
Everyone started muttering amongst themselves. Koi bhi aage nahi aana cahatha tha. Even Ali and Huda were hesitating.
Par pata nahi kyun, dono Aalekh aur Rajveer Sir meri tarf expetantly dekh rahe the. My god they were seriously not expecting me to step up were.......
Par iss se pehle main wo thought complete karti Aalekh had pushed me in front. Great.
B.C. (trying not to show his relief & pride) : Aah Cadet Singh. toh aap uthana chaegi yeh zimmedari ?
Major Nair : Sir mujhe lagta hai ki yeh zimmedari Cadet Singh ke liye kuch zyaada ho jaye gi. Kya koi aur aage aana chaega ?
Needless to say koi aur aage nahi aaya.
B.C. : Well as you see Major aur koi aage nahi aaya. Cadet Singh this is now your responsibility.
Naina : Yes Sir.
Well let the festivites begin.......
Chapter 8
Chapter Text
VII
26th January, 2006.
Subhe hote hi I rushed out to make sure everything was on schedule.
- Dividing the batch in four groups based on decoration, food, flag hoisting and entertainment. Check
- Make sure people don't fight or kill each other over tasks appointment. Check
- Make sure to divide the food committee into three groups. Check
- Finalize the menus for each meal with Suri ji. Check
- Breakfast on schedule. Check
- Make sure the decorations are done on time. Check
- Make sure the flag is prepared for flag hoisting. Che.....
Aaj mere haathon se Huda ka khoon ho jaaye ga. Seriously kal puri shaam main ne uske sath flag, flag pole aur flag pole ke aas paas bricks set kiye the. Aur aab har ek brick ek alag hi pattern mai set hai.
Agar usse pehle waala patter accha nahi lag raha tha toh tabhi bol dena chaiya tha na ? Beech raat ko change karne ki kya zaroorat thi ? Aur jab B.C. ne khud kha tha ki flag pole ke aas paas 30 bricks lagne the toh usne 29 bricks waale pattern mai kyun set ki....
Wait a sec Huda ko toh essa koi pattern nahi aata. Infact kal bhi majority setting main hi ki thi. Aur itne finesse ke saath setting karne ki patience Huda mai toh nahi hai. Wo toh by nature hi energetic aur fidgety hai. Mujhe usse decorating committee mai dalna chaiye tha par sirf entertainment aur flag hoisting mai hi jaghe baki thi. And I really didn't want to risk putting him in entertainment so flag hoisting it is.
Anyways back to the problem at hand. Where the fluff was that god irritating ticking noise was coming from ? It wasn't my watch since it didn't even had a second hand and no one else was there. Closer inspection par I noticed it was coming from the bricks that Huda had placed around the flag pole. Oh please let it not be what I think it is. But bricks hata te hi my thoughts were confirmed.
It was a bomb !!!
Not a bomb bomb, but one of those that were used to create panic and chaos rather than harm. I mean to say that these type of bombs just creates a lot of smoke and maybe a little bruising and push back if you stand really close to it.
Which must be why it was timed for when the flag hoisting was to take place. Crap.
Haaye bhagwaan, Bade papa aur Chote papa ne mujhe duniyaa bhare ke bombs aur unke characteristics ke baare mai toh sheekha diya, bomb diffuse karna bhi sheekha dete.
Shit sab ke aane se pehle kuch toh karna padega. Kisi batchmate ya fir senior ke pass nahi jaa sakthi, unnecessary panic create ho jaye ga. Aalekh ke pass inn bombs ko lekar pata nahi experience hai bhi ya nahi, mujhe nahi pata. Plus wo Ali ke saath lunch ki tyaari kar raha hai toh uske pass bi nahi jaa sakthi. Kya karun ? Breakfast bas shuru hi hone waala hai aur sab yaanhi se mess ki oor jayenge.
Rajveer Sir, that's right, Rajveer Sir ke pass jaati hun.
I practically flew towards his room and barged in without even bothering to knock, no time for that. Rajveer Sir and an orderly looked towards me in shock.
Naina (not heeding his surprised and disapproving look): Flag pole ke pass jo bricks lagni thi uss mai se ek bomb hai jo flag hoisting ke liye timed hai. Kal curfew tak nahi tha aaj subhe hai. Sab breakfast ke liye aane waale hai.
That got their attention and they wasted no time in running towards the assembly hall. Once there Rajveer Sir took a quick stock of the scene.
He replaced the bomb with the brick, jesse yeh unke liye roz ka kaam ho.
Rajveer (in a serious tone) : Kissi aurko iske baare mai pata hai ?
Naina : No Sir.
Rajveer : Pata chalna bhi nahi chaiye. Act as if nothing was out of the normal Cadet.
Chaubey jo brick main use kiya use replace kar do. Kissi ko pata nahi chalna chaiye. And sweep the area for any and every evidence that you can find.
Main zaraa isse dispose karke aata hoon. Naina go back to your check list. Higher authorities ko inform main kardunga so you don't have to be worried about it or this incidence. Clear.
With that all three of us dispersed to do our respective duties.
The rest of the day went without a hitch. Although Dr. Mishra did have a curious expression on her face at the time of flag hoisting. Which was weird considering the flag she was the one to do it.
Seriously meri toh samajh ke hi bhar tha. I mean I appreciate what B.C was tying to do and it was really monumental gesture to show that he and by extension the academy is ready to accept the change in times where women are seen as equals. Par Dr. Mishra ko bula ne ki kya zaroorat thi. Considering her seniority and history with the academy Lolita ma'am was the obvious choice. Maybe Dr. Shalini but Lolita ma'am should have done it.
It was sad to see her coming forward only to move back when he called out Dr. Mishra's name.
Par aab jo ho gaya so ho gaya.
The food committee had done a brilliant job, breakfast, lunch and dinner were absolutely delicious. Seniors to khanne par fida hi ho gaye the.
The entertainment segment of the day was here and we all were low key freaking out. The entertainment committee headed by Aarnav had decided truth or dare in a slightly different style. Instead of spinning a bottle the we will be divided into 2 teams consisting of faculty and students. Each team had a bowl filled with chits of the other teams name. The person sitting on the left most corner picks a chit goes through the normal drill. Drop the chit back in the bowl and passes the bowl to their right.
After dinner all those who wanted to participate had gathered in the hall.
Let the fun begin.
