Episode 30: Grand Finale!
"Ambala Haryana mein basi Kanchanjunga Military Academy, jiski diwaaron ke andar ek alag hi duniya basti thi... jahan insan ke sharir ke saath uske irade bhi mazbut banate hai... jahan ek common man enter hota hai, jo ek soldier banke bahar nikalta hai. Aur yeh possible hota hai kai saare processes se guzar kar. And Simon says ki successful hone ke liye hard work aur discipline ki zarurat hoti hai." Naveen tells us.
"Aur yeh hai Simon, mera matlab hai Brigadier Chandokh Singh, is Military Academy ka principal. Our dearest 'BC' follows his motto, as well as the Academy's motto, "Strength and Honour" till this day, just like two years back." He continues, and we see flashes two years back, with him straightening out one of his cadets.
"The ones who were the Freshers two years ago have in fact graduated out of Kanchanjunga Military Academy exactly one month back, and as they left the title of 'Cadet' and moved on to 'Lieutenant', they left their own marks on the future of this rough and tough Military Academy."
We see a larger number of young female Freshers entering with full confidence, something that was quite rare till present. They salute the martyrs before entering though. Their parents encourage them, and wait outside till their children completely vanish from views.
Next is the turn for young men from influential families with rich connections. Their determination to prove themselves by standing on their own two feet insetad of relying on their parents are unwavering, a trait found very little till present in the Army. Their knowledge and interest in other various different aspects of life enhance their chances.
The new generation of Army families, mostly from conservative areas and backgrounds, step foot on the grounds of KMA. This time though, it's not only the males who get their oppurtunities. We see a few females coming along as well, and whether they're male or female, they're definitely not blinded by the belief that the world has only black and white.
Even the youth from reman homes, detention centres and jail don't fail to willingly protect their motherland. Each year, there would be an average of zero to two transferred, but this year has to have something 'hatke se' for this Academy. We see a truck dropping off about five or six men and a girl off, and Suriji welcomes them heartily.
How can modern girls with modern hopes and dreams fall behind? We see that along with their partying and/or sporting moods and boy-crazy attitudes, they have the will and strength it takes to be a true soldier, and will not fail at any cost to fulfill their duties to their countries. It's just that for them, it's a bit more masti-filled and exciting than others. Oh, of course, full knowledge of mobiles included for all of them!
And last, but never, ever the least: the hunks enter. Impressing girls? Piece of cake. Partying? At the tip of their fingers. Servicing their country? A MUST! Yes, the youth has taken a toll to their patriotic sides. That doesn't mean that they play by the book though. According to the clock, most of them are either minutes or hours late.
All these noticeable changes have taken place, but there's still one little change that needs to be mentioned. A very handsome man wearing casuals enters the grounds and salutes the martyrs. His eyes hold the same sense of strength and truth it held since the day he had graduated from Kanchanjunga Military Academy along with late Captain Naveen Singh Ahluwalia and present Majors Abhimanyu Rai Chauhan and Nandini Virani.
The change that took place over the period of the last two years is the look of respect and honour Brigadier Chandokh holds for Major Rajveer Singh Shekhawat today, as he bids the former Strategy & Communications teaching staff goodbye from his Academy (though it's not for long).
"What's happened to the special six cadets, joined later on by another young and spirited girl, you may ask? Let's have a look, shall we?" Naveen takes us to the busy home of Lieutenant Naina Singh Ahluwalia, where 'Gunny', whom we met about a year ago, is helping her parents decorate the house for - a wedding?
"Oh haan, I completely forgot to mention this vital news. Graduation wasn't the only occasion to celebrate for; in a week, two marriages were to be held at Kanchanjunga Military Academy. You guys must be wondering - why KMA? Well, both couples had agreed without hesitation that it was the purest place to completely join their 'life connections', because this is where it all started."
"And Gunny, a man who had lost his entire family and any friends he had during the 11 years he had been in jail, was graciously welcomed by mine. Though the place for me in their hearts was unreplaceable, it was always possible to make some space for someone else."
The scene moves over to the Punjab, where the families of the other set of bride and groom were gathered at, resulting to a wholly chaotic atmosphere like a wedding house should have.
Lieutenant Pooja Ghai is on the phone with her best friend as she tries on sets of earrings and necklaces with her groom's sisters surrounding her.Lieutenant Ali Begh on the other hand is trying his best to get away from the various aged cousins of his bride who tease and feed him mercilessly.
"Mummyji, kya?" Lieutenant Amardeep Huda asks in a complaining tone. We see that he and Lieutenant Aalekh Sharma are at the table having their breakfast, and his plate is nearly empty compared to Aalekh's from the way Huda's mother was serving.
"Huda and Aalekh, still widely known as a Jatt and Qaidi respectively were their usual selves with their usual banter and attitudes. They didn't show the changes inside openly though; that's something they both learnt to control as they matured during their stay at KMA."
"Now, to the second last favourite Cadet - oops, Lieutenant, I mean - of ours." Naveen says as we move on to the grand Sahani mansion. Lieutenant Yaduvansh Sahani is turning his already messy room upside down looking for something.
"MOM! NEELU! Where's my new uniform?!" he yelled. Neelu came into his room, unperplexed, and rolled her eyes.
"Dad's probably showing it off to one of his clients again."
"It might seem that nothing has changed in the Sahani family, but in fact, there have been major changes." Naveen informs us. "Yudi is finally the 'man' of the house; though his father hasn't retired, he is the one his family now looks up to. After all, he had passed out as the third best Cadet in his batch!"
A small boy comes in stumbling, having only learnt to walk properly a few weeks ago. Neelu picks him up and coddles him, as Yudi forgets his former annoyance and plays with the child.
"And Neelu - there are too many things to say. But the main thing is that she's now the mother of a beautiful young boy, who's father, Aalekh, will be joining this family before going off to his posting in three weeks."
"And the last and newest member of the group, Lieutenant Koel Singh Shekhawat. She hadn't completely grown up from the unpredictable mood swings, but the Academy taught her to tame it for her own good."
Koel is putting the finishing touches to her new uniform, when Rajveer peeks in. She smiles widely and goes up to him to give him a hug. Her eyes are brighter than ever.
"Another thing that I forgot to mention - but you probably already know what it is - my sister's dulha, as in my brother-in-law-to-be was none other than my good friend Raj."
She looks through the wedding necessities to send to the bride's family while Rajveer simply stands and watches; she had warned him to stay away, because no matter how intelligent he was, this was definitely not his area of expertise.
"Even though Koel's brother's love-life had worked out better than they had dreamed, she had never gotten around to admitting that she actually fell for a certain Jatt the moment he had started avoiding her. No worries there though - he will take care of it, while her Bhabi-to-be takes care of her brother's reaction."
"All in all, it's going great. Sure, there still stand many problems for each individually and together. Shalini and Yudi, for example. They still haven't taken any steps forward yet, but dearly want to do so. All seven Lieutenants will be posted in seven different areas, too, though some nearer to each other than the others. This holds the problem mainly for the married ones, I suppose. But they will figure out how to handle the situations; they always do." Naveen says proudly.
"And what about me? Well, I, late Captain Naveen Singh Ahluwalia, declared a martyr for my motherland continue observing the lives of these wonderful people, who seem ordinary from the outside but are actually very, very special in their own ways."
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
