Chapter 46
The award ceremony began on a grand note. All the ministers, along with the state governor, Mr. Ananth Swaminathan, attended the event.
The governor had specifically requested a meeting with the CR Committee staff, as he had wanted to interact with them for a long time now. Their work deeply impressed him, especially the model and pedagogy they were developing.
The award distribution soon began. The concerned ministers handed awards to employees from their respective departments. So when it was time for the education department awards, Shaurya was invited onto the stage.
He distributed the awards personally, congratulating each employee warmly.
"Next, we will move forward with the CR Committee awards.
Though they are not permanent employees of the Secretariat, their contributions to the state's education sector are highly valuable.
We request our honorable Chief Minister, Shri Shaurya Singh Shekhawat, to present the awards to the best performers of the team," the host announced.
The names were called one after another while the photographer kept clicking pictures with Shaurya. Finally, Akansha's name was announced. She walked up to the stage gracefully. Shaurya handed her the certificate, gift box, and memento while congratulating her softly.
Akansha accepted them with a polite fake smile. She was about to leave when the photographer stopped her.
"Ma'am... please move a little closer. Yes... now look here," he instructed enthusiastically.
Akansha internally wanted to bang both the photographer's and Shaurya's heads together. Still, she composed herself. She stood beside Shaurya, gave a formal smile for the picture, and quietly walked away after greeting him politely.
No matter how strained things were between them personally, she would never embarrass him publicly.
The award ceremony concluded successfully after all departments were recognized for their remarkable contributions. Later, the employees returned to their respective workplaces.
The governor, as he had requested earlier, wanted to personally interact with the CR Committee members, so Shaurya accompanied him there.
Shaurya introduced the core team members one by one while the governor appreciated their efforts and dedication. He congratulated Akansha and Mr. Anjan Goel in particular, as they were the two people among the eight core members who had received awards. These eight directly reported to Shaurya.
"Congratulations, Mr. Goel," the governor said warmly while shaking hands with him.
"Your services to the country, even after retirement, are deeply respected and valued. You are truly an asset to this team." Mr. Goel was a former Secretary of State in the education ministry.
Mr. Goel thanked him politely.
The governor then turned toward Akansha.
"Congratulations to you too, Dr. Akansha.
Your deep insights and the way you presented this prestigious project during the demonstration were commendable.
" He smiled appreciatively. "Nothing less than extraordinary can be expected from a team consisting of young talents like you and Mr. Khan, along with experienced minds like Mrs. Arora, Mr. Khanna, and Mr. Goel.
Of course... Mr. Samuel and the others as well. "
He had initially forgotten Samuel's name, but seeing Samuel's slightly fallen face, he quickly corrected himself, making everyone suppress their laughter at Samuel's obvious pettiness.
"With a dynamic leader like Chief Minister Shaurya leading the team, there is no need to look back," the governor added.
Shaurya smiled politely. After a brief discussion regarding the project, Shaurya exchanged a glance with the governor.
The atmosphere itself made it clear that the two men wanted to speak privately. Understanding it immediately, everyone excused themselves respectfully.
"Akansha... stay," Shaurya said politely.
Everyone else left. The governor looked slightly confused. He had expected Shaurya to discuss something related to the project, but what Shaurya said next completely stunned him.
"This is my wife, Dr. Akansha Shaurya Shekhawat."
Akansha immediately looked at him sharply.
Shaurya knew very well he would be hearing about this later. Still, for this one moment, he simply wanted to live as a proud husband.
"Shaurya?" Mr. Swaminathan looked genuinely shocked before recovering quickly.
"Pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Shekhawat," he greeted respectfully with a Namaste.
Akansha immediately felt uncomfortable at the sudden shift in treatment. Just moments ago, he had spoken to her as a talented professional working under the committee. Now, there was an added layer of regard because she was the Chief Minister's wife.
"The pleasure is mine, sir," Akansha replied politely, returning the Namaste.
"Though it was Mrs. Arora, Mr. Khanna, and the panel who hired her, I am genuinely proud to have her onboard," Shaurya said softly.
"The presentation I showed you four years ago when I first discussed the curriculum revision project... she prepared that years ago. This entire idea was originally hers."
He looked at Akansha briefly before continuing.
"It was her brainchild. And honestly, I believe this project would've never received proper direction without her."
"You are absolutely right, Shaurya," the governor agreed before turning toward Akansha.
"When Shaurya first discussed this project with me, I wasn't entirely convinced. But the detailed presentation you prepared changed my perspective completely." His voice carried genuine admiration.
"The clarity with which you presented every scenario gave us confidence about the long-term impact of this model. You weren't merely thinking about today's curriculum... you envisioned the needs of the coming decades."
Akansha folded her hands politely.
"Thank you so much for appreciating my work, sir. But I believe we've come this far because of collective effort, especially Shaurya's determination and the team's experience."
"But history will still remember who laid the foundation," the governor replied firmly.
"Today, several states are observing this model closely with the intention of implementing it in the future if it succeeds." He smiled proudly. "Our country needs more citizens like you and your husband, Mrs. Shekhawat."
The governor then removed the Indian flag badge pinned to his coat and handed it to Akansha personally. Akansha accepted it with visible gratitude. She understood the honor behind the gesture. Receiving the national flag badge directly from the governor himself was no small thing.
Meanwhile, Shaurya had already taken out his phone. The governor and Akansha instinctively looked toward the camera.
Shaurya quickly clicked the picture with an extremely proud grin on his face, completely forgetting for a second that he himself was the Chief Minister of the state and was currently behaving like his wife's personal photographer.
Honestly, he didn't mind it one bit. He was immensely proud of her. Her vision. Her intelligence. Her desire to build a better society.
After a few more formal conversations, the governor finally took his leave. Shaurya walked with him to escort him outside while Akansha quietly returned to her desk.
"So this is what you've been hiding?" the governor asked informally once they were alone.
Shaurya nodded with a small smile, though there was hesitation in his eyes. He clearly didn't wish to explain why he had hidden his marriage.
"I won't ask questions," Mr. Swaminathan said kindly. "But I must admit... Padma would be delighted to see this lover-boy version of yours."
Shaurya chuckled softly at the teasing. Beyond their professional relationship, he shared a genuinely warm personal bond with both the governor and his wife.
"Yeah..." Shaurya smiled helplessly. "I don't think I'll ever stop loving her."
Then he took out his personal phone and showed him Siya's picture proudly.
"My daughter."
The governor's face instantly softened.
"She is adorable. What's her name?"
"Siyakriti," Shaurya answered.
"Beautiful name," the governor said warmly. "And she looks exactly like you."
Then he smiled.
"Bring her home sometime. I would love to meet her."
Shaurya nodded politely.
"It's decided then," the governor declared. "You are coming for dinner this weekend. With your wife and daughter."
Shaurya laughed softly.
"Maybe not this weekend... but soon. I'll let you know."
After a little more conversation, the governor finally left, and Shaurya walked back toward his office with a quiet smile still lingering on his face.
------------
"Akan... Akansha..." Shaurya panted heavily after practically running through half the city searching for her.
Her tears had dried long ago. The initial heartbreak had now transformed into fury. Cold, Uncontrollable fury.
And hearing his breathless voice only intensified it.
"I won't waste my time asking whether what your sister told me was true or false, because I'm not stupid enough to still not see through your act," Akansha said calmly.
"There's nothing left to talk about. Leave."
"Hear me once," Shaurya whispered, trying to gather strength.
"F**k off, Shaurya," she replied coldly without even looking at him.
"Please listen to me..." he said desperately.
"My intentions when I approached you were wrong, but... I love you. I know you won't believe me after all this, but it's true. We can still talk about everything else. Ju... just give me one chance to explain."
He kept staring at her emotionless face. He had never seen her this cold before. Even when she used to ignore him initially, she was rude, arrogant, sharp... but never detached.
Now she looked completely disconnected from him. And for the first time in years, Shaurya truly panicked. His palms turned cold and sweaty. The fear of losing her completely had finally become real.