Date: August 28, 2013
Location: Paschim Vihar, West Delhi
The Kohli household in Paschim Vihar was exactly what Siddanth Deva expected it to be: loud, incredibly warm, and fiercely hospitable.
After a hearty, filling dinner with Virat's family, the fatigue of the long day finally began to set in.
"The guest room is all yours, Sid," Virat said, leading him down the hallway and opening the door to a spacious, comfortable bedroom. "Get some sleep. You have a big day tomorrow. I'll wake you up early."
"Thanks, Cheeku. Goodnight," Siddanth said, tossing his duffel bag onto the armchair in the corner of the room.
"Goodnight, Sid." Virat pulled the door shut.
Siddanth let out a slow, quiet breath. The room was quiet. He walked over to the attached bathroom, washed his face, and changed out of his travel clothes. He threw on a pair of loose, comfortable grey shorts and an oversized, faded black t-shirt. Printed across the chest was a high-contrast graphic of Itachi Uchiha from the anime Naruto, perched ominously on a utility pole, silhouetted against a massive, blood-red moon.
He walked over to the large, plush bed and lay back against the pillows. The house was silent.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone.
He had promised Rajat Sharma during the television shoot that he would join social media when a "memorable event" happened. The episode hadn't even aired yet—it was scheduled for the weekend—but Siddanth felt he had already met the criteria.
Today, he had met the greatest spy in Indian history, picked his brain on global cybersecurity over a cup of airport coffee, and effectively mapped out the future of the nation's defense grid on a commercial flight.
That certainly qualified as memorable.
Siddanth unlocked his phone and opened Vibe, the photo-sharing app his own company had built. The app was the fastest-growing social platform in the country, yet its founder had never created a public profile.
He tapped the registration screen. He didn't need a PR manager to handle this for him.
He typed into the username box: @SiddanthDeva
He hit enter.
Error: Username is already taken by another user.
Siddanth frowned. Some fan page had squatted on his name. He deleted it and tried another one.
@TheDevil
Error: Username is already taken.
He rolled his eyes, his fingers tapping the screen a bit harder.
@Siddanth_Deva_Official
Error: Username is already taken.
@RealSiddanth
Error: Username is already taken.
@Siddanth_6
Error: Username is already taken.
@Deva_Hyd
Error: Username is already taken.
After six failed attempts, Siddanth paused, briefly and seriously considering texting Arjun to have the backend engineers permanently delete the squatters' accounts. Deciding it wasn't worth the corporate abuse of power at midnight, he finally settled on a compromise.
Username:@SiddanthDeva_6
For his profile picture, he simply flipped his phone camera right there in the guest room. He snapped a casual selfie with the rear cam, his hair slightly messy, wearing his oversized Itachi t-shirt and loose shorts, looking entirely unbothered.
He moved on to the biography section.
He typed out his bio:
Bio:THE ONE PIECE DOES EXIST
He bypassed the recommended accounts section and went straight to his camera roll. He selected the pic he had taken just a few hours ago in the business class cabin of the flight from Lucknow to Delhi.
It was a brilliant photo. Siddanth was in the foreground, offering a casual, relaxed smile. Standing right next to him, looking incredibly sharp in his unassuming grey suit, was Ajit Doval. The former Director of the Intelligence Bureau wasn't smiling widely, but there was a distinct, highly respectful smirk beneath his neat mustache.
Siddanth loaded the photo into the Vibe posting interface.
He typed out a sharp, commanding caption.
Sitting next to the Dhurandhar of India. If you know, you know. The shadows just got a lot darker.
Vibe had recently introduced a feature allowing users to tag background music to their posts. Siddanth tapped the music icon. He selected the instrumental Bombay Theme by A.R. Rahman—a soft, sweeping, powerful piece of music that perfectly underscored the quiet gravity of the two men in the photo.
He hit Share.
Siddanth didn't stop there. He tapped the search bar and began building his network. He searched for and followed MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, and Ravichandran Ashwin. He searched for Arjun, Feroz, and Sameer, and followed them.
He paused for a second, his thumb hovering over the search bar. He knew Krithika had a Vibe account.
His instinct was to follow her. But his mind immediately overrode the impulse. If an account belonging to him suddenly followed a random, private account of a twenty-one-year-old college student in Hyderabad, the media would tear the internet apart trying to find out who she was. Her privacy would be destroyed in an hour.
He deleted the search query. Not yet, Shorty, he thought to himself. I'll keep you safe for now.
He minimized Vibe and opened Twitter. He quickly registered the exact same handle, @SiddanthDeva_6. He uploaded the exact same Itachi profile picture, his anime-inspired bio, and the photo with Ajit Doval. He followed the official BCCI account, his teammates, and NEXUS.
He locked his phone, placed it face-down on the wooden nightstand, turned off the bedside lamp, and closed his eyes.
Within three minutes, he was fast asleep.
But as the Architect slept, the digital world awoke.
---
It started quietly. A few hardcore cricket fans, endlessly scrolling through Twitter and Vibe at 11:30 PM, noticed a new account popping up in the "Suggested For You" algorithms, heavily boosted by the fact that Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni had suddenly gained a new follower.
A young college student in Mumbai was the first to spot the verification.
Because Siddanth was the literal owner of the company that built Vibe, the backend engineers managing the servers in Hi-Tec City had flagged the IP address of the account creation instantly. Within ten minutes of the post going live, a shiny, blue verification checkmark was slapped onto both his Vibe and Twitter profiles.
The student took a screenshot and tweeted it out: "Wait... is this real? Did Siddanth Deva just make a Twitter account?!"
The algorithm caught it. Retweets began.
Then, the fans actually looked at his profile, and absolute chaos ensued.
For the vast majority of the general public, the older man next to Siddanth Deva in the airplane cabin was just a distinguished-looking gentleman in a suit. They assumed it was a BCCI official, a corporate sponsor, or perhaps a wealthy uncle.
But the internet is not just populated by cricket fans. It is populated by journalists, political science students, defense enthusiasts, and massive pop-culture communities.
At 12:15 AM, a prominent Indian defense correspondent saw the retweet on his timeline. He clicked on the photo, zooming in on the man sitting next to Deva.
The journalist nearly dropped his coffee mug. He aggressively hit the quote-retweet button.
@DefenseGeek_India: Hold up. Hold the phone. Am I hallucinating? Is the Vice-Captain of the Indian Cricket Team casually taking a selfie with AJIT DOVAL?! The former chief of the IB?! The real-life James Bond of India?!
A popular, highly-followed educational account took it a step further, launching a massive deep-dive thread for the clueless masses.
@TheUPSC_Aspirant: Thread 🧵: For those asking who the "uncle" next to Siddanth Deva is, sit down and grab a notebook. That is Ajit Doval. India's greatest living superspy. (1/8)
@TheUPSC_Aspirant: This man spent 7 YEARS deep undercover in Lahore, Pakistan, acting as a local Muslim to gather critical intelligence for India. The man lived in the shadows of the enemy. (2/8)
@TheUPSC_Aspirant: He infiltrated the Golden Temple during Operation Black Thunder, posing as an ISI operative to gather intel on the militants. He negotiated the release of passengers during the IC-814 hijacking. (3/8)
@TheUPSC_Aspirant: Siddanth Deva calling him the 'Dhurandhar' is the understatement of the century. The fact that Doval smiled for a selfie proves Deva's aura is unmatched. Read his full biography here:
@TheUPSC_Aspirant: In 1986, he played a key role in the Mizo peace accord by secretly winning over 6 out of 7 commanders of the underground Mizo National Front. A master manipulator of insurgencies. (4/8)
@TheUPSC_Aspirant: In the 1990s, he went to Kashmir and successfully persuaded top militants (like Kuka Parray) to become counter-insurgents, entirely shifting the tide of the insurgency. (5/8)
@TheUPSC_Aspirant: He was the lead negotiator for the release of passengers during the infamous IC-814 plane hijacking in Kandahar in 1999. (6/8)
@TheUPSC_Aspirant: Because of his unbelievable bravery in the field, he became the FIRST police officer in Indian history to receive the Kirti Chakra, a gallantry award usually reserved only for the military. (7/8)
@TheUPSC_Aspirant: Siddanth Deva calling him the 'Dhurandhar' is the understatement of the century. The fact that Doval smiled for a selfie proves Deva's aura is unmatched. Read his full biography here: [Wikipedia Link attached]. (8/8)
That thread was the spark that ignited the powder keg.
The word spread with terrifying, exponential speed. People who had absolutely no idea who Ajit Doval was immediately clicked the link. They read the articles. They read about the seven years spent deep undercover in Lahore, and the sheer, unadulterated badassery of his intelligence career.
And then, the internet realized the ultimate, hilarious crossover. Siddanth Deva, a man who consistently and brutally destroyed the Pakistani cricket team on the field, was casually hanging out with the man who had infiltrated their country as a spy.
Simultaneously, an entirely different demographic of the internet discovered his profile page.
The Twitter Meltdown
By 1:30 AM, Siddanth's notifications were an unending, blurring waterfall.
@DefenseNerd_India:
I refuse to believe this is just a selfie. This is a classified meeting that accidentally got posted.
@StrategicDepth:
Vice-Captain of India casually chilling with Ajit Doval like it's a net session. What timeline are we in?
@GeoPoliticsMemes:
Bro said "If you know, you know."
Sir, we do NOT know. Please explain.
@ConspiracyBaba:
This is not cricket. This is geopolitics.
@ThinkTankIntern:
Either this is the hardest photo of 2013 or the beginning of a covert operation.
@PolicyWonk:
Why does it feel like they just planned something we'll read about in 2030?
@MemeCentral_IND:
The aura in this photo just increased my WiFi speed.
@DankIndia:
Two men. One photo. Infinite chaos.
@OnlyMemesIndia:
This pic goes harder than my entire life.
@NoContextIndia:
No context. Just vibes and national security.
@PeakCinema_:
This is not a selfie. This is a movie poster.
@CricketFever:
Opposition batsmen already scared. Now intelligence agencies involved.
@SlipCordonMemes:
Bouncer from Siddanth OR interrogation from Doval. Choose your fighter.
@GullyCricketKing:
Bhai bowling karega ya RAW join karega decide karo.
@TestMatchPurist:
From swing bowling to strategic planning. What a career graph.
@CoverDriveLover:
This man wakes up and decides to trend without trying.
@BleedBlue:
He broke the internet before breakfast. Unreal.
@IndianDiplomacy: A picture worth a thousand words. Two absolute masters of their respective fields sharing a frame.
@Vibe_Updates: Twitter and Vibe servers are currently smoking. Good job, @SiddanthDeva_6.
@RandomGuy123: Imagine being the guy who had to swap seats so Deva could sit next to Doval. I'd frame that boarding pass forever.
@OnePieceFan_IN: THE VICE CAPTAIN OF INDIA WATCHES ONE PIECE! Whitebeard would be so proud! 🏴☠️🔥
@CricketTracker: MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli were the first two to follow him back. The dressing room is awake watching the timeline burn.
@SarcasticIndian: All these journalists analyzing his bio for hidden geopolitical meanings with Doval, and anime fans are just crying over Whitebeard's final words.
@Defence_Lover: The first police officer to ever get a Kirti Chakra sitting next to the only man with 50+ centuries at 22. Elite recognizes elite.
@GeoPol_India: Doval flipped militant commanders in Kashmir without firing a single bullet. Deva flips matches without breaking a sweat. The ultimate tacticians.
@SportsKeeda: Breaking: Siddanth Deva joins Twitter and Vibe. Breaks internet within 45 minutes.
@AnimeIndia:
VICE CAPTAIN IN AKATSUKI SHIRT???
WE WON.
@NarutoNation:
Hidden Leaf Village lost. Team India gained.
@Uchiha_Real:
Bro went from fast bowling to Akatsuki real quick.
@OtakuArmy:
This is canon now. Siddanth Deva = Akatsuki member.
@AnimeMemes:
He didn't join Twitter. He entered a new arc.
@StartupGuru:
Marketing budget = 0
Impact = national trending
Genius.
@BuildInPublic:
Step 1: Build app
Step 2: Break internet using app
Step 3: Sleep
@ProductManagerLife:
This is what we call a "feature demonstration."
@FounderMode:
Bro just did organic marketing at a national scale.
@UIUXGuy:
App works. Confirmed. Server survived Siddanth Deva.
@HypeTrain:
I am framing this photo and putting it in my living room.
@TooMuchEnergy:
I was not ready for this level of content at midnight.
@ViralAlert:
This is history. Screenshot everything.
@InternetCulture:
This moment will be studied.
@TrendTracker:
This is how you enter social media. Take notes.
@MidnightScroller:
Opened app for 2 minutes. Life changed.
@ReplyGuy420:
Man dropped hardest caption and went to sleep. Respect.
@SarcasmOnly:
Meanwhile I overthink my captions for 20 minutes.
@MinimalEffort:
Posted once. Trending everywhere. Logs off. Gigachad behavior.
@LateNightThoughts:
Some people are just built different.
@TinFoilHat:
This is how Phase 1 starts.
@HalfKnowledge:
I don't know what's happening but I support it.
@JustCurious:
Why does Ajit Doval look like he knows my secrets?
@DeepDiveThread:
Thread: Everything wrong (and right) with this photo 🧵
@FinalTake:
From Akatsuki shirt to national security in one frame. Range unmatched.
Simultaneously, on NEXUS's own platform, Vibe, the photo-centric crowd was generating their own tidal wave of engagement. The comments section under his single post was a chaotic, hilarious mix of fanboying and sheer shock:
@vibe_king: The absolute Dhurandhar of India. What a frame. 🔥
@pirate_hunter: THE ONE PIECE IS REAL!!! Respect the bio. 👑🏴☠️
@weeb_central: ITACHI UCHIHA! The GOAT! 🐐🐐
@cricket_lover_06: Tagging @SiddanthDeva_6 - No Pakistanis were hurt in this pic. LMAO.
@kavya_s: He's actually so cute in normal clothes. Look at the messy hair!
@tech_bro: Did you take this with the Bolt? The low light cabin performance is insane!
@deva_fanpage: Finally, the legend gets the mainstream recognition he deserves! 🇮🇳
@rohit_fan_45: Virat and MS Dhoni followed you back in 3 seconds flat. They are definitely refreshing your page.
@desi_sarcasm: Imagine being a billionaire and your bio is just an anime quote. Pure class.
@akatsuki_member: The Genjutsu is strong with this one.
@history_nerd: I just read Doval's Wikipedia page linked on Twitter. The Kirti Chakra?! I am shaking. The man is a ghost!
@ipl_memes: When you have to destroy a bowling attack at 7 PM and infiltrate a country at 8 AM.
@sneha_r: How does he look this good? It's not fair.
@cricket_daily: The internet is officially broken. 1M followers in an hour on Vibe!
@upsc_motivation: Ajit Doval sir! The real hero of India. 🫡
@zoro_lost_again: Deva confirming the One Piece exists before Oda does.
@anime_india_official: We claim Siddanth Deva as our official ambassador from today.
@pak_tears: Pls leave us alone Siddanth bhai. We beg you. 😭
@random_user: I literally cannot process this crossover. It's too much aura for one photo.
@nexus_fanboy: The shadows definitely got darker. Sick caption.
@local_guy: The fact that he didn't flex his wealth at all in the bio. He's just a pirate at heart.
By 4:00 AM, the hashtags #TheDevilAndTheSpy, #AkatsukiDeva, and #TheOnePieceIsReal were completely dominating the global trending charts. The mainstream news networks, running skeleton crews on the graveyard shift, woke up their senior editors, frantically putting together graphics for the morning sports broadcasts.
Siddanth Deva had not just joined social media. He had completely, utterly shattered it.
The Morning After
Date: August 29, 2013
Time: 6:45 AM
Location: The Kohli Residence, Paschim Vihar
Siddanth woke up to the soft, golden light of the Delhi morning filtering through the curtains of the guest bedroom.
He stretched his broad shoulders, his body completely rested. He sat up, swung his legs over the side of the bed, and reached for his Bolt 1 on the nightstand.
Before his fingers could even touch the glass, the bedroom door flew open.
Virat Kohli marched into the room, already dressed in a comfortable grey tracksuit, holding his own phone in his hand. He looked wide awake, highly amused, and slightly utterly bewildered.
"You are a psycho, you know that?" Virat announced loudly, walking to the foot of the bed.
Siddanth paused, pulling his hand back from his phone. He looked at Virat, raising an eyebrow. "Good morning to you too, Cheeku. What did I do now?"
"What did you do?" Virat laughed, gesturing wildly with his phone. "Sid, you literally made an account, posted a picture with a black-ops spymaster, casually dropped the hardest caption of the year, put up a Naruto profile picture, quoted Whitebeard in your bio, and then went to sleep for eight hours!"
Siddanth picked up his Bolt and clicked the screen on.
The lock screen was an absolute mess of overlapping, infinite notifications. Vibe and Twitter were sending push alerts so fast the icons were blurring together. He unlocked the phone and opened his profile.
Followers: 1.8 Million.
Siddanth blinked. He stared at the number, his mind doing a double-take. He had been asleep for roughly seven hours.
"You broke the internet," Virat said, shaking his head, sitting down on the edge of the mattress. "It's not even 7:00 AM, and every single sports channel is talking about your selfie. Half the country was Googling Ajit Doval at 2 AM. And my timeline is nothing but people tagging you with the caption 'No Pakistanis were hurt in this pic'."
Virat burst out laughing. "It's too funny, Sid. Half the internet thinks you two are planning a covert military operation, and the other half thinks you're setting sail to find the One Piece. Your PR team at NEXUS is probably popping champagne right now."
Siddanth smirked, scrolling through the thousands of comments, reading a few of the tweets out loud in his head. "We ended up on the same flight to Delhi, so we chatted for a bit. He's a fascinating guy."
"You chatted for a bit," Virat repeated flatly, rolling his eyes. "Sid, you casually derailed the entire country's sleep schedule. But forget the internet right now. Get out of bed, wash your face, and put some track pants on. We are leaving in fifteen minutes."
Siddanth frowned, looking at the clock on the wall. "Leaving? To go where? The Arjuna Award ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan isn't until four in the afternoon. I have to put a suit on."
"Exactly. Which means we have a strict, highly urgent morning agenda before you have to go play the polished, award-winning billionaire for the President of India," Virat said, his eyes gleaming with absolute, fanatical devotion.
"An agenda?"
"Chole Bhature, Sid," Virat stated, as if he were talking about a sacred religious pilgrimage. "I am taking you to the best place in Delhi. Before the crowds wake up, before the media finds us, and before my dietician kills me. Let's go."
The Breakfast Run
Thirty minutes later, Virat's dark grey Audi Q7 pulled out of the quiet lanes of Paschim Vihar and merged onto the relatively empty morning roads of the capital.
The air was still cool, the chaotic, suffocating heat of the Delhi day yet to set in.
"Where exactly are we going?" Siddanth asked from the passenger seat, wearing a plain grey hoodie with the hood pulled up, and a dark surgical mask resting on his chin.
"If you are in West Delhi, Sid, you have to eat the real deal. We are going to Sita Ram Diwan Chand in Paharganj," Virat scoffed, his eyes on the road.
Siddanth, whose knowledge of Delhi street food was limited to whatever the team bus drove past, just nodded. "If you say so."
They parked the heavy SUV in a narrow, dusty lane near the iconic eatery. Because it was barely 7:30 AM on a weekday, the usual massive, suffocating crowds of food vloggers and locals had not yet descended upon the shop.
The shop itself was unassuming, a humble, bustling establishment that smelled heavenly—a rich, deep aroma of frying oil, spices, roasted cumin, and pickling spices that immediately made Siddanth's mouth water.
Virat pulled his cap down low. "Come on. Follow me."
Because Virat frequented the place and was a beloved local hero in Delhi, the owner didn't make them stand in the main dining area or wait in line. The moment he spotted Virat and his towering, masked companion, the owner gave a discreet nod and immediately ushered them through a side door.
They were led into a small, private back room usually reserved for staff. It was quiet, secluded, and completely away from any prying eyes or morning customers.
Two minutes later, a waiter brought in steaming hot plates of Chole Bhature and set them on the small table. The bhature were massive, fluffy, and perfectly golden brown, stuffed lightly with paneer. The chole was dark, rich, and simmering in a thick, spiced gravy.
"Alright," Virat grinned, handing Siddanth a spoon. "Try this."
Siddanth tore a piece of the hot bhatura, dipped it generously into the dark chole, added a piece of the pickled onion, and took a bite.
His eyes widened slightly. The explosion of flavors—the crispness of the fried bread, the deep, earthy, perfectly balanced spices of the chickpeas, and the sharp, acidic bite of the pickle—was absolutely phenomenal.
"Okay," Siddanth mumbled, chewing happily. "That is spectacular."
"Told you," Virat said, looking incredibly validated as he tore into his own plate. "It's all about the spices. They slow-cook the chole with tea leaves to get that dark color. It's an art form."
They sat there in the quiet back room, two of the most famous, wealthy, and heavily scrutinized athletes in the country, eating oily, spicy street food in absolute peace.
"So," Virat asked, taking a bite of a green chili and wincing slightly at the spice. "Rashtrapati Bhavan today. The Arjuna Award. Are you nervous?"
Siddanth wiped his hands with a tissue.
"Not nervous, Cheeku," Siddanth replied thoughtfully. "Just... processing it. When you're playing matches, everything moves so fast. You don't stop to look around. But standing in the Presidential Palace, receiving a national award... it forces you to stop and realize exactly how far we've come."
Virat nodded, his expression turning sincere. "You deserve it, Sid. More than anyone. Everything you've done for Indian Cricket."
"Thanks, man."
They finished their breakfast in a comfortable, companionable silence. They thanked the owner profusely, slipped back into the Q7, the heavy, spicy food sitting comfortably in their stomachs, ready to face the day.
---
By 2:00 PM, the casual, relaxed morning had completely evaporated.
Inside the guest bedroom of the Kohli residence, Siddanth Deva was preparing for one of the most formal, heavily photographed moments of his life.
Siddanth stood in front of the full-length mirror attached to the wardrobe. He was dressed in a meticulously tailored, midnight-blue Bandhgala suit—the traditional, high-collared Indian formal wear that radiated absolute, undeniable regal authority. The fabric was a rich, heavy wool-silk blend that fit his broad, muscular frame with flawless precision. A crisp white pocket square provided a sharp, elegant contrast against the dark blue fabric.
He buttoned the high collar, his fingers moving methodically. The sharp edges of his well-maintained beard perfectly complemented the structured, imposing neckline of the Bandhgala.
There was a polite knock on the bedroom door.
"Come in," Siddanth called out.
Virat Kohli opened the door, wearing a sharp, conventional black suit and a dark tie. He stopped in the doorway, letting out a low, impressed whistle as he took in Siddanth's attire.
"Well, alright then," Virat grinned, shaking his head. "I was worried you were going to show up looking like an anime character again, but you look like you're about to buy the entire Rashtrapati Bhavan. The media is going to have a field day with this."
Siddanth smiled smoothly, adjusting his cuffs. "I had to dress the part."
"You definitely did," Virat nodded, checking his watch. "My mom is already downstairs holding a plate of sweets to bless you before we leave."
Siddanth turned away from the mirror, grabbing his phone from the bed. He slipped it into the inner pocket of his Bandhgala.
"We have a pit stop to make before we see the President," Siddanth said, checking the time. "We need to head to Terminal 3 first."
Virat frowned, looking confused. "The airport? Now? Sid, the ceremony starts in two hours."
"My parents' flight from Hyderabad just landed," Siddanth smiled warmly. "I'm not accepting a national award without them in the audience."
Virat's face instantly softened into a wide, understanding grin. "Say no more. Let's go get Uncle and Aunty."
After receiving a traditional, affectionate blessing from Virat's mother downstairs.
They navigated through the afternoon Delhi traffic, pulling into the VIP arrivals lane of Indira Gandhi International Airport thirty minutes later.
Standing near the glass exit doors, looking slightly out of place amidst the bustling political and corporate travelers, were Vikram and Sesikala Deva. Vikram was dressed impeccably in a crisp, light-colored safari suit, while Sesikala looked incredibly elegant in a rich, dark green Kanjeevaram silk saree.
Siddanth stepped out of the SUV.
The moment Sesikala saw her son approaching in the regal, midnight-blue Bandhgala, her hands flew to her mouth. The proud, unyielding matriarch of the Deva household looked absolutely overwhelmed, her eyes immediately shining with happy tears.
"Look at you," Sesikala whispered, pulling him up and placing a firm, affectionate kiss on his cheek, completely ignoring the few media cameras flashing in the distance. "You look like a king, Siddu. May God protect you from the evil eye."
Vikram Deva didn't say a word at first. He just looked at his son, his chest swelling with profound, immeasurable pride. He reached out and gripped Siddanth's shoulder firmly. "A proud day for our family, my boy. Very proud."
"I couldn't do it without you both," Siddanth smiled genuinely, opening the door of the SUV for them. "Come on. Get in. Virat is waiting, and we have an appointment at Rashtrapati Bhavan."
Vikram and Sesikala climbed into the plush interior, warmly greeting Virat, who immediately touched their feet in respect. Siddanth slid in next to them, shutting the heavy door.
The SUV merged back onto the highway, moving smoothly toward the heart of the capital. The chaotic, meme-filled morning of breaking the internet was behind him. The chole bhature was a fond memory.
Now, sitting shoulder-to-shoulder with the family that kept him grounded, it was time for Siddanth Deva to officially etch his name into the history books of the nation.