Captain’s marriage proposal after Nashik show goes viral; The Army takes note | Today’s news
The newly commissioned Army pilot proposed to his partner after a parade at the Army Combat Training School near Nashik in Maharashtra on Tuesday. The video of the surprising proposal went viral on social media and was considered the “best thing on the internet” until a debate erupted over the Indian Army’s protocols.
In the viral video of the proposal, captain Bharat Bhardwaj is seen kneeling down on one knee with his partner hugging him as he stands.
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Dressed in his ceremonial military uniform, the newly minted pilot stepped onto the tarmac, got down on one knee in front of his partner and proposed with an engagement ring, with an army helicopter providing the backdrop.
She was visibly excited and accepted the ring the young officer offered her.
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Social media was flooded with congratulatory comments as netizens gushed over the cute couple. However, soon after, a social media user asked: “Is this even allowed? Can you film the drafts at the Defense Training School and share them publicly?” This raised a number of questions from netizens who slammed the viral video and said, “Now Indian Army premises are being used for pre-wedding shoots. What’s next?”
According to a Hindustan Times (HT) report, the Army has taken cognizance of the matter following strong public reactions on social media and is likely to demand an explanation from the newly commissioned pilot.
Although the presence of the proposal on social media violates several Army protocols, the gesture is unlikely to cause the captain any major trouble.
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‘Don’t do it nuktachini’: Army veteran
However, army veteran KJS Dhillon defended Captain B against the criticism, saying, “You want a young officer to sacrifice his life for the love of the nation, but you don’t want him to express his love to his fiancé.”
“In the army we say ‘Young man nahi karega, toh kaun karega’. If you can’t find fault with his professional skills, don’t do this nuktachini for such a pure gesture of love and belonging,” Dhillon wrote on X.
“Military gear has been displayed at many ‘Know Your Army’ exhibitions across the country. Students and non-military personnel have been clicking pictures showing pride and love for the military. So please don’t bring national security into it,” he said, urging netizens to “let the young soldier do his national duty with pride and honor.”
“He wanted it to be memorable…”
Captain Bhardwaj told the media that he has known his partner for five years and wants to make the day memorable for her.
“We all became pilots, instructors today. It was a big day for all of us. Our hard work paid off today,” he said. “We’ve both known each other for the past five years. I can’t think of a better day than this to propose to her.”
He noted that its launch was “a big day for my family” and therefore, “I wanted to make the day memorable for my fiancee as well. That was the whole idea.”
The Combat Army Aviation Training School is the premier aviation training institution of the Indian Army and functions under the Army Training Command.
