Reborn In 17th century India with Black Technology

Dakshin Bhartiya Empire, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Indian Ocean.

|| 1655 Vedic Calendar, three months and two weeks after the New Year ||

While the war was ongoing in the empire against the Ottomans, the island at the edge of the Bengal Sea was not free as it had battles of its own. After conquering the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, the old ships of the Bharatiya Empire were stationed there for protection. Additionally, with the help of these ships, the Nicobar Islands in the south were also conquered.

The Nicobar Islands were more spread out than the Andaman Islands, hence requiring a lot of naval operations. Fortunately, even though the boats of the Bharatiya Empire used in these battles were old, they were enough to fight against the tribals living in the Nicobar Islands.

The same scenario witnessed in the Andaman Islands occurred; tribes with common cultures and interests were brought together, while those found incompatible were erased from the islands.

Finally, by the time the Bhartiya and Ottoman wars ended, the small battles in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands also concluded. Now, the Dakshin Bhartiya Empire is a neighbour of North Sumatra, which was part of Indonesia in Vijay’s past life. Vijay was excited by this possibility.

He couldn’t help but feel excited when he heard this news, as he was eager to develop the Southeast Asian countries in order to compete with the West.

During the last few weeks, back in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, due to the potential war with the Ottoman navy, officials could not be appointed quickly. Therefore, as a temporary solution, Vijay selected three tribal leaders from all the tribal citizens under the Empire.

These three tribal leaders were appointed and given control of three different regions of the Andaman and Nicobar Island cluster.

The mainland of Andaman was divided into two administrative regions, with the islands surrounding the mainland of Andaman split between these two administrative regions. The other part of this division was the greater Nicobar Island, at the southernmost tip of the Andaman and Nicobar Island chain.

This administrative region controlled the area north of the greater Nicobar Island up to the Perka Island, which is just south of the Little Andaman Island.

With these three administrative units established, Vijay officially instituted a loose alliance-based governance structure among the three administrative regions. Although this system of administration resembled the feudal system of European nobility, Vijay opted for such a governance structure when making the decision due to the impending war against the Ottomans. n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Furthermore, it was the most practical choice given the remote location of the islands, making direct control challenging and prone to communication difficulties and potential problems.

Looking back, everything turned out remarkably well, as there hadn’t been any rebellion in the Islands thus far.

One of the main reasons for there being no resistance from the tribal people was naturally because they felt outnumbered. Even though they did not know their own numbers before the arrival of the Dakshin Bhartiya Empire Navy, when they found out, it was only around the 40,000 mark.

Seeing how effortlessly the Empire was able to commission thousands of citizens from the mainland to settle on the Andaman Islands, they could already imagine the strength of their new Empire.

Additionally, the need did not arise for them to entertain such thoughts, as their current living conditions were much better than they were a few months ago. Currently, they did not have to hunt or forage for food as the grain was shipped from the mainland, and they did not have life-threatening enemies looming just outside their neighbourhood.

Hence, most of the tribals felt thankful for their decision and were generally very satisfied with the conditions they were in.

Currently, the three administrative heads of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands are meeting for their discussions. Vijay had anticipated that by creating administrative zones in the island chain, he would foster a competitive environment. Surprisingly, with all the resources provided by the Empire, they did not need or even want to compete with each other.

Also, with the amount of development put forward by the Empire, they had no time to compete with each other, as most of the Empire’s able population were involved in some work or another, So overall, the islanders were, Busy to say the least.

The three leaders strolled across a construction site situated in the northern part of Andaman Island, precisely where the Dakshin Bharatiya Empire first made their landing. This spot had been selected as the administrative capital of the northern region. The path they traversed buzzed with activity, with workers diligently carrying out their tasks.

Some hauled gravel and sand, while others mixed them with cement, and still more used the mixture to pave the road. Alongside the road construction, buildings were swiftly taking shape.

Judging by the progress, it was evident that once this phase of construction was complete, the small tribal village would undergo a remarkable transformation into a bustling town comparable to any in the Dakshin Bharatiya Empire.

"I am very jealous of you, Hunter Crow. Oh, right, my bad, your name has been changed. I should call you Dhruv Kak now," remarked a tribal leader, his tone tinged with envy, as he surveyed the construction site. Like Hunter Crow, he too was a tribal leader on the Andaman Island.

However, due to his willingness to align with the Empire and his adept diplomatic skills among the tribal communities in his area, he was selected to serve as the administrative head of the South Andaman division.

"Don’t worry, Garuda. We’re only in the initial phase of construction. Once the Empire’s plan is fully implemented, your part of the island will also see development within the year," Dhruv, AKA Hunter Crow, reassured him. However, Garuda Nakha remained dissatisfied, feeling that the southern part of the Empire had superior geographic conditions.

He couldn’t understand why the Empire chose to prioritize development from the north.

"What are you being sad about, Garuda? At least by the end of the year, your small village will also be developed. But look at me, my administrative region is not even mentioned by the Empire. I should be the one to be truly dissatisfied, not you," another man said, who was the leader in charge of the administrative region of the Nicobar Island chain.

"Don’t worry about it, Nakul. I’m sure the Empire will provide resources soon enough. The Nicobar Islands, where you are located, is the southernmost point of the island after all. It should be of high strategic value to the Empire, so you don’t have to worry," Garuda comforted after Feeling that Nakul indeed had it the worst among the three of them.

With this thought, his disappointment soon vanished into thin air.

"Yes, yes," Dhruv nodded his head in agreement with Garuda’s foresight.

"Okay, leave that matter aside. Originally, we changed our names to fit in with the culture of the Empire, but looking at it now, it seems like the Bharathiyas do not care about our names. Nevertheless, I still like my name quite a bit. So, tell me, how do you both feel about the new names you have chosen?

I selected mine after asking a scholar about the translation of my original name into the Bharathi language. My name, Dhruv Kak, apparently means ’immovable crow.’ I just got to know that in the culture of the Empire, crows are associated with intelligence and resourcefulness, so I felt like this name fits me quite well. What do you both think?" he asked, with satisfaction and pride on his face.

"Yeah, it’s quite a name. Also, it fits with your last name, ’Hunter Crow,’ quite well. Now your name has a sense of elegance to it. And I did the same thing as you. My previous name, ’Eagle Claw,’ was translated into ’Garuda Nakha.’ Apparently, Garuda in the mythology of the Empire is a divine eagle-like bird, which is the mount of their supreme God, symbolizing power, strength, and protection.

Also, ’nakha’ means claw. So, I adopted this name after serious consideration. I have to say, I love the ring in the name, ’Garuda.’ It sounds majestic if I say so myself," he said with pride emanating in his voice.

"Tsk."

Nakul was annoyed by these guys who had all sorts of cool translations, feeling even more envious of their names. He wanted to choose a cool name too, but as his original name was boring, its translation also turned out to be uninspiring.

He could have changed his new name to something cooler despite not being the same as his previous name, but he didn’t want to appear duplicitous, so he stuck with the authentic translation.

Although he harboured such thoughts in his heart, he didn’t want to expose them. He didn’t want his colleagues to know that he was jealous of their names, so he put on an otherworldly expression as he spoke. "Yeah, after translating ’fang,’ it came out in the Bharati language as Nakul, which just means ’sharp teeth,’" he said.

Then, adopting a preaching tone, he added, "I prefer to stay low-key, unlike you guys who choose such fancy names for yourselves. I don’t care much for these mundane things; they will only lead to no good." He said it in such a manner that onlookers would think he was someone completely in tune with his inner Buddhatva.

Even Dhruv and Garuda, who were usually not easily impressed after witnessing the people of the Bharatiya Navy, were taken aback and felt as if Nakul suddenly glowed in a golden light. Their impression of Nakul increased significantly that day. Nakul, who had finished his bluff, was not aware that his casual bluff that day would end up becoming his life story from then on.

His image among the people had become fixed, and he had no choice but to behave in a low-key and non-materialistic manner for the rest of his life.

To Be Continued...

P.S. WTF RCB, You don’t deserve fans like us. #SadLife, #EeSaliCupDoubt

P.S. Also WTF! Mayank Yadav, 156 KMPH, Awsome, looks like team India has another ace up its hands.