Reborn In 17th century India with Black Technology

Dakshin Bharatiya Empire, Vijayanagara state, capital city - Hampi.

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

On the banks of the Kaveri River, within the special industrial zone, the Raya Machinery Factory operates at full capacity. The turbulent river waters turn the water wheel at an optimum speed, while inside the factory, the machine tools run efficiently. Various tasks are completed by the workers with practised and meticulous efficiency.

Every day, a new batch of machine tools rolls off the production line, yet the supply remains insufficient. Outside the factory, a crowd of buyers eagerly awaits, despite the high cost of these machine tools, which puts them out of reach for the general civilian population. Surprisingly, among the hundreds of people gathered, it’s mostly merchants who can afford such purchases.

Nevertheless, the sheer number of individuals registering to buy these machine tools is staggering.

"I wonder if my machine has been manufactured," someone standing in the queue of merchants wondered aloud.

"Ah, you’re still waiting for your first one? I’ve ordered two more after testing the one I bought," remarked another man with a proud expression.

"Oh, and you are Mr...?" Jeevan inquired.

"My name is Akarsh. I run a carriage building company called Akarsh Carriages," the man replied.

"And yourself?" Akarsh asked.

"My name is Jeevan, sir. I own a carpentry worksh... Oh no, it’s a carpentry company," Jeevan corrected himself, As he replied.

"So, what machine have you ordered?" Akarsh inquired with curiosity.

"It’s the foot-powered turning lathe, sir," Jeevan explained. "I heard about it from a friend who’s also in the same business when we were on a trip together. So, I decided to give it a try."

"Ah, I see. You’re lucky since the turning lathe only requires foot power and not water power. Although the foot lathe may be slower and less efficient than hydraulic machine tools, I guess it should suffice for most woodworkers in the empire," Akarsh remarked with a hint of jealousy.

He had to change the location of his company and invest more money into the business in order to run the hydraulic milling machine. However, thinking about the increased efficiency achieved after purchasing the water-powered milling machine, his complaints disappeared.

"Hydraulic machine tools? How are they different, sir? Aren’t they all the same?" Jeevan asked with curiosity, unaware of the various types of machine tools available. He had just ordered the turning machine after inspecting it at his friend’s company, so he was not aware of hydraulic machine tools.

"No, They are not the same, let me tell you," Akarsh said as he explained. "The foot-powered turning lathe you ordered can be put into production anywhere in the Empire, whereas hydraulic machine tools are more restricted. They rely on flowing water and can only be utilized in specific locations. However, despite this limitation, their high efficiency makes them worthwhile investments.

Moreover, with the government providing policy support, such as easing land acquisition and offering tax benefits, relocating factories to various industrial zones across the empire has become feasible," Akarsh explained.

Jeevan finally understood the ins and outs of the matter.

In the crowd, individuals similar to Jeevan were flocking to the machine tools factory, attracted by the growing reputation of the machinery since the inauguration of the Raya Machinery Company. Meanwhile, people like Akarsh, who had already experienced the benefits of the machine tools and sought to purchase more, were also present.

Carriages continuously arrived and departed from the factory, transporting the industrial machines. The flow of traffic had noticeably increased in recent weeks, driven by the patents granted by His Majesty the Emperor to the public sector. Furthermore, with the new government policy encouraging entrepreneurship, excitement for starting businesses had surged even further. n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Even traditional wealthy families, who owned vast expanses of land, were venturing into this new enterprise by taking their first steps and investing in machine tools. With excitement palpable throughout the empire, educational institutions were also reaping the benefits. This was a result of a policy implemented by Vijay a few weeks prior.

Two weeks ago...

After Vijay finalized the syllabus for the educational institutions of the Empire, he now had to delineate the responsibilities in the field of education. The Ministry of Education and Culture could not be a centralized organization, as he feared that the presence of corrupt politicians in the ministry would affect the educational body.

Hence, Vijay separated the legislative body and executive body of the Ministry of Education and Culture. Raghavendra Bhatt, The Minister of Education and Culture was initially reluctant, but he had to agree to the move made by His Majesty, the Emperor.

Now, the legislative branch of the Ministry of Education is under the central government, while the executive branch of the Department of Education operates under the Academy of Science, which is a part of the Imperial Council under the rule of His Majesty.

The legislative branch decides what to teach and how to teach, while the executive branch carries out the teaching and sets up the question papers for the exams according to the syllabus.

To ensure effective management, Vijay combined elements from his previous life, combining the Ivy League system of America with the renowned IITs of India. Consequently, he established eight top universities in different states of the Empire. Typically, these universities are situated in the cultural and educational capitals of their respective states.

These universities are collectively known as the Bhartiya Institutes of Technology, or BITs.

The currently established universities include BIT Hoysala in Vijayanagara (Karnataka), BIT Thanjavur in Cholapuri (Tamil Nadu), BIT Kozhikode in Cheera Nadu (Kerala), BIT Warangal in Kakatiya Puri (Andhra Pradesh + Telangana), BIT Anuradha Nagar in Anuradha Puri (Sri Lanka), BIT Nashik in Setavahana (Maharashtra), BIT Bhubaneswar in Gangapuri (Odisha), and BIT Jagdalpur in Kalachuri Nagar (Chhattisgarh).

After these universities were established, they became the nominal representatives of the educational quality of that particular state. Vijay arranged competitions between these universities, which would be held at the end of the year, in order to create a rivalry among them and push the progress of technology in the empire.

These competitions include both academic and athletic events, similar to Japanese club-style athletic tournaments. Students were allowed to start their own clubs, with the availability of a supervisor who is usually a teacher employed at the university. Any sort of competition would be conducted based on these clubs, whether it is a cricket club, football club, chess club, or anything else.

Even in the national competition, it is these clubs that participate against each other.

With the establishment of these universities, the election for the radical house of the parliament could also be held, awaiting only the promotion of the first-year students to the second year. In order to vote, one should at least be in the second year of university.

Although this was not a requirement in the constitution, Vijay made an exception as he had to initiate the political system for teenagers. He implemented this temporary rule so that the elected representatives would be knowledgeable and gain some experience, setting an example for their juniors to strive for.

He did not want the first-year newcomers to enter the parliament and propose unreasonable policies that would undermine his reputation, especially since he was the one who implemented the law in the first place.

After the educational system was set up, Vijay’s next policy completely boosted the educational resources available to these top universities.

One week later...

After the machine tools had been constructed, Vijay thought of a way to speed up the technological accumulation of the Empire: industry and university cooperation. The industry would fund the university to conduct research, and the university would provide the research results for the industries.

As a result, the industries would get the technology they want, and the universities would gain the reputation and funds for training they need. This was a win-win approach.

In his last life, Vijay also entered ISRO this way. During his PhD, he joined one of the project groups funded by the Indian Space Research Organisation, which is where he was recruited into ISRO.

So, Vijay, being a direct beneficiary of this policy, wanted to expedite the process.

First, he called his butler, " Uncle Ravi "

"Yes, Your Majesty," Ravichandra replied.

"Get in touch with the Ministry of Finance. I have a task to assign to Jagannath Mohan," Vijay instructed. As he waited for Jagannath Mohan to arrive, he pondered over which project the government should invest in. After much deliberation, he reached a conclusion: the Dakshin Bharathiya Empire required a new, reformed monetary system.

With the bank being planned, he decided to prepare the infrastructure for this reform as well.

Jagannath Mohan, the Finance Minister of the Empire, quickly made his way to the royal palace, knowing that whenever his Majesty called personally, it signified a major change in the financial ministry of the Empire.

He didn’t know what to expect this time, but he was looking forward to it.

After the pleasantries between both men, Vijay stated his request.

"I need the Ministry of Finance to fund a research program to manufacture a coin minting press with the BIT Hoysala."

Jagannath Mohan nodded his head, feeling somewhat underwhelmed as he had expected more earth-shattering news, not just a simple request for the ministry to invest in a project. However, the next words from His Majesty shook him to the core.

"With the development of this machine, the currency of the Empire will undergo reforms. Get ready to print a new currency. Also, the copper and silver coins you received in the form of tax or any other means should stay in the treasury and not be circulated. With the new reforms I am planning, I don’t want these non-uniform currencies," Vijay commanded.

"Is His Majesty going to change the currency?" Jagannath Mohan thought, still taken aback by this revelation. Just as he thought, his Majesty always had a big plan in mind, or else he wouldn’t have called him. With this thought in his mind, he dully left the palace.

Traditionally, ministers would object to radical decisions like this, but since Vijay had been successful every time, the vigilance of the ministers had decreased. Vijay knew that this was a bad thing for the nation, but since he was in a constitutional monarchy, fresh blood would always flow in, healing the wounds of the past.

Immediately after the meeting between His Majesty the Emperor and the Minister of Finance, Jagannath Mohan, a government-funded project was launched at BIT Hoysala. The details of how this project was conducted and the contracts signed were published for the general populace to see.

Once this was done, merchants realized that cooperation could also be achieved in this manner. Previously, they had only been searching for inventors all over the empire and had completely overlooked the universities. Now, they were reminded of this avenue, and money from various industries quickly poured into the universities in the name of different projects.

In the coming weeks, since the theoretical knowledge provided by Vijay In the form of textbooks was very solid, simple inventions began to be developed and patented in the universities. For example, a student at BIT Warangal improved the design of doors by patenting his own hinge design, which was made with the help of a water-powered milling machine and a water-powered screw press.

Another student at BIT Nasik improved metal scoops and measures using the water-powered milling machine. Even Arjan Bakshi participated in this endeavour and funded a project called "Metal Textile Machinery." This was a complex machinery project involving multiple fields of knowledge.

Hence, a single university could not handle this project alone, as the top-level teachers were currently spread out among the universities. For this reason, Bakshi Textiles pioneered the concept of cooperative research, with both BIT Bhubaneswar and BIT Jagdalpur participating in this research project.

To delineate responsibilities and inspired by the assembly line production method, the decomposition-type research method was introduced. This method aimed to efficiently split tasks between the two universities. Additionally, the concept of project leader, group project leader, and team leader was introduced for the first time.

All in all, not only was a spinning jenny produced that could be retrofitted with a steam engine in the future when the Industrial Revolution happened, but this project also changed the way research was done in the empire forever.

In the near future, inspired by this research methodology, the Tamil scholar Narayanan, who had initially been invited to compile the Bharti language, wrote a research paper called "Modularisation Research Methodology." In this paper, he explained how the project of metal textile machinery was divided between the two universities.

He also detailed how the project was further subdivided within those universities into multiple groups and teams. This division ultimately resulted in an output for the project in just a few months after its initiation, when it should have taken at least half a year.

He also presented further examples of this methodology after it was emulated by other universities, detailing their results and contributions to the methodology. In his book, he also detailed how the management of all these research teams was conducted after his extensive research and communication with both universities.

The thesis was published in the monthly scientific journal. Academic researchers who read Narayanan’s thesis, as well as many universities that were not top-tier and were branch universities of main institutions, began to adopt the modularization or decomposition research method.

Vijay, when he heard about this, was very impressed and satisfied with the speed at which the empire was developing. In his estimation, within a few years, the Empire should be ready for the industrial revolution and the steam age.

P.S. Happy Ugadi Everyone, Have Obbottu (Puran Poli) and be Happy.

P.S. Hey dear readers, does anyone remember what chapter I used VRL logistics or some logistics I mentioned? thanks.