Reborn In 17th century India with Black Technology

Near the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, at the intersection of the land masses of Arabia and Africa, lies Tel Aviv in the Ottoman Empire. n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

|| 1655 Vedic Calendar, four months and one week after the New Year ||

In this vast metropolitan city, the Emperor of the Ottoman Empire is resting in his palace. He had come to Tel Aviv in order to visit Jerusalem, to see how the remodelling and refurbishment of Al-Aqsa Mosque had been completed.

As he was receiving a lot of support from his people and the nobles to repair and reconstruct the mosque, which is the third most holy place for Muslims after Mecca and Medina, he had to take matters into his own hands.

After waking up from his rest, His Majesty Mehmed IV, the Emperor of the Ottoman Empire, had breakfast and set out to handle some affairs. He had the local nobles explain the current condition of Jerusalem to see if it needed any support from the capital.

Amidst these discussions, a stealthy figure slipped into the chamber where the deliberations were unfolding. Surprisingly, despite the guards noticing his presence, they made no move to intercept him. Instead, they displayed a sign of respect by bowing their heads as he passed by. His Majesty Mehmed was taken aback not so much by the sudden intrusion of this figure but by what he symbolized.

The man in question was none other than Mustafa Kemal, the chief spymaster of the Ottoman Empire and a trusted confidant of the Emperor.

Mehmed’s surprise deepened. What urgent news could prompt Mustafa’s unexpected appearance at this juncture? Mustafa typically only made such announcements when there was pressing information to convey. Yet, Mehmed struggled to recall any particularly noteworthy events unfolding in the empire or across Europe. Well, apart from the sudden surge in combat effectiveness exhibited by the Venetians.

While this could constitute urgent news, Mehmed was already aware of the development. He understood that the reason behind this enhancement lay in the affordable artillery and firearms supplied by the Dakshin Bharatiya Empire. After pondering various scenarios for a while, Mehmed eventually relinquished the endeavour.

He swiftly concluded his discussions with the local nobles, dismissing them from the chamber.

"So, what’s the matter, Mustafa?" Mehmed inquired, his curiosity piqued.

"Your Majesty, urgent news has arisen regarding the fleet dispatched to the Mughal Empire," Mustafa replied.

"Has Mohammed taken action? Has he initiated a conflict with the Bharatiya Empire?" Mehmed questioned.

"No, Your Majesty. His Majesty Mohammed V has not taken any such action. In fact, it is the Dakshin Bharatiya Empire that has made a move," Mustafa clarified.

"Continue," Mehmed urged, his interest intensifying.

"Your Majesty, it’s like this: as soon as our battleship fleet exited the Red Sea and entered the Arabian Sea, it was intercepted by the Dakshin Bharatiya Empire Navy. Following a fierce confrontation resulting in substantial losses, the Dakshin Bharatiya Empire completely decimated our fleet.

Regrettably, the fleet intended for the Mughal Empire never even reached the coast of Gujarat," Mustafa detailed.

Now, this was a bigger surprise for Mehmed. He did not expect such things to happen. According to the reports he read, didn’t the Dakshin Bharatiya Empire have a very weak Navy? What caused it to become strong so suddenly? Also, how was this navy capable of destroying the fleet of 10 battleships he sent? He had many questions, so he stared at Mustafa, waiting for answers.

Mustafa knew what that look of His Majesty meant, so he quickly took out a detailed document and handed it over to His Majesty.

After perusing the document, Mehmed gained clarity. The strategy employed in this warfare wasn’t novel; the Russians often resorted to similar tactics, inundating the frontline with grey animals in an attempt to overwhelm the Empire. Mehmed hadn’t anticipated such a strategy to be effective against the Navy. "Who would’ve thought?" he mused to himself.

However, the bigger surprise lay in the figure of Akhtar. Mehmed had been unaware of someone like him within the Empire Navy, but learning about his trade with the Portuguese ignited a fierce anger within him. He suspected that the Portuguese had deliberately orchestrated the incident.

Furthermore, given the seemingly favourable relations between the Bhartiya Empire and the Portuguese, it seemed highly likely. Yet, when he contemplated retaliation, Mehmed found himself at an impasse. Initiating another battlefront in Europe was out of the question; such a move could potentially provoke other European countries to form alliances against him.

Mehmed harboured no desire to contend with an alliance of European nations, as it could result in the loss of the Balkans. Therefore, Mehmed resolved to take no immediate action and instead wait for matters to settle with the Venetian Republic before diverting his attention to the Bharatiya Empire.

Currently, both the naval capabilities of the Ottoman Empire and the Venetian Republic were escalating at an alarming rate. The Ottoman Empire boasted 110 warships in active service, with an additional 10 vessels under construction. Meanwhile, the Venetians were closely trailing behind, with 82 warships already in service and 18 more in the process of being constructed.

The reason for this was the cheaper bulk weapons they bought from the South Indian Empire, enabling them to pour a lot of their resources into the Navy. Despite knowing this, Mehmed could not do anything drastic, like sending another fleet to the Bharathiya Empire to attack it, which would only create an opening for the Venetians.

Additionally, he was not confident that he could defeat the Bharatiya Empire on land as quickly as he was confident to do the same on water. Therefore, in the final analysis, he had to play the long game. It was a battle of attrition against the Venetians. As the Venetian Republic was not even a proper country, he was still sure that it was his Empire that would come out victorious.

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

Vijay was attentively observing the fights unfolding in front of him. These fights were not ordinary; they were between the special force captains of the empire military and the martial arts teachers of the Lakshadweep Islands.

Vijay had read in the report about how professional and skilled the martial arts of Lakshadweep had become after hundreds of years of constant battles, so he had invited the masters to demonstrate their skills in the empire.

Four masters came to the empire in order to showcase their skills in response to his invitation.

*Swoosh*

*Dodge*

*Bamm!*

The martial arts master swiftly threw a jab at the special forces captain. Reacting instinctively, the captain dodged the punch, preparing to counterattack. However, to his surprise, the jab was merely a distraction for the master’s next move, which caught him off guard, But before he could react.

*Bamm....!*

There was a foot in his face. He was knocked back several feet as he finally fell down on his bum.

Perplexed, the special forces captain struggled to comprehend the angle from which the kick was launched. His astonishment only grew as he witnessed the martial arts master’s extraordinary agility and balance. With the master effortlessly supporting his body with one hand while his legs occupied the space where his face had been moments earlier, the captain was left dumbfounded.

He had never witnessed such a display of movement and flexibility before.

Vijay was also taken aback, not only by the master’s fluid movements but also by the striking resemblance of one particular step to a breakdance sequence it resembled. It was intriguing to imagine that what future dancers would use as a dance move, martial artists of this era were employing kicks and attack manoeuvres.

As the fights continued, showcasing various styles and weapons, it became evident that the martial artists from Lakshadweep Island emerged victorious most of the time. However, there was one exception—a master who didn’t win. Yet, Vijay hesitated to classify it as a loss.

Despite his defeat, the elderly master’s ability to hold his ground against the younger, well-trained special forces captains demonstrated his remarkable experience and tactical prowess in battle. Vijay was very sure that if not for the man’s ageing body, he would have definitely won that matchup. He was finally convinced that the report was true so he went on to meet them.

"Long live your majesty," began Rajeshwar Sharma, introducing himself as a practitioner of silambam.

"Long live your majesty," echoed Devendra, identifying himself as a practitioner of Mardani khel.

"Long live your majesty," followed Singhania, declaring his expertise in gatka.

"Long live your majesty," concluded Mehta Khatri, mentioning his practice of Kuttu Varisai

Upon hearing their introductions, Vijay found himself perplexed. "Who among you is a master in Kalaripayattu then?" he inquired.

The martial artists exchanged puzzled glances, unsure of how to respond. Nonetheless, Mehta Khatri, the oldest among them at 48 years, stepped forward to answer. "Your majesty," he began, "while we may not fully grasp your question, to provide an answer, all four of us are masters in kalaripayattu."

Vijay was taken aback by this unexpected revelation. How could they excel in two distinct martial arts? While he understood it was not impossible, he couldn’t fathom how they managed to attain such proficiency in both disciplines.

"How do you practice both martial arts together?" Vijay inquired, still harbouring doubts.

Hearing this question, the martial arts masters finally realized the problem. Mehta Khatri answered in order to clear the doubts, "Your majesty, kalaripayattu, as we practice it, is not an offensive art. It is an art to keep the body fit and healthy. We use it as a base and build our personalized martial arts on top of it.

Although Kalari is very good by itself and has a vast array of tools and techniques to use against the enemy, unfortunately for us, this also became its weakness. It does not have that sharp edge to it; it is a very balanced martial art where both offence and defence are well matched.

So we practice its basic health preservation and strength-building exercises as a base, and we build our martial arts on top of it.

Currently, the martial art I practice, Kuttu Varisai, is an unarmed and Grapple combat method.

Singhania’s martial art focuses on swords and shields. As you already saw in his fight, his method of combat is very flexible and swift.

As for Devendra, despite him using the same sword and shield as Singhania, his martial art, Mardani Khel, is known more for its defence.

As for Rajeshwar Sharma, his martial art, silambam, is proficient in staff arts."

Vijay finally got the gist of it. "So kalaripayattu could also be used this way. How long will it take to master this base version of Kalari of yours?"

"Your majesty," Mehta Khatri explained, "the version of kalaripayattu we practice differs from the traditional form in that it doesn’t involve many violent or lethal techniques. Instead, it serves as a foundational martial art, focusing on building skills and discipline.

As a result, mastery can be achieved in a relatively short period, typically ranging from one to five years, depending on the learner’s talent and dedication."

Vijay nodded in satisfaction as he recognized another advantage of this approach: its efficiency in terms of time. Traditional kalaripayattu, taught to soldiers, although comprehensive, is time-intensive. Moreover, subsequent variations built upon traditional Kalari, like what the soldiers were doing, also demand significant training.

However, with this foundational method of Kalari, there’s potential to popularize it nationally as both a self-defence and health-promoting martial art, similar to Karate in Japan, Jujitsu in Brazil, or even Muay Thai in Thailand.

"Tell me, Mehta, can kalarippayattu and your Kuttu Varisai be combined to form a self-defence martial art? Also, this martial art should not involve killing moves like stabbing the throat or hitting the groin."

Although he didn’t fully grasp what his Majesty wanted, he agreed, as the task didn’t seem too difficult. "It can be done, your Majesty," he replied, "but I must say its combat effectiveness against anyone wielding a weapon will be drastically reduced."

"Don’t worry about that. I need this martial art to be popularized all over the empire," Vijay responded. "Also, when developing this martial art, all four of you should combine your skills and create multiple styles of it. The only condition is it should be unarmed, and no killing moves should be involved."

The four men looked at each other, unsure as they had never taken on a task like this before. However, since it was his Majesty’s request, they agreed, realizing the potential rewards. "As you wish, your Majesty," they said, unaware of how their efforts would change the future landscape of the Empire and elevate Bharatiya to the same level of combat effectiveness among civilians as the Russian men.

The result of their collaboration would come to be known as the Four Fundamental Styles of Himsa Kala, or violent arts.

P.S. I am ready to accept that climate change is a real thing. Recently, the milk in our home has been spoiling for no apparent reason, so it turns out it is due to the unusual heat. So yeah.