Awakening of India - 1947

Delhi – Prime Minister's Office, South Block – 16th April 1948

The morning reports lay spread across Arjun's desk like battle plans. Reports that mainly contained information about British, American, and Soviet machineries bound for India, all confirmed and scheduled.

The engine of India's economic transformation was beginning to hum. But for Arjun, this was merely laying the foundation. His true vision extended far beyond conventional industrialization.

When he got to know the full extent of his abilities, he had already started planning for an an entire national overhaul, which included re-development of cities and integrated industrial ecosystem at it's core.

Especially the industrial ecosystem, would be like the Skunk Works of US, but on heavy steroids. In this, each component would feed the next, creating a a chain-like network, that will ultimately make India, a technologically supreme giant.

He pressed his intercom. "Send Minister Pant in. Alone."

G.B. Pant entered with his characteristic measured stride. The newly appointed Minister of Planning possessed the methodical mind and unwavering integrity that Arjun valued, despite the man's occasional inflexibility.

More importantly, Pant's fierce nationalism made him ideal for what Arjun had in mind.

As Pant entered and took his seat, Arjun spoke, "Govind-ji, as you know, the era of grand proclamations is ending. And now begins the age of precise, scientific planning for India's future. And for that, we would need to start with the very foundation of our urban centers."

He gestured toward a newly installed illuminated map showing not political boundaries, but topographical and demographic data.

"Our cities are chaotic relics of colonial neglect. They're inefficient, congested, and utterly unsuited for the industrial colossus we intend to build. They must be reimagined from the ground up."

Pant's eyebrows rose. "Prime Minister, the scale of urban redevelopment for even one city like Calcutta would be immense. To do this nationwide..."

"It's a necessity, not an option," Arjun stated firmly. "I need you to assemble our finest city planners, architects, and visionary engineers. They'll undertake comprehensive surveys and master planning for our key urban centers.

I don't intend to begin redevelopment immediately, that will come somewhere around 1953, when we have sufficient capital. But the surveying and planning must start now."

His finger traced paths across the map as he enumerated, "I want it to be like this. Delhi—not just the capital, but also a model smart city, shedding its colonial sprawl for planned efficiency.

Bombay—our premier financial and port hub, integrated with naval and industrial zones.

Calcutta—reimagined as an industrial and educational center for the East. Madras—our main naval shipbuilding hub and southern fleet headquarters."

He continued methodically: "Bangalore will become our high-tech research center. Hyderabad's feudal layout will be redesigned as a modern logistics hub. Ahmedabad will showcase advanced textile production.

Nagpur's central location makes it perfect as a secondary administrative capital. Pune will expand its military heritage into engineering education and ordnance development."

Pausing at the newly integrated territories, he added, "And of course, Lahore (Luvpur), Karachi (Samudrapuri), Shwetagram (Chittagong), and Dharavati (Dhaka). They'll be rebuilt as shining examples of India's new prosperity and strategic integration."

[A/N: I think I will stop using older names now, entirely]

Pant listened, his methodical mind struggling with the sheer scope. Arjun, reading his expression, walked to a locked cabinet and withdrew a collection of hand-drawn blueprints, each one meticulously detailed in pencil and ink. For a smoother reading experience, visit MV&LEMPYR.

"These," Arjun said, handing over the thick roll, "are practical applications of optimal urban planning. Integrated transport networks, green spaces, planned industrial zones, efficient residential blocks. Use them as inspiration, as guides for building ideal centers for the modern Indian citizen."

Pant's eyes widened as he studied the architectural drawings. The sketches were unmistakably hand-drawn, yet the concepts they depicted—the geometric precision of the compartments, the innovative spatial arrangements, the calculated proportions and flow patterns—were unlike anything he had ever seen.

Where had the Prime Minister conceived such revolutionary urban designs?

"Don't question their origins," Arjun said quietly, his casual demeanor vanishing. "What you're holding must not leak beyond your most trusted men. You may destroy these once your planners have fully absorbed them. Do you understand?"

Seeing Arjun's sudden seriousness, Pant nodded solemnly. "You have my word, Prime Minister. No one beyond myself and my most trusted associates will know of these blueprints."

"Good." Arjun's voice dropped to a confidential tone. "Beyond urban centers, we must construct the true, hidden backbone of our industrial self-reliance. This will not appear on any public budget or published plan. It will be a separate, covert state-sponsored corporation, accountable only to me and Sardar Patel-ji."

Arjun took out a file, which had drawings of an intricate diagram of interconnected divisions.

"This organization will be called the Ashoka Group. Its main purpose will be to create an invisible, self-reinforcing network of companies, each building tools and materials for the next development layer. A master chain of dependencies operating like a perfectly orchestrated industrial ecosystem, hidden from the world."

He began labeling the layers:

"There will be a total of 3 layers for now, we may or may not expand them in future. And each layer will have further specialized sub-divisions.

Layer 1 : It will be our raw output and toolmakers.

Inside this layer, Vajra handles high-precision mechanical parts—bolts, plates, gears. Tejas produces machine tools—lathes, mills, dies.

Rasaayan covers chemicals—acids, explosives, industrial lubricants.

Jwala focuses on energy infrastructure—coal refining, diesel engines, turbines.

Bhumi manages extraction—saltpeter, sulfur, essential metals."

Pant immediately grasped the interdependency. "And these feed all other layers...just like a self-contained industrial base."

"Precisely. Layer 2: These use Layer 1 outputs for higher-order systems.

Loha runs integrated steel plants and rolling mills.

Aakar designs assembly lines and automation.

Neer develops pumps and irrigation systems.

Vishwakarma handles concrete, electrical grids, and logistics.

Manthan specializes in pharmaceutical reactors and vaccine labs."

Arjun's gaze intensified. "And finally, Layer 3 , which will serve as our Advanced Innovation layer. These produce our cutting-edge military, surveillance, and energy assets.

Shakti develops nuclear technology and reactor components.

Agni creates missile engines and jet propulsion.

Chakra handles encryption and early telecommunications.

Vani manages large-scale printing and educational systems."

Pant's already numb face showed dawning awe. "Prime Minister, this...this project is at a scale that has never been seen before. We're essentially talking about a secret industrial complex, that run parallelly to the private industries."

"That's the organizational logic," Arjun confirmed with cold satisfaction. "Each sub-division can appear independent under a state-affiliated company like 'Tejas Engineering Co.', 'Rasaayan Works Pvt Ltd.', etc.

But all of these layers report to a one single entity, the 'Pragati Core,' through which the blueprints and layouts will be distributed.

As for security measures, no layer can interact with other layer independently, it must happen through PM Office. Like, the sub-divisions of the same layers can interact, but cannot with the sub-division of other layers."

He looked directly at Pant, his voice calm but razor-edged.

"The foreign capital, the Western machinery, the Soviet technical cadres are all scheduled to arrive from July through August and will be channeled into our public-private joint ventures, where they will serve a dual purpose.

These projects will not only deliver critical infrastructure, but more importantly, they will become live classrooms.

Our brightest engineers and scientists in the private sector will gain hands-on experience in large-scale systems integration, production pipelines, and advanced tooling."

He paused, then added, "And just like you mentioned, parallel to this, within shadows, the Ashoka Group's own layers and sub-divisions will work in deeper secrecy.

The workers will be composed of rigorously selected scientists and engineers, many hand-picked for their conceptual aptitude and loyalty.

Their task is not only replication of the blueprints and layout that would be provided to them, but also their mastery. They will deconstruct, reinterpret, and redesign the technological secrets that will be provided to them, going beyond the manuals to understand the 'why' embedded within the machinery. That is where sovereignty lies — in first principles, not mere templates."

His eyes narrowed slightly. "And like this, it will create a dual-technological industry. One that runs by our Indian private companies, in the light. And one that runs in the dark, hidden away from the probing eyes of the rest of the world."

Pant's hands trembling slightly.

Taking a deep breath, he looked at the young Prime Minister and couldn't help but ask the question that have been gnawing him.

"Prime Minister, may I ask…who is the person who provided such precious layout and blueprints that you're talking about? Even the one I have right now, I have never seen them or heard about such city models, not even in the western countries."

Arjun paused for a moment, weighing how much to reveal. Truth be told, the explanation he had prepared was flimsy at best — more for distraction than disclosure, and full of more holes than a wheel of Swiss cheese. He offered a faint, almost mischievous smile.

"Let's just say these layouts were… deciphered from the fragmented texts of a long-lost civilization. My client — extremely private, mind you — happened to recover them during an excavation. Obscure region, undisclosed location, that sort of thing."

To say Pant was speechless would be an understatement. 'Such a thing can happen in this world?'

Seeing the Minister staring blankly, Arjun cleared his throat. "Alright, you may leave now, remember to start the city surveys, and as for the Ashoka Group, you'll be coordinating with Education Minister, Patel-ji and Director Sharma of IB.

You have two weeks to set the things in motion and give me a report about how many engineers and scientists will be needed for a organization of the size of Ashoka group."

Coming out of his stupor, Pant nodded, "Alright, I will get these things done then."

Though he didn't get the answer that he expected, it just means that whatever it is, it's too valuable to be revealed. And after witnessing the way in which Prime Minister had managed the nation till now, he doesn't doubt his methods.

Seeing the office door closing, Arjun slumped back in the seat.

'Alright, things are starting to come together, and I will have to speed up my schedule to draw more blueprints and layouts, and get them printed. I can't wait how the next decade of India will look like', Arjun smiled at the thought of it.