I am a master in India

Chapter 177 Mining Business
Without cement, steel bars, and a stable power supply, how can you even build a factory?

Even if we continue to invest money to build the factory, it's still uncertain whether it will be able to start operations smoothly.

If the factory is unlucky enough to experience a power outage for longer than it does when it has power, this business deal will undoubtedly be a loss.

"Young Master, the construction has just started, and there are hundreds of people waiting. You're stopping work now," the wild boar beside him said anxiously.

In order to secure this business, Inspur Company did invest something.

Needless to say, Adiya received kickbacks, and they also placed a large number of building material orders in the early stages. Hiring so many workers was also an expense.

As a result, Ron now says "stop production" with a single sentence. Well, if Wave Company is going to lose money, then Wild Boar won't fare any better.

“Wild boar, although my factory has closed, our business isn’t over yet,” Ron said with a smile.

"Young Master, what do you mean?" The wild boar's eyes lit up.

“We will discuss this business with Mr. Chada ourselves. In short, there will be a resolution at the construction site.”

The boar looked at Adiya, unsure of Ron's intentions, and could only turn to his former partner for help.

“Ron is a big businessman in Mumbai, Chadda will definitely be interested,” Adiya waved his hand.

The wild boar shut his mouth sheepishly, knowing he wasn't qualified to find out more inside information.

The tea shop owner personally brought over several bowls of sweet soup; the golden, amber-colored syrup looked incredibly tempting.

The wild boar bared its tusks and slurped loudly.

Ron looked into the bowl and saw a lot of suspicious black spots at the bottom of the sugar water, just like the coal slag on the ground.

He beckoned, and Anil took a bottle of water out of his bag and opened it.

Ron tilted his head back, took a swig, and then handed it back.

Another servant brought out a clean towel, which Ron casually used to wipe the sweat from his forehead before tossing it to him.

Summers in Uttar Pradesh are also very hot; sitting in a teahouse, you can see the air distorted by the rising heat from the construction site.

He didn't dare drink the sweet soup here; the scene of pigs running and dogs barking when he drove here left a deep impression on Ron.

Since the decision has been made to stop construction, there's nothing much to see here anymore.

Ron and Adiya walked out of the teahouse, with the wild boar following behind, bowing and scraping.

The nearby workers had long since kept their distance; they were all farmers in the area and knew all too well that these important figures were not to be trifled with.

Uttar Pradesh has too many people and too few jobs; even being a waiter in a tea shop is highly competitive.

Look at those guys working over there; they're more like humanoid spiders than people.

They were haggard and emaciated, with unshaven beards, slowly wiping the table with rags, and occasionally crawling under the table to slowly wipe the floor.

Most of them are in their thirties or forties, some even in their fifties, but they are still called "kids".

Even the workers could make fun of them at will; the humanoid spiders had no dignity whatsoever.

Now these workers are also making expressions like human spiders: fear, cowardice, and fawning.

They stared expectantly at the important figures, hoping that one of them would wave a hand and order them to get to work.

Even if they were whipped a few times, they would rush over, fall down at the feet of the important person, and kiss his toes.

Long live the start of work! Only when we start working can we get paid, and only with a paycheck can we feed the large family behind us.

They were destined to be disappointed. The adults drove away, and the wild boar bared its tusks again, those ferocious tusks.

He told the workers to stop all their work and wait for further instructions.

The workers became even more sullen; they knew that the so-called "next step" meant packing up and getting out of there.

"Ron, are you thinking of getting into the mining business?" Adiya asked after they got in the car.

“Yes, Uttar Pradesh is not a good place to invest in industry right now.” Ron finally realized.

His previous thinking was too naive. He mistakenly believed that Varanasi, as a large city, wouldn't be too far behind Mumbai, even if it didn't have the same conditions.

For example, his factory doesn't actually have strict requirements for basic water and electricity supply.

Ultimately, Suer Electric is an assembly plant. Apart from injection molding machines, it seems to have no large electrical equipment.

It is neither a steel mill nor an oil refinery, and does not require a high-power, uninterrupted power supply.

Who would have thought that Varanasi would fall into such a state that even the construction site couldn't get enough electricity?

“Mining is a bit tricky; our family has never done this kind of business before. Ron, shouldn’t you reconsider?”

“Second Uncle, India will undergo great changes in the next twenty years. We Brahmins can no longer hold onto our old ideas.”

Ron knew that the family members weren't particularly enthusiastic about business.

Because that's what Vaishyas do; in ancient India, Vaishyas were synonymous with unscrupulous merchants.

The noble and immaculate Brahmins disdain dealing with them, and some extreme Brahmins even refuse to deal with the land.

The Suer family became landowners only because they had no other choice after their family declined.

The true domain of Brahmins is the civil service, the education system, and the legal profession; very few are involved in business.

Although Ratan had a more lucrative hemp business, he never considered resigning from his position at the telecommunications company, as it represented a different kind of business.

The true way of life for Brahmins should be like that of the councilor Dube they met last time.

Not only do they own breathtaking mansions, but they also handle major transactions. Both deal with land, but Dube manages land transactions, while Suer can only toil in the fields – the difference is stark.

Of course, as Brahmins, the Sur family has not lost its pride.

"If you want to get into the mining business, you'll have to go find that Yadav," Adiya said with disgust.

“Then let’s go.” Ron’s voice was soft but firm.

"Sigh, I don't know what you were thinking, insisting on becoming a businessman. No one in the Suer family has ever had such an idea."

"Second Uncle, this is a new society now. You can't get rich by farming. Even if you squeeze those farmers dry, there's not much profit to be made."

"Which mine have you set your sights on, a limestone mine or a coal mine? Coal mining isn't a good business. I also know of a marble mine, which is popular with city dwellers in South India."

“Of course I want them all!” Ron clenched his fist.

"What?" Adiya turned around. "You're not kidding, are you?"

"We need all the ore, but let's start with cement first."

"Not bad." Adiya breathed a sigh of relief.

If Ron really intends to expand that much, he will stop him no matter what.

“It is precisely because Uttar Pradesh has a weak industrial base that the building materials business will be booming in the future,” Ron said with great certainty.

Cement is a material that is in extremely high demand and indispensable in infrastructure construction.

Cement is needed not only for various government projects, but also for ordinary people building houses.

With economic liberalization, India's development will undoubtedly accelerate. Countless infrastructure projects will be launched, and the real estate market will experience a boom.

All of these require cement, and this need will continue indefinitely.

The best part is that the investment in a cement plant is not as large as that in a steel plant; the limestone mine is the real focus.

Mirzabul is very close to Varanasi, and Ron couldn't wait to drive there right now.

In Uttar Pradesh, he completely abandoned the business approach he had taken in Mumbai.

South India is relatively developed, and its consumer electronics market has great potential. Suer Electric has made the right choice in this direction.

North India is different; the people there seem to live in the 19th century. Forget electrical appliances, most villages don't even have electricity.

The old methods from Mumbai wouldn't work now, and Ron needed to adapt to local conditions.

The energy and infrastructure industries are a good fit, and his hometown is here, so he can leverage a lot of connections.

Well, to be honest, this kind of industry, which has strong state-owned characteristics, is really hard for ordinary people to get into.

Adiya agreed to take Ron to Lucknow to visit the Chief Minister of Yadav, a deal that would be difficult to close without his approval.

The surname "Yadav" is a unique feature of North India.

The word "Yadav" means "cowherd" in ancient Hindi. They were of low status in the traditional caste system, only slightly better than the Dalits, who are untouchables.

North India, especially Uttar Pradesh, is known as the "Sacred Cow Region" because of its extremely large herding communities.

They are mostly of the Yadav caste, numbering over 20 million, and make up 15.5% of the population of Uttar Pradesh.

The situation is roughly the same in Bihar, a state in the northeast.

In northern India, the Yadav community has a very strong voice, and political participation is almost inevitable.

Mulayam Yadav, who was first elected Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh four years ago, has long been involved in politics.

In the early 90s, he simply founded the Samajwadi Party of India.

Those years coincided with the Indian government introducing a new official caste system, including advanced castes, other backward castes, listed castes, and tribal peoples.

According to the policy, the more backward a caste is, the more civil service positions they can be allocated.

Who are the backward castes? Of course, it's the Shudras and the untouchables.

The caste system, which has existed for thousands of years, is undergoing severe upheaval due to strong government intervention.

Although the untouchables still face discrimination, they can now appear openly in government public departments and even become high-ranking officials.

Yadav seized the opportunity, leading the Socialist Party to victory once again in this year's state elections.

So in Uttar Pradesh, where the caste system is extremely entrenched, would Brahmins spit on or slap Yadav, who is considered an untouchable, if they saw him?
No, the Brahmin would obediently step forward, bend down, and touch the toes of the Yadav.

When it comes to personal gain, the caste system is insignificant.

Adiya was clearly not so at ease; if it weren't for Ron, he would probably have stayed in Varanasi as a municipal councilor indefinitely.

Since the Chief Minister has no power to remove him from his position as a committee member, he can live a carefree life.

However, Ron was ambitious and would not allow his second uncle to become a subservient Brahmin.

How can you lie down when you have such a great opportunity?

Yadav's tenure in Uttar Pradesh was ultimately too short; he lacked experience and a team, making it the perfect time to infiltrate his territory.

Those infrastructure projects, mineral resources, and energy resources haven't even been divided up yet, and Chad has already taken the lead. Sur should catch up no matter what.

Ron hadn't even stayed at his hometown for two days before he was urging Adiya to set off.

Of course, it wasn't just the two of them. To meet a high-ranking official like the Chief Minister, they needed an intermediary as a middleman.

(End of this chapter)