I'm a Master in India

Ron said he would do business without a conscience, but in the end, he was defeated.

He was accustomed to the poverty of the Slum, and had grown used to it.

Yet, the heartfelt joy displayed by those people when facing jobs where they could lose their lives at any moment was something he found hard to bear.

He didn't dare stay there long, fearing his conscience couldn't withstand the torment.

He fled, and the price was earning 250,000 dollar with tears.

One hundred test subjects, five thousand dollar each, Merck paid them five hundred thousand dollar.

He and Luca split it half and half; the cost was fifty thousand rupee, the money paid to the test subjects.

Ron was too lazy to calculate how many times the profit this was.

He only knew that even if the drug smuggling business stopped, it wouldn't affect his ability to keep earning dollar.

The dollar in Ron's personal vault had already exceeded a million, and he was planning to contact foreign television manufacturers soon.

If possible, new products could be added to Sur Electrical Appliances' product catalog.

Relying only on water coolers and electric fans, the company's ability to withstand risks was too singular.

Ron was most afraid of a formidable competitor suddenly emerging, which would make Sur Electrical Appliances very uncomfortable.

For indian, televisions were quite high-end, almost comparable to air conditioners.

However, in terms of necessity between the two, the vast majority of people would choose a television.

It could bring incredibly rich entertainment enjoyment to the whole family; its spiritual value was immeasurable.

Air conditioners seemed somewhat dispensable; people on this continent had long been accustomed to the heat for thousands of years.

If you ask someone from the Slum whether they would prefer to own a television or an air conditioner, there would almost certainly be no second choice.

Based on this consideration, when deciding the future product direction of Sur Electrical Appliances, Ron also unhesitatingly chose televisions.

Air conditioners were tools for the wealthy to improve their quality of life, while televisions could enter thousands of households.

Funding was in place, but what Ron needed to solve most wasn't the production line issue, but the site.

Sur Electrical Appliances' factory area totaled over a hundred mu; after setting up six production lines, two warehouses, and an office building, there wasn't much space left for him to work with.

The problem returned to the beginning: buying land!

In order to draw a vision grand enough to impress the Maharashtra Chief Minister, Ron specifically arranged to meet with designer Rahul Mehrotra today.

He graduated from Harvard and came from a prominent background. His father-in-law, Charles Correa, was also an architect and had participated in Mumbai's city planning.

Ron visited his new office in Tardeo; the decor here featured his signature, strong modernist style, and photos of children on the wall added a touch of warmth to the stern office.

Rahul's architectural designs, which incorporated various technological elements, were particularly well-received in the industry.

This was also why Ron sought him out; from beginning to end, Sur Electrical Appliances' positioning had been that of a technology company.

"What are you busy with?" Ron sat down on the sofa, making himself at home.

This wasn't their first time dealing with each other, so there was no need for such formality.

"Mumbai city planning." Rahul stood before an unfolded map, frowning in thought.

"This city is beyond saving."

"I agree." Rahul sighed.

"Wow, you're a city planner. Saying that is tantamount to surrender."

"I've tried, but it's no use." Rahul threw down his pen. "Sometimes I wish for a tsunami or an earthquake to sweep Mumbai clean; only then could this city's scarred and ailing body be healed."

"Is it that exaggerated?"

"Come and see." He beckoned Ron over.

On his desk lay a map of Mumbai; viewed from above, its terrain resembled a ladle.

If you spread your thumb and index finger to form a thirty-degree angle, that's the shape of Mumbai Island.

"It's too crowded. Mumbai Island was artificially reclaimed, and it wasn't suitable for planning as a major metropolitan area from the start."

Rahul stated frankly that five real estate developers and Maharashtra's Chief Minister Naik in the sixties destroyed the "New Mumbai" plan.

At that time, the government had foreseen the limitations of Mumbai Island, so they commissioned Rahul's father-in-law and others to rebuild a New Mumbai.

New Mumbai would be located across from Marine Drive, east of Mumbai Island; it would be Mumbai's hope for takeoff, a magical city with government-owned land and meticulous layout planning.

It had the potential for infinite expansion because it faced the entire India mainland.

"As a result, the Chief Minister and the developers colluded, moving the office area originally planned for New Mumbai to Nariman, the southernmost tip of Mumbai Island.

Private enterprises then followed suit, destroying the original residential area planning for the Nariman area, which was equivalent to giving New Mumbai a resounding slap in the face.

This was a money deal between politicians and builders; they completely disregarded urban planning."

"What was the benefit for them in doing this?" Ron was hearing about Mumbai's planning history for the first time and was somewhat curious.

"It's simple: the more demand exceeds supply, the more priceless it becomes. These five developers privately decided to reduce the planning scope. In contrast, land in Nariman was scarce, and buildings would sell much better."

"Scarcity creates value." Ron nodded.

"That's right. Mumbai's congestion today is entirely man-made."

Look, this is India.

Officials and businessmen colluding can directly destroy the future of everyone in the largest metropolis.

"So, have you found a way to save this city?" Ron asked.

"If we were to build this city better, make it more livable, with wider roads, train carriages, and residential areas, that would bring another problem: population."

Ron understood Rahul's meaning: a livable Mumbai would attract more people until it was once again overburdened.

India was too poor; other states, compared to Mumbai, were like the nineteenth century.

The trains entering Victoria Train Station every day were packed with migrant workers from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh; they continuously poured into Mumbai city.

If these people knew that there were government-funded houses built for them as soon as they got off the train, they would come even more fiercely, and everything would be in vain.

"This is a place of despair; one Mumbai city cannot contain the whole of India."

Rahul loved this country; he was of the Kshatriya caste, from a prominent family. Having graduated from a world-renowned university, he could have easily settled abroad.

But he returned and dedicated a considerable part of his energy to working at the Mumbai Metropolitan Planning Authority, and this part of the work was unpaid.

"Never mind, let's look at your Sur Industrial Park." Rahul unfolded another blueprint.

Months ago, Ron had already invited him to Sur Electrical Appliances once.

At that time, Ron had just returned from Uttar Pradesh, and Sur Electrical Appliances was doing very well; he couldn't wait to envision the future.

Office building, R&D center, factory area... He poured out all his requirements to Rahul.

Now, after three or four months of site surveys and mapping, the design for Sur Industrial Park had begun to take shape.

"Apart from being a bit far from South Mumbai, that piece of land is actually in a very good location. There are no unsightly buildings around it, and there's a large area of wasteland for you to utilize."

Rahul loved the feeling of drawing on a blank canvas; he wished the entire Mumbai was also wasteland.

"The office building and R&D center are on the south side; there's no obstruction there, so you don't have to worry about lighting issues.

The factory area is in the northeast, with two roads nearby for convenient transportation.

The employee community is on the west side; I've planned for entertainment areas, sports areas, dining areas, and leisure areas to accompany it."

Rahul pointed at the blueprint and talked incessantly; it was clear he was very satisfied with his design plan.

The Sur Industrial Park on the blueprint was magnificent; the office building and R&D center had Rahul's signature modern technological style, his forte.

The factory area was neat and orderly, with sufficient distance between buildings, and even... lawns!

Yes, lawns appeared not only in the factory area but also in the employee community.

In the middle of that large green area, there was even a small pond!

Ron was stunned. Should something like this appear in India?

What kind of standard was this? Even the Parliament House in New Delhi was probably just like this, right?

"I have a question."

"What?" Rahul looked up.

"Why is the employee community on the west side?"

"The west side is by the sea, more open. The sunset there is beautiful, and the breeze is gentle."

Ron nodded, that was true.

In Mumbai, people learned from a young age to look west, because only when looking there was their view unobstructed.

If Mumbai residents went out onto their balconies and looked around, their eyes would quickly automatically gaze towards the west. The west was the direction of the sea, a place of infinite possibilities.

"Put the office building and R&D center on the west side, the employee residential area on the north side, and get rid of all the lawns, ponds, entertainment areas, and leisure areas!"

"What!" This time, it was Rahul's turn to be dumbfounded.

"The industrial park is only two hundred acres. Sur Electrical Appliances is a company, not a real estate developer." Ron shrugged.

"But doesn't a good living environment inspire employees' work enthusiasm?"

"Rahul, Mumbai isn't Boston. People here are so poor they don't even have a place to sleep; they don't need lawns, they're completely useless."

Instead of considering things like greening, entertainment, and leisure, it would be better to build more residential buildings, which could solve the housing problems for hundreds or even thousands more employees.

"I should have thought of that. My previous ideas were too hasty, given how crowded Mumbai is." Rahul sighed.

"Keep this design blueprint too; I have a great use for it." Ron's eyes lit up.

"If you like it, take it. I need to reconsider the industrial park's capacity issues."

Rahul thought Ron was right; the primary issue facing Mumbai was housing, which was fundamental.

He initially wanted to build Sur Industrial Park into his ideal modern high-end industrial park.

He hoped Sur Industrial Park could become a landmark building there, that everyone could look up and see it, and recognize it.

Like a business card, eye-catching.

However, Mumbai's real-world problems crushed such ideas; it was too avant-garde.

"Speaking of housing, do you know how to solve the Slum problem?" Ron asked casually.

"Slum?"

"Yes, there's a Slum on the vacant land north of Sur Electrical Appliances, about twenty to thirty thousand people."

"You want to relocate them without causing fierce resistance?"

"Yes, this problem is quite a headache."

"There isn't no way." Rahul thought of that Mumbai city map again.

"Huh?" Ron suddenly looked up.

He just asked casually; could there be a win-win solution for the Slum?