December 31, 1988
Thanks to all supporters for the UPI contributions—your encouragement fuels every line.
The clock on Raj's desk ticked past midnight, marking the end of a year that had reshaped not just his empire, but fragments of India itself. He stood alone in his office, the Mumbai skyline a constellation of lights below. Reports lay neatly stacked—each one a testament to calculated moves, quiet victories, and an economy bending, ever so slightly, to his will.
Raj poured himself a small glass of single malt and began the final review of 1988.
He started with the numbers that mattered most: total investments across all ventures had crossed 1,200 crore. Yearly profits—projected and now realized—stood at exactly 800 crore. Not a fantasy figure pulled from thin air, but the sum of hard-earned revenues, efficiencies, and synergies across thirteen interlocking businesses.
**Karma Productions**, overseen by Priya Menon, had delivered 120 crore in profits—80 crore from films like the enduring *Baahubali* series and nationalist epics, 40 crore from the expanding chain of 500 screens. The Lotus Awards alone generated 50 crore in sponsorships, drawing advertisers eager to align with cultural pride.
**The Bharat Front**, under editor Ravi Sharma's steady hand, contributed 80 crore—50 crore from surging advertisements (companies clamoring for space amid rising circulation), 30 crore from 1.5 million daily readers across ten regional editions. Its measured exposés on corruption had fueled public discontent without destabilizing markets.
**Pragarti Ventures**, managed by the ever-reliable Suraj Patel, returned 100 crore—60 crore from startup exits and dividends, 40 crore recycled into new bets like the profitable M&M Fans and the quietly thriving Netflix Europe.
**Mehra Book House**, guided by Jyoti's creative vision, added 40 crore—25 crore from global sales of IPs like *Baahubali* and licensed titles, 15 crore from merchandise that had become a youth phenomenon.
**Mehra Construction**, led by Vishal Singh, was the infrastructure powerhouse at 100 crore profits—70 crore from completed highways and urban projects, 30 crore tied to the accelerating Shiv Temple work.
**Estrella India Productions** and the **Global Theater Chains** together brought in 70 crore—steady, low-risk returns from diaspora markets and international screens now numbering 150.
**Bharatiya Pragati (BP)**, directed through loyal proxies, yielded 50 crore in donations and influence—intangible yet vital, translating into favorable policies and grassroots loyalty.
**ASUR**, commanded by Arjun Das, contributed 80 crore through seized assets while securing the nation's fragile peace.
**Luxmi Bank**, also under Suraj, exploded with 100 crore profits as deposits swelled and rural schemes took root.
**Netflix Europe** added a promising 20 crore, **UFT** 30 crore from superior harvests, **Shiv Temple** 10 crore from early pilgrim offerings, and **Bata Shoes**—co-managed with Kishanlal Menon—rounded out with 20 crore in its breakout year.
Raj set the reports aside and opened a separate folder: India's broader economy.
The nation had faced a brutal 1987 drought, one of the worst in decades. Food prices had spiked, rural distress deepened, and inflation hovered near 9-10%. Fiscal deficits remained high under Rajiv Gandhi's government, fueled by spending and the lingering shadow of Bofors. Growth appeared robust on paper—perhaps 6-7% real—but it rested on borrowed foundations.
In Raj's timeline, the differences were subtle, logical ripples from his targeted interventions.
UFT's advanced techniques across thirty villages had produced localized abundance—50% higher yields that eased pressure on regional grain markets. Prices in Maharashtra and Gujarat stabilized fractionally faster than neighbors, reducing inflationary heat by perhaps half a percentage point in those states. No national miracle, but enough to keep rural unrest contained.
Luxmi Bank's eight lakh accounts and aggressive rural push injected liquidity where public banks feared to tread. Zero-interest tie-ups with UFT and Bata created small but real cycles of spending—farmers buying shoes and tools, depositing earnings, repeating the loop. Private investment in affected areas rose modestly, cushioning the drought's bite.
Mehra Construction's highways and the Shiv Temple site employed thousands, pumping wages into local economies. Early pilgrim traffic to the temple generated side revenues—hotels, transport, vendors—that offset some urban-rural migration pressures.
Most crucially, ASUR's silent dismantling of terrorist networks in Kashmir and Punjab removed a drain that, in the original history, would cost billions in security and lost productivity. Investor confidence in the north edged upward; tourism and trade resumed cautiously.
The net effect? National GDP growth likely a shade higher—perhaps 7% instead of 6%—with inflation marginally lower and rural pockets noticeably resilient. The looming balance-of-payments risks remained; Raj had not touched fiscal policy or external debt. But he had built buffers: stronger private banking, localized food security, and reduced internal conflict costs.
Raj closed the folder. India was still vulnerable, but less brittle. The cracks that would widen into the 1991 crisis were there—yet now, parallel strengths ran alongside them.
He stepped onto the terrace. Fireworks began sporadically across the city—early celebrants welcoming 1989.
Jyoti and Priya were asleep inside, exhausted from wedding preparations. The engagement had been perfect: intimate, traditional, covered softly by TBF as a symbol of modern Indian success.
Raj raised his glass to the night sky.
"Eight hundred crore," he said quietly. "And an India that breathes a little easier."
The System hummed approval—no grand visions, just steady progress.
In Punjab's fields, ASUR teams completed their final sweeps. In rural branches, Luxmi clerks counted record deposits. At the Shiv Temple site, night lamps illuminated the rising pillars.
The year ended not with thunder, but with quiet, compounding strength.
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