Reborn In 17th century India with Black Technology

191  Gearing Up

Dakshin Bharatiya Empire, Vijayanagar State, Hampi - Capital City.

While Vijay was planning out the inheritance laws for the royal family, the people of the Empire were gearing up for the upcoming elections, both the voters and the candidates for their own unique reasons.

Due to Vijay implementing a law in the constitution that only individuals who could pass the civil exam conducted by the ENEC (Election, Nobility, and Examination Commission), overseen by the Empire's observer were eligible to vote, an issue arose. Despite efforts to promote education in the past three years, the literacy rate among adults in the Dakshin Bharatiya Empire has only seen a marginal increase. The heavy workload on adults allowed them only a few dozen hours a week for education. However, the situation was different for children who received a subpar education according to European standards, but still, it was not too far off. The only thing holding the system back is the mass model in which the kids are taught, so such results could be seen. But still, after all things considered, were actually not bad. Unfortunately, though, the kids were not yet eligible to vote.

Conversely, the privileged and educated individuals in society seized the opportunity and flocked to the nearest government office to register for the civil exam, seeing it as a chance to decide their leaders.

But still, the total number of people enrolled at the end of the application submission period was only 1.5 million, including the civil servants already in the government departments. The place where people register as candidates for the election is various panchayats of villages, towns, and cities.

Amravati City Panchayat.

It was a pleasant day in the temple city of Amravati, but there was one place in the city where the atmosphere was far from pleasant. A tsunami of people could be seen swarming the entire two-floor panchayat building. The interior of the building was also packed with people pushing one another to stand a little closer to the front of the queue. Most of the individuals present were dressed in rich clothes, usually appearing dignified, but today, they resembled regular people, engaged in a fierce competition for a better position in the queue.

"Whistle, whistle."

"What are you doing? fighting like shrews on the street. How can you be representatives of the people if you are fighting amongst each other like this? Stand in line, or else you will be disqualified."

Hearing the yelling from the security guard who blew the bamboo whistle, most of the crowd settled down. Many of them were scared away by the threat, but the actually smart ones among the group knew that the police guard did not have that much power.

The companion of the police guard who blew the whistle asked, looking at the crowd, "Why did so many people come anyway?"

The police guard who blew the whistle replied, "Sigh, this situation happened because of the rumour that was spread after His Majesty Vijay Devaraya announced his new reform plans. The rumour was about how, if you are successfully elected, you could earn the amount of money some rich merchants would not in a lifetime. Because of this, it caused a huge craze among the people to be in politics. Also, the lower caste people had reduced requirements, and there was a 30% reservation in the parliament for them. So, despite not knowing a single word, a lot of people came to participate; some of them even only knew the premises after arriving at the panchayat," the guard finished with exasperation.

Unable to manage the crowd, the local ENEC officer had to set up blackboards in multiple rooms on the empty ground of the panchayat. In each room, there was a board with a few sentences written in the Bharati language. People were then allowed inside one by one to test if they were capable of reading the lines on the board, providing a final opportunity for those seriously considering running for the election and weeding out all the duds.

Following the impromptu qualifiers, it became evident that 90% of the individuals aspiring to run for office were not qualified. A notable portion of them belonged to the lower caste. However, there was a silver lining in this situation. Despite the majority being from the lower caste, the sheer number of participants meant that a small percentage of them were genuinely literate and had read the new Book of the Constitution.

Among the crowd who passed the qualifiers was Hari Atharv, originally from a lower caste. In his quest for an improved standard of living, he left his village and journeyed to Amravati City, eventually securing a job as a bookshop keeper. By concealing his true caste and demonstrating some arithmetic skills he had picked up as a child from a Brahmin peer he knew as a toddler, he successfully secured the position, outsmarting the old owner.

It was at the bookstore where Hari Atharv's life truly began, and it became the place where he learned the language in earnest. Working there, he observed numerous transformations in the Empire – be it the expansion of its territories, alterations in administrative divisions, or the renaming of the Empire to the United Motherland Bharat. From the introduction of the new Bharati language to various other changes, including when he was allowed free education in the evening schools set up by the government, he was opened to a new world of possibilities. Hari Atharv experienced it all, and his mind was profoundly influenced by the broad vision he gained through these experiences. Finally, with the new reforms introduced by His Majesty, the Emperor, Hari Atharv felt the final push he needed to cast aside any hesitation and aspire to make a name for himself in the new world unfolding under the Emperor's leadership.

*Mumble*

*Murmer*

Currently, Hari Atharv is in a line behind a middle-aged man who appears to be a rich merchant, judging by his attire made of silk.

*Ting*

"Next," a monotone sound rang out from the front.

The officer at the front desk, with a somewhat emotionless tone that hinted at potential weariness from the job, asked, "Okay, sir, please write down your name, age, place of birth, date of birth, and the reason for you standing up in the election. Also, what changes would you promise to the people of your town?" Nôv(el)B\\jnn

The merchant, undeterred by the officer's demeanour, proudly inscribed his name in bold Bharati text, a skill he had diligently practised over the past few months. As he penned down his promises, he orally narrated them for everyone to hear, "I promise the people free water, food, and clothing for a whole year. Also, I promise free education for all the children."

Sharing this sentence, most of the candidates who had thought of similar promises to the merchant were impressed, while a few smart ones here and there, who heard the loud proclamation, had frowns on their faces, including Hari Atharv. That was because he could imagine how much all these freebies would cost. There is no way the merchant would do such a thing. Even if he sold his whole family property, there is no way that he could feed that huge pit of a gold-swallowing beast.

The official who took the application also had the same thought process as the smart ones, and also, he had seen these types of people before. So, he warned about the consequences of the candidates' actions one final time, "Sir, are you sure that you have read the book of the constitution? It is clearly mentioned that once a candidate promises some benefits to the people, it should be fulfilled according to the promise, or at the very least, progress should be seen. This is written as a law in the constitution, and the only time it can be otherwise is when there is some natural or man-made emergency, in which the people of your town and the Swachh Bharat committee will decide whether you have done justice by them. So, if you do not intend to fulfil these promises after you indeed win the election, you will be put in jail depending on the seriousness of your wrongful promises."

Hearing the officer's warning, the middle-aged rich merchant had sweat on his face because his plans were clearly seen through. His initial scheme involved making grand promises, winning the election, reaping handsome rewards, and exiting after a five-year work. Little did he anticipate the severe repercussions if those promises went unfulfilled. Swiftly wiping away the perspiration trickling down his face, he contemplated the unexpected consequences.

In truth, he had acquired proficiency in the Bharati language due to his role as a merchant, necessitating communication with fellow traders from various states. The Bharti language had become mandatory, even permeating the documents exchanged between merchants of different regions. Additionally, there was a 0.5% tax reduction incentive for utilizing the Bharti language, which further boosted its popularity among the merchant community. Initially championed by affluent merchants, this linguistic trend gradually gained traction among smaller merchant groups, eventually evolving into a status symbol.

Anyway, he knows the Bharati language because of his occupation; that was the whole reason he could get through the qualifier rooms. Now, listening to how the officer said that he would be jailed if the promise was not fulfilled, he became scared, shook his head, threw the application, and left the office.

Seeing him leaving, no one laughed at his embarrassment because a lot of people also left along with him. Looking at the crowd acting this way, the officer thought, 'All these people are looking to make some big money without actually putting in the hard work. Where can there be such a good thing? Hmm.' It was finally Hari Atharv's turn, and as he wrote down his details, this time he actually put down his actual caste. He would be a fool if he did not utilize the benefit that came with his caste for the first time in his life. No, scratch that, maybe the second time; the first time was the school.

As for the promises he would make, it is actually very simple and practical. He wrote down that he would widen the reservoir in his village, fix the leaking wall of the reservoir, employ some of the villagers to complete the proper irrigation channels for agriculture, create a separate market area in the village so that the village's produce could be sold, and also increase the sanitation of the village.

These were the things he thought could be done with some hard work from the villagers and some support from the government.

The officer, looking at the list of promises he made, was impressed. Because although these promises were not extraordinary, they were actually very conservative. Still, while looking at the caste, he was impressed that a person of such a lower caste was able to grasp such a steady path forward.

The stern-faced officer finally showed a hint of approval on his face as he accepted Hari Atharv's application. The onlookers, noticing the change in the officer's expression, raised their eyebrows in curiosity and cast curious glances at the departing figure of Hari Atharv.

Hari Atharv was just one of the numerous candidates who succeeded in leaving an impression on the officers throughout the empire. Individuals from diverse castes and social statuses had managed to make an impact. This marked the beginning of a new cadre of bureaucrats who would work tirelessly for the empire.

On the other hand, the veteran ministers standing for the elections took a more straightforward approach. They collectively arranged a meeting with the public of the capital and campaigned by highlighting the results they had achieved since the formation of the government.

"...."

"...."

"...."

P.S. Saving the report for the year-end meeting.