I'm a Master in India

Chapter 269: The Future Richest Man

Mr. Adaniwala was sixty-seven years old, half-bald, and sported a typical Indian mustache.

He was the new generation leader of the Indian People's Party, and unlike the moderate style of his predecessor, Mr. Vajpayee, Mr. Adaniwala was strong-willed.

To balance internal party relations, he disregarded the opposition of Mr. Vaghela and his faction, and forcefully reinstated Mr. Modi, who was out of office, to an important position.

When Mr. Modi brought Mr. Ron to his office, Mr. Adaniwala was discussing the Indian People's Party's election strategy with his subordinates.

“Mr. Sur, welcome to Gujarat,” he said with a smile after his assistant left.

“This place is impressive. On my way from Ahmedabad, I saw flowers lining both sides of the road. New Delhi doesn't have such a scene.”

“Gujarat is the industrial state of India,” Mr. Adaniwala laughed proudly.

In terms of economic prosperity, Gujarat does not even rank among the top three in India. But specifically in terms of industrial foundation, it is indeed not much inferior to Maharashtra.

Mr. Ron's two subtle compliments truly hit Mr. Adaniwala's sweet spot.

“As a glorious Hindu, Mr. Sur is a role model for many young people in the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (National Volunteer Corps).”

“Honor belongs to Shiva,” Mr. Ron humbly clasped his hands together.

“Honor belongs to Shiva!” everyone in the room repeated.

Well, he forgot that this was the Indian People's Party's stronghold, which regarded hinduism as the ultimate truth.

However, it was clear that the high-ranking officials, led by Mr. Adaniwala, had a good impression of Mr. Ron.

Last year's bombing not only made him a hero in Mumbai but also gained him recognition among influential Hindus nationwide.

After a few pleasantries, the atmosphere became harmonious.

Mr. Adaniwala began to discuss business, and Mr. Modi sat beside him, taking notes.

“Sur Electrical Appliances is a true national brand; everyone can afford your televisions.”

“This is precisely our belief. The goal of Sur Electrical Appliances is to allow Indians to use reliable and affordable domestic products. I love this country,” Mr. Ron said shamelessly.

In front of the right-leaning Indian People's Party, of course, one should talk about patriotism.

The famous Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (National Volunteer Corps) sings the national anthem every day. Do you expect them to understand what technology-industry-trade or trade-industry-technology means?

“I've read reports about the Sur Industrial Park in Mumbai, and you've done very well. You've not only solved the employment problem for tens of thousands of people but also opened up India's television market. What's the current production there?”

“Around eighty thousand units per month, and it might increase to one hundred thousand units by the end of the year.”

“Not enough, far from enough,” Mr. Adaniwala waved his hand grandly. “India has a billion people; your production should at least be expanded tenfold.”

“That’s precisely why I came to Gujarat,” Mr. Ron looked at Mr. Modi, “Mr. Modi convinced me.”

“Mr. Narendra has done a great job. He is an honest and capable person,” Mr. Adaniwala nodded.

“Gujarat is more suitable for industrial development than Mumbai,” Mr. Modi said with a smile. “It has a very good business environment, and over sixty percent of the people are educated, so human resources are abundant.”

“Sounds good, but what kind of help can Sur Electrical Appliances get?” Mr. Ron looked at them.

The Indian People's Party isn't in power yet. If they want Mr. Ron's support, they'll have to show some sincerity.

Mr. Adaniwala turned his head and asked a few questions in a low voice, and Mr. Modi answered. The two whispered for a while, then looked up again.

“Whether it's Ahmedabad or Vadodara, you can choose the location. Sur Electrical Appliances only needs to pay a very low rental price, and the land will be used permanently as long as the factory exists. The precondition is to create a larger Sur Industrial Park that can provide more than thirty thousand jobs.”

“These two cities are very good and have complete industrial facilities, but I want to put Sur Electrical Appliances in a port city,” Mr. Ron replied.

“Gujarat has a coastline of one thousand six hundred kilometers with many port cities, so that's not a problem,” Mr. Adaniwala immediately agreed.

“I need to conduct an on-site inspection. This concerns the future fate of Sur Electrical Appliances,” Mr. Ron did not make a decision lightly.

“Mr. Narendra will accompany you these few days. I hope you have a good harvest.”

Oh, Mr. Modi himself will accompany him. That's a good treatment.

Mr. Ron got up, thanked them, and prepared to leave, but he was stopped by a staff member here.

Just as he wondered if there was anything else to discuss, two photographers came in with cameras and started taking group photos of them.

Mr. Ron and Mr. Modi also took a few pictures, mostly shaking hands, smiling, and looking like they were having a pleasant conversation.

Mr. Modi always stood meticulously, taking every photographic request seriously.

After only a short half-day of interaction, Mr. Ron knew he was a Puritanical conservative.

This was further confirmed during the following days of inspection.

He talked with Mr. Ron about the Babri Mosque and pastoralist policies, and his words were filled with distrust and suspicion towards pastoralists.

Mr. Ron even saw a fantasy of violence in him, as if it were the only way to resolve conflicts.

His style was rigid, or rather, very strong.

No wonder Gujarat could flourish under his leadership later. Such a strict Chief Minister, his subordinates must have feared him.

Mr. Modi was the third peculiar Indian Mr. Ron had met, completely breaking away from the stereotype of an Indian.

The first was Mr. Ajay, a selfless police officer. The second was “King of Demolition” Karna, who showed no one any respect, including Mr. Thackeray and the Dawood Gang.

The third was Mr. Modi, who abstained from women and was ascetic, and whose work style was vastly different from ordinary Indian officials.

During the days he accompanied Mr. Ron, he never hinted at any bribery or kickbacks, yet his efficiency was remarkably high.

It's rare that India still has such politicians.

Of course, when he runs for election, whether he needs to take money from businessmen is another matter.

For now, he looks good, and his ability is more reliable than most Indian officials.

Although Gujarat has a long coastline, there are very few port cities with relatively complete industrial facilities.

Surat is the most developed, but it specializes in diamond processing, and the industrial added value is not very high; it's all hard-earned money.

Bhavnagar, across the Gulf of Khambhat, is too small to achieve economies of scale.

Finally, the only one worth considering was Jamnagar, which was formerly known as Brass City and had tens of thousands of copper workshops, as well as several industrial parks for large companies.

It is close to the mouth of the Gulf of Kutch, leading directly to the Arabian Sea, making transportation very convenient.

Why did Mr. Ron insist on choosing a port city and forgo a industrially developed metropolis like Ahmedabad?

Because across the sea are the Persian Gulf countries, making trade very convenient.

Yes, Mr. Ron wanted to start overseas trade.

Sur Electrical Appliances products could be sold to Arab countries.

Since ancient times, India has maintained close trade relations with Persian Gulf countries, and many industrial goods and luxury items have been exported there.

Even Mr. Ron's travel agency sends Indian labor to the other side of the Arabian Sea.

There are many rich people there, who can definitely afford home appliances like televisions.

However, local production materials are scarce, and everything except oil has to be imported.

Sur Electrical Appliances is not that high-end, and it can't compare to international big brands, but there are more ordinary people.

Taking advantage of the current cost-effectiveness, if not exported now, when will it be?

It's just that the production capacity in Mumbai is severely insufficient, unable to even meet domestic demand, otherwise, Mr. Ron would have already sailed his ships across the Arabian Sea.

This time, building a factory in Gujarat, in addition to supplying the Western India region, exporting is also one of the goals.

Jamnagar is not very developed, but it has the advantage of being large enough for Sur Industrial Park to expand.

Mr. Ron and Mr. Modi stood by the coastline, gazing into the distance and observing the shipping situation here.

“What is that place?” he asked, pointing across the Gulf of Kutch.

It was too far away; only vague shadows could be seen.

“Mundra, a private port under development.”

“Private port?” Mr. Ron felt a faint sense of familiarity.

“Yes, the Indian National Congress has loosened restrictions, and now India allows private ports to exist. Adani Trading Company bought it.”

“When did this happen?”

“This year. The port hasn't started construction yet and is expected to begin next year.”

“So how much did he pay to buy Mundra Port?” Mr. Ron asked curiously.

Mr. Modi glanced at him but still replied, “Twenty million dollars.”

This was a deal made by the Indian National Congress, and Mr. Modi had no burden revealing it to outsiders.

“I came a step too late,” Mr. Ron sighed.

Twenty million dollars, that's practically a steal. That's a port, a business that's guaranteed to make money.

Six hundred million rupee, Mr. Ron could scrape together if he tried hard enough. Forget it, Gujarat is too far, and he has no useful connections here.

“Mundra Port is currently just a shrubland. Besides an unnoticed limestone mine in the district, there's nothing remarkable about it,” Mr. Modi explained to him.

“What did you say?” Mr. Ron, who had been somewhat disappointed, suddenly jolted.

“Uh, I mean Mundra…”

“You said there's a limestone mine there?” Mr. Ron interrupted him.

“Yes,” Mr. Modi was a bit puzzled why he cared about these things.

Sur Electrical Appliances and mining have nothing to do with each other; they are completely different matters.

“I have to go there and see,” Mr. Ron immediately made up his mind.

“Now?” Mr. Modi seemed a bit unenthusiastic.

Although Jamnagar and Mundra are only separated by the Gulf of Kutch, driving there would require a detour of nearly two hundred kilometers.

Finally, to save time, they simply found a steamboat and took the sea route.

In less than an hour, Mr. Ron and Mr. Modi set foot on a small fishing pier in Mundra.

Just as Mr. Modi said, there was no sign of a port here yet.

Heavy construction machinery was leveling the shrubland. Workers were clearing the land, and everything was waiting to be built.

This busy scene reminded Mr. Ron of how the Uttar Pradesh cement factory looked when it first started construction.

He and Mr. Modi did not go forward to inquire, preparing to detour to the limestone mine on the east side of the coastline first.

However, before they could even set off, a chubby middle-aged man, led by several assistants, quickly walked over.

“Mr. Modi, welcome to Mundra. You could have just told me to send someone to pick you up,” he had a characteristic Indian mustache and a rather comical smile.

“Mr. Adani, we were just passing by,” Mr. Modi turned and introduced, “This is Mr. Sur, who is visiting Gujarat.”

“Hello, Mr. Adani,” Mr. Ron stepped forward with a smile.