I am a master in India

Chapter 102 Water Conditioning

When the yellow and black taxi stopped by the side of the bumpy road, the turbaned man appeared again.

"Mr. Soul, the textile mill didn't lose a single plank while you were away."

"Is anyone causing trouble?" Ron asked.

"There are no Muslims here, so no one is interested except the rats."

The turbaned man is called Gulish. He used to be the gatekeeper for Sharma, but now he has changed his job and is now the gatekeeper for Ron.

He was a bachelor, without a family or children. Every day, he did nothing but drink and sleep in the factory, guarding the gate.

Ron offered him a salary of 400 rupees per month, and there was no need to expect Gulish to be very responsible, as long as the place was not occupied by anyone else.

"I need a few people to clean up the garbage here. Can you find some help?"

"Of course, leave it to me! In three days at most, this place will be cleaner than the Taj Mahal Hotel!" Gulish was very excited. He took the job without hesitation because it often meant money.

"How much will it cost?"

"Three thousand rupees." He gestured tentatively with his fingers.

"I'll give you one thousand and I'll come back in five days."

"No problem!" Gulish agreed without hesitation.

Ron frowned. It seemed he had given too much. However, cleaning hundreds of acres of land was not an easy task.

"Who is the local boss here?" he asked.

"Aij Lal." Gulish cleverly called out a name.

"Which gang does he belong to? What are the rules?"

Although this land transaction was endorsed by Khad Khan, no one would come to the door without seeing the truth, but the county magistrate was not as good as the current one. Ron would be active here for a long time in the future, and he would inevitably have to deal with local tyrants.

It's better to find out the other party's situation in advance and then pay a visit to them afterwards. This is how business is done in Mumbai. Merchants have to deal with gangs, otherwise you will be in trouble.

"Aj Lal is not a gangster, he's a police officer, a crime squad officer!"

"What?" Ron was surprised. "Is he a corrupt police officer?"

"Aij Lal is more difficult to deal with than the corrupt cops. He is selfless. The gangs and other policemen hate him, but he is still alive and well." Gulish's expression was very strange. It was a look of fear, admiration, and pride.

Ron, Anand and the others looked at each other in bewilderment. It was the first time they had heard that there were selfless police officers in Mumbai. It seemed like a report from a science fiction news.

"So there are no gangs here?"

"Yes, but because of Aj Lal, they dare not act recklessly. Those who dare to challenge him either disappear or are thrown into jail." Gulish laughed strangely, a laugh that was filled with joy.

"Maybe I should go visit him?" Ron muttered.

"No need, they're already here." Gulish looked at the road behind him.

Ron turned around and saw a three-wheeled motorcycle with five policemen on it.

The leader was a large man who looked like a boxer, with close-cropped hair and a dented chin, more like a Special Forces veteran.

Of course, what surprised Ron the most was that this policeman was not like those he had seen before, who were either potbellied or extremely rude.

Aj Lal dresses tastefully, behaves politely, and speaks with measured manners. If you were to tell him he's a company owner or a movie actor, there would be no doubt that some people would believe him.

"Are you Ron Soul?"

"Yes." Ron nodded.

Aj Lal looked him up and down. The young man was well-mannered and handsome, like a movie actor. But there was no trace of blood and fire about him, which meant he had never committed a murder and probably had no deep ties to the gangs.

"I am investigating Sharma's case. He owes a huge amount to the bank and is absconding."

Ron's heart skipped a beat. Could it be that Sharma's bribery of senior bank officials was being investigated?

"I only dealt with him once in a land transaction, and we were not familiar with each other."

"What about the procedures?" Aij Lal asked in a businesslike manner.

Ron took out the information from his bag. Fortunately, he brought it with him today.

Aj Lal flipped through it casually, made a few notes, and then returned it to him.

"Please keep me informed if you have any news about him."

"Officer, what crime did he commit?" Ron asked quietly.

"Malicious credit card overdraft, fraud. That bastard has a lot of people looking for him now. He made a lot of money when he left."

Well, Ron guessed that guy must have fled the country, after all, he exchanged so much US dollars.

"If you know his whereabouts, remember to contact me. There is a reward. Of course, you can also come to me when you are in trouble." Aij Lal handed him a business card.

"Sure!" Ron took the business card seriously.

As for the local tyrant, even if he is a policeman, it’s always a good idea to give him some connections.

Fortunately, Sharma’s case did not involve the textile factory, otherwise he would be in trouble.

In fact, he had all the necessary paperwork and connections within the government. Even if his actions were exposed, nothing would happen to the land.

But who made Ajay Lal carry the reputation of being "selfless"? Every businessman in Mumbai would be scared when meeting such a person.

Disturbed by this uninvited guest, Ron lost interest in strolling around.

He first discussed with Anand and the others how to repair the damaged parts of the office building. They had to find someone to clean up the empty windows, missing wooden doors, and broken desks.

There were carpenters and bricklayers in the slums, so Anand and the others could take care of the job, but there was one thing that worried Ron.

"I need some engineers."

"Engineer?" Anand and Vinod repeated the word awkwardly. "Yes, how can a factory be without engineers? Without them, there would be no products."

"What product?" Anand was very interested, even though he knew nothing about factories.

Speaking of this, Ron also became excited. He thought about it for a long time and finally found a product that was suitable for India.

“Ever heard of air conditioning?”

"Wow! Air conditioning!" Anand and the others exclaimed in amazement. "Air conditioning that blows cool air is only found in movie theaters."

"Yeah, do you like air conditioning?"

"Of course, that's something only people of status can enjoy. It costs a lot of money!"

"So everyone loves air conditioning!" Ron smiled.

"India is hot, and Mumbai is even hotter. Ron, people in Mumbai will like your air conditioning, but not in the slums." Anand shook his head regretfully.

"Huh?" Ron looked at him puzzledly.

“Because there is no electricity in the slums.” Anand, Vinod and others laughed.

Ron was stunned for a moment, then laughed, "But my factory doesn't produce air conditioners."

"Huh?" Several people looked at him strangely.

"There are only a few factories in India that can produce air conditioners. Rich people buy imported ones. How can I get them?"

Ron recently checked the data and found that the air conditioning penetration rate in India is around 3%. With a population of 9 million, only a little over 2 million people have used this appliance, which is ridiculously low.

A considerable number of these devices are installed in government agencies, and the penetration rate among the public is even lower. Given the size of this market, even if Ron has the financial resources, he might not be interested.

"What I want to do is another kind of air conditioning, water air conditioning!"

"Water-cooled air conditioner?" Anand and the others were even more confused. This word was even more difficult to pronounce than the engineer's.

"An air conditioner that is simpler, cheaper and uses less electricity than regular air conditioners, and I think most people can afford it."

Water-cooled air conditioners are also known as earth-cooled air conditioners. The principle is quite simple: water vapor evaporation plus air flow.

It can be achieved with a basin of cold water and a fan.

In fact, it would be more appropriate to call it an air-conditioning fan, but the name of a water air-conditioner sounds more noble, and Indians like grandeur.

Ron wasn't prepared to tinker with this kind of appliance himself, and he didn't understand it.

The easiest way, of course, is to set up an assembly plant.

All the parts have to be purchased, and he is only responsible for assembling them into products.

This requires the help of an engineer, preferably one with basic knowledge of electricity and aerodynamics.

Ron has wandered around the streets and alleys of Mumbai. There are only air conditioners or fans here, and there are no water-based air conditioners at all. However, there are quite a few that use ice cubes for direct cooling.

Regardless, it's worth a try. There's a gap in the market, so the chances of success are high.

The best part is that water air conditioning is low-cost. Ron can count the cost on his fingers: a motor fan, a shell, and a bottom tank to store water, and you're all set.

Maybe once the scale is expanded, the price will be cheaper than electric fans.

"I know an engineer who understands machines." Adi, who was standing behind them, suddenly spoke up.

"Really?" Ron looked over in surprise.

"I've done business with him a few times before, but he just graduated and is still looking for a job." Being watched by so many people, Adi shyly stepped back.

"It's good that they've just graduated." Ron was delighted. Innocent and stupid college students were the easiest to fool. After all, this job didn't require much work experience.

"Then I'll ask him out and try?" Adi looked over expectantly.

"Make an appointment! Make an appointment now!" Ron waved his hand and immediately prepared to go back.

Since I have nothing else to do, I might as well fix the water-cooling unit. It's a quiet place, away from the hustle and bustle of South Mumbai, and not affected by the riots.

However, it is not easy to build an electrical appliance manufacturing plant out of thin air. Even cheap electrical appliances with low technical content need to overcome various difficulties.

People, technology, equipment, electricity, and most importantly, sales—everything is so complicated.

The only thing Ron doesn't have to worry about is people. India has a large population, and Mumbai has an even larger population.

More than 13 million people, most of whom lack stable jobs. Even as the number of factories in Mumbai decreases, the influx of migrant workers continues to grow.

People without jobs can only live in slums, just like Anand and his friends did before.

If Ron's electrical appliance factory were to open, the workers he would prioritize recruiting would of course be those from the slums of Taj Ali.

There is no need to elaborate on their relationship, as they know each other well. Having a stable job, of course they think about their own people.

As for the skills, that would depend on whether the person Adi introduced was reliable. If that didn't work, Ron would have to put a job posting in the newspaper or ask Kavya.

The factory's equipment depends on technical evaluation, and sales are not something to be considered at the moment.

After roughly going over the plan in his mind, Ron began to prepare.

He needed to first contact Harry at the customs office and ask about any import channels. If he needed to purchase equipment or import materials from overseas in the future, he would have to use them.

But before the call was made, Adi called first.

"Ron Baba, I have an appointment with Ashish, he is very interested in the job you mentioned."

"We'll meet tomorrow. I can't wait."

As soon as the phone was hung up, Ron sighed with satisfaction.

Why cause trouble? Isn't business good?

(End of this chapter)