Chapter 18 - Book :we are one
Night of 5 July, 1873 – Kolar Estate
The oil lamp trembled as the monsoon winds brushed against the stone-latticed window. The night was thick with silence, but inside the steward's quarters, Shyam lay wide-eyed on the thin cotton mattress, staring at the wooden beams above.
Sleep had long fled. Instead, a voice repeated itself in his mind—not his own, but Surya's, fierce and unwavering:
> "We are all Bhartiya… We are one. United. Bharat."
Those words, first spoken in the hall of Ramrajan's estate during a recent meeting, now echoed louder than any storm. Shyam had heard great men speak in his life—zamindars, officers, even foreign engineers—but none struck him with the gravity of that one sentence.
> "They came to trade. They divide us. But we are not separate—we are one land, one people. If we stand together, there is no British."
And then: the images Surya had described—of slaughtered buffalo on the American plains, African men and women auctioned like furniture, Indian soldiers firing at Indian farmers on foreign orders. The same pattern repeated in Bihar. Even as famine loomed, the British exported grain, unmoved.
Shyam sat up. His hands trembled, not from fear—but purpose. He reached for his writing slate and began to draft the letter that would become the first thread in a revolution of ink.
Morning
– Ramrajan's Veranda, Kolar
The sun had barely broken over the mango trees when Shyam, eyes heavy but spirit blazing, approached the main house. Ramrajan sat on the veranda floor, finishing his morning puja. The fragrance of camphor and tulsi lingered in the air.
Shyam bowed low, then placed a folded note beside the brass lamp.
he said softly, "with your blessing, I wish to send this letter to Ram in Bihar."
Ramrajan wiped his hands, opened the letter, and read in silence. His gaze paused on certain phrases: "We Are One", "Slave Markets of the West", "Two Books for Bharat".
Finally, he looked up and gave a firm nod.
> "Yes. Let truth be printed. Let fire be pressed on paper."
..
📜 The Letter from Shyam to Ram (Sent via Messengerreach on 8 July)
> Respected Ram,
After last night's meeting, I could not sleep. Surya's words still burn in me. He spoke not just as a son of this soil, but as its voice.
I seek your immediate action in Patna, Gaya, and Calcutta, where our influence can work through local Hindi and Urdu presses.
Two books must be printed within 10 days—not pamphlets, but clear and powerful publications:
1. "हम एक हैं – We Are One"
A spiritual and emotional call: We are children of Bharat, not of separate provinces or princely states.
Let it carry verses, history, stories of unity, resistance, and patriotism.
2. "The True Face of British Civilization"
A factual account of British cruelty:
Slaughter of buffalo in the Americas to starve natives
Selling of African people into chains
Famine policy in Bengal
Exporting grain from Bihar in 1873 despite looming drought
Let no one claim ignorance anymore.
I recommend Urdu editions in Gaya, Hindi in Patna, and bilingual prints from Calcutta. Keep writers anonymous where needed. Use litho press if type is short.
I have advised to begin parallel printing operations from our southern presses, to spread copies northward by cart and river once ready.
—Your steward in duty,
Shyam
...
📌 Later that Day – Kolar Estate
Ramrajan wasted no time. Under his orders, messengers were dispatched by horse cart and runner to the four key Singham printing presses in the south:
Kolar Press (textile town press, central command)
Thanjavur Press (for Tamil and Telegu distribution)
Kochi Press (Malayalam and export scripts)
Madras Press (English versions, for educated Indians and reformers)
These letters contained not just instructions, but drafts of chapter outlines, author assignments, deadlines.
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📋 Instructions Sent to the Four Southern Presses
> Begin day and night shifts immediately
Prioritize softbound copies for quick distribution
Begin folding pamphlets and light-book format for easy travel
Prepare extra copies for temple libraries, schools, and town leaders
Use anonymous names or pen names to protect writers
First delivery batch to go northward by 18 July
Telegrams were avoided—British monitored them. Instead, handwritten letters, sealed with red wax, left with trusted carriers. News would travel slower—but safely.
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🗂️ The Press Network Mobilizes
In Gaya, Ram gathered his circle of editors. The Gaya Urdu press, a modest building near the riverbank, lit up with new urgency. In Patna, the editors of Bihar Bandhu received anonymous letters, containing prepared articles and historical excerpts.
In Calcutta, sympathizers in printing guilds opened their doors quietly, remembering the famine of 1770—hoping never to see it again.
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The night sky over Kolar carried the scent of burnt oil and monsoon dust. In a quiet chamber behind the storehouse, a map lay pinned across the wall—marked not with rivers and kingdoms, but with printing towns and transport paths.
Shyam leaned over the map, candlelight flickering on his brow, reading the latest letter from Ram in Patna. The handwriting was crisp, urgent. The words carried more than instructions—they carried momentum.
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🖋️ Manuscript Finalization – Kolar & Bihar
With the core ideas set by Surya and Ramrajan, the two books had moved beyond passion. They now carried form, citation, structure. In Kolar, scholars from local gurukuls and Persianate schools were called in to refine language—one line at a time. Their quills didn't rush; they composed, matching emotion with eloquence. In Bihar, Ram organized review sessions in Gaya's libraries. Even village schoolteachers were invited to suggest simplifications—this message wasn't meant only for scholars, but for every cart-puller, weaver, widow, and farmer.
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📦 Dispatch to Southern Presses
On July 8th, four courier teams were quietly launched from Kolar's west gate, bypassing postal channels completely. They carried detailed printing orders wrapped in linen sleeves, sealed with Singham wax.
To Thanjavur, for Tamil readers, where palm-leaf copyists would help typesetters speed work overnight.
To Kochi, where Malayalam blocks had to be cut by hand, yet the artisans worked double shifts in silence.
To Madras, known for its missionary presses, but now handling lines that no empire would bless.
And in Kolar itself, the largest press had begun carving metal blocks before dawn broke.
No one used real names in the letters. Each recipient knew their number. And each knew the price of being caught.
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🏭 Press Operations in Eastern India
Ram's network in Bihar was already in motion. At the Gaya press near the Vishnupad temple, the rhythmic knock of type met the chants of morning aarti. Hindi, Urdu, and even Bhojpuri versions were prepared in layers.
Patna's narrow alleys saw oxen dragging cartloads of fresh paper rolls—quiet deliveries under the veil of temple purchases. Meanwhile, a contact in Calcutta smuggled partial drafts to a friendly publisher using hollowed-out shawl bales labeled for textile review.
It wasn't just about publishing fast. It was about printing without leaving a trail.
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🛶 Regional Distribution Plans
Across Bihar and Bengal, trusted traders were instructed to incorporate hidden compartments inside their cloth bundles. Wheat sacks began to weigh heavier than usual—not from grain, but folded sheets tucked in the center.
Couriers used ferry boats at dawn, cutting across shallow river routes away from police patrols. At night, books were hidden inside brass utensil shipments and moved to weekly haats under the guise of temple donation records.
Routes were scouted by former salt smugglers—men who knew how to outpace British customs on foot, camel, or cart.
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🔐 Strict Confidentiality Measures
Each contributor's identity was locked behind a number and a letter. Even among inner-circle scribes, no one knew more than their direct link. It wasn't paranoia—it was preparation.
In Madras, the printers melted their draft molds after printing ten copies.
In Kochi, instructions were whispered—not spoken twice.
At every press, even the title pages were pre-coded: "A Bhartiya Manuscript – For the Preservation of Dharma and Grain." This way, censors couldn't link a single person to its birth.
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🐎 Secure Messenger Chains
Knowing British officers monitored the telegraph wires and train manifests, Shyam designed an older path—manpower.
Riders switched horses at dharamshalas and temple courtyards. Some couriers pretended to be fakirs, others posed as astrologers carrying religious scrolls. Letters meant for Calcutta travelled through Cuttack instead of straight lines—looping under the British nose like a serpent in dust.
If a rider didn't return in three days, their route was abandoned. If a checkpoint became suspicious, it was blacklisted for a month.
Every message that reached its destination was a small miracle. But miracles were multiplying.
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By the tenth day of July, twelve thousand copies of both books were in motion.
Some would find their way into temple libraries. Others would be passed from hand to hand under banyan trees. A few would be nailed on village well-posts. And one would be slipped quietly onto the table of a British officer in Patna—just to watch him sweat.
The fire had not yet started. But the kindling was laid, soaked, and waiting.
Here is Chapter 18 – Scene 3 written in rich novel style, with sensitive description, historical tone, and in line with your existing narrative. It reflects Shyam's actions on 6 July 1873, as he sends letters across Bharat to textile merchants, proposing a new model of shared growth and alliance.
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At the parallel in kolar many things happening at the same time
6 July 1873,
The ink had not yet dried on the last manuscript proof when Shyam sat again at his long teakwood desk. The monsoon winds pushed gently through the open arches of the Singham estate office. A brass inkpot stood beside him, weighed down by a silver Nandi paperweight. Outside, the cotton bales were being loaded silently under the watch of moonlight.
But tonight was not about cloth.
It was about the men who made it.
Shyam dipped his pen and began drafting—not contracts, but invitations. Letters in Kannada, Tamil, Marathi, Bengali, and Hindi, each carrying the same urgent message:
> "Brothers in cloth,
Come to Kolar on the 15th day of this month. Let us stop tearing each other's margins with price wars. Let us sit under one roof, break open account books, and imagine a new road—not of rivalry, but of alliance.
The British grew powerful by unity in business. Why must we, the sons of Bharat, remain scattered threads?
There is enough loom, enough cloth, enough coin—for all of us to thrive."
He signed it:
"On behalf of Ramrajan Singham, for the future of Bhartiya Vyapar."
One by one, the sealed envelopes were packed into cloth pouches and handed to selected messengers—trusted traders, pilgrims, even temple staff who moved freely across state lines.
From Surat to Tanjore, Patna to Pune, Varanasi to Hyderabad, merchants would receive the call.
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By midnight, Shyam rose and walked to the courtyard where torches glowed dim behind the neem trees. The stars blinked between drifting monsoon clouds. In the distance, the low rhythmic pulse of the mill wheels echoed—a sound that had come to symbolize not just productivity, but independence.
He folded his hands and whispered toward the open sky,
> "Let them come, O Dharti Mata. Let us sow trust in this soil, not just cotton."
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At the heart of this effort was not just business—it was vision. A coalition of Indian textile minds. A confederation of enterprise that would break the old habit of selfishness, jealousy, and undercutting. No longer would they just react to British prices—they would define them.
> Ramrajan's idea had taken root. Now Shyam watered it with action.
And when they gathered on the 15th of July, the hall would not hold just merchants.
It would hold the hope of a new Bhartiya marketplace, where brothers shook hands instead of filing lawsuits, where profits were shared and protection was mutual.
The time of division was ending.
The loom now spun not just thread—but unity.
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Shall I continue with the July 15 meeting scene, showing who arrives, how they respond, and what alliances are proposed?
Absolutely. Here's an expanded and immersive version of Chapter 18 – Scene 4, with rich sensory details, full logistics, and documentation strategy for the grand Merchant Alliance Meeting planned on 15 July 1873 at Kolar. It includes preparation of documents, machines, merchant expectations, and the steely planning led by Steward Shyam.
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Chapter 18 – Scene 4
"The Assembly of the Looms"
8–14 July 1873 | Singham Estate, Kolar
The summer winds of Kolar carried the smell of pepper vines and sun-dried cotton—but in the great courtyard of the Singham Estate, it was the scent of ink, starch, ghee, and ambition that lingered longer.
Shyam, the steward, was working without rest. He wasn't just preparing for a merchant meeting—he was laying the foundation of an alliance that could rewrite the fate of Indian industry.
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🏛️ Preparation Grounds – The Meeting Hall
The open mandapa, usually reserved for local festivals and royal receptions, had been converted into a grand chamber of commerce. Long tables carved from jackfruit wood were arranged in a horseshoe pattern. Cotton drapes in saffron, indigo, and white flowed from the ceiling like trade routes drawn in silk.
On each table were carefully prepared folders with cloth ties—labeled in ink:
Confidential Trade Brief
Loom Technology Specification
Revenue Sharing Model
Mutual Defence Clause
Distribution & Transport Plan
Steward Shyam had hired five clerks from the local school in Kolar to copy and compile 40 sets of this packet—all hand-scribed, stamped with Singham's emblem, and bound in stitched jute.
--
The courtyard behind the main hall of the Singham Estate had transformed into something few had ever seen in the Deccan plateau—a grand open-air exhibition of machines, not from England or France, but from Bharat itself.
Beneath a canopy of palm leaves stretched over bamboo frames, iron gleamed under the flickering light of dozens of oil lanterns. The scent of coconut oil, fresh grease, and sandalwood filled the air. For once, machines stood not as symbols of colonial power—but as tools of liberation, forged and assembled with Indian hands, Indian minds, and Indian purpose.
Steward Shyam, dressed in his best cotton angavastram with a steel ledger tucked under one arm, walked slowly down the exhibit lane. Every step was deliberate—this was his battlefield, and these machines were his warriors.
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🧰 Demonstration Lane – The Machinery of Resistance
1. Hand-Crank Loom with Steel Shuttle
Origin: Kolar
Provided By: Singham Factory
Function: This loom, painted in deep indigo and fitted with polished steel parts, was designed to work even in remote rural homes with no water power or hired hands. One person, even a woman or elder, could operate it with ease.
> "It will turn every hut into a weaving house," Shyam murmured to a passing worker.
2. Foot-Treadle Dye Spinner
Origin: Travancore
Provided By: Raja-sponsored Artisan Guild
Function: With brass pedals and a hand-lacquered wood bowl, this spinner could mix natural indigo, turmeric, and madder with equal consistency. Attached to a drying wheel, it would cut dyeing time by half—no chemicals, no steam.
3. Hydraulic Starch Press
Origin: Pune
Provided By: Patwardhan Textile Trade Partners
Function: The machine could press out excess water from dozens of saris at once. Made with reinforced cast iron and brass valves, it ensured sari pleats remained stiff yet breathable.
> "This is for the women of Kashi and Madurai," Shyam told a visitor. "Cloth that looks royal—but costs less than a British pocket square."
4. Paper-Cutting & Book-Stitching Frame
Origin: Varanasi
Provided By: Surya's network of Hindi printers
Function: A quiet revolution—books made cheap and quick. Wooden spindles, razor-thin cutters, a leather stitching pad—perfect for pamphlets, newspapers, and classroom primers. A pressman from Gaya would demonstrate the process next morning.
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✨ New Machines Added for Display:
5. Manual Cotton Gin & Seed Separator
Origin: Nagpur
Provided By: Tribal artisan guilds
Function: Could separate cotton lint from seed using a dual-roller crank. Simple, compact, and perfect for cotton-rich princely states like Gwalior and Baroda. Farmers would no longer depend on British mills to clean their raw product.
6. Silk-Reeling Cradle
Origin: Mysore
Provided By: Mysore State Engineering School
Function: For extracting thread from cocoons. The cradle rocked by pedal gently reeled silk without breaking the filament. A marvel for the fine cloth weavers of Bengal, Kashmir, and Dhar.
7. Jaggery Press & Molasses Extractor
Origin: Tanjore Delta
Provided By: Agricultural guild backed by Travancore temple trusts
Function: Though not a textile machine, this press represented cross-alliance potential. Sugarcane farmers could refine their jaggery and ship it as finished goods. A signal to pepper, spice, and sugar guilds: they, too, had a place in this rising confederation.
8. Embroidered Template Wheel
Origin: Jaipur
Provided By: Rajasthani Artisan Collective
Function: A rotating stencil wheel that allowed repetitive Deccan and Mughal patterns to be hand-sewn onto cloth with higher speed. For waistcoats, shawls, wedding saris. Women could train on it in three days.
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🔐 Business Terms – Unwritten But Understood
All machines displayed had three conditions:
1. No exclusivity – Any merchant part of the Confederation could use or resell them.
2. At-cost or Joint Ownership – The machines would not be sold for private profit alone. If a merchant adopted a machine, a part of the revenue would support a common defense and emergency fund.
3. Knowledge-Sharing – Training would be given free of cost to the first batch of workers in each region.
No contracts had yet been signed. But the machines spoke louder than paper ever could.
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As Shyam stood watching the flicker of oil lamps reflect off the steel surfaces, he allowed himself one breath of satisfaction. This was not a British crystal exhibition. This was Bharat's Answer—practical, raw, grounded in the earth and hearts of her people.
He turned to Mahadevan, the young clerk from Kanchipuram, and whispered:
> "Document every gear. Every handle. Every stitch. Someday, this will be history."
And behind him, as the night deepened, the estate echoed with distant hammerings from the workshop, final adjustments to the looms, and the low chant of a temple prayer drifting in the wind.
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📜 Merchants & Delegates Expected
The list Shyam oversaw personally:
Jagat Seth Representative – From Bengal, for capital networks
Amritsar Wool Traders Guild
Jaipur Gem-Cloth Merchant Family – Textile-jewelry export crossover
Patwardhan Dye Masters – For turmeric and indigo exports
Banaras Printers – Paper, ink, education tie-ins
Northern Rajput Landholding Merchants – Interested in in-village looms
Kashmiri Shawl Weavers – For preserving elite handloom traditions
Mysore State Trade Council Officer – Sent on King's permission
King of Travancore's envoy – To discuss southern distribution routes
Each merchant was invited not as a buyer—but a co-investor in the dream.
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🪔 Hospitality and Food
Inside the estate kitchens, preparations had turned into a military operation:
50 cooks
3 days of feasts
Over 500 banana leaves cleaned and stacked
40 varieties of dishes prepared for different regional palates:
Rasam and steamed rice for Tamil merchants
Bajra rotis and kachri sabzi for Rajasthanis
Mishti doi for Bengal guests
Dry fruit laddoos for northern traders on long journeys
> Shyam insisted on serving with brass thalis and silver tumblers, "Let them feel the wealth of this soil."
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🧭 Communication & Arrival Protocol
Letters had been dispatched in early July through multiple relay systems—part by rider, part by grain caravan.
Arrival Zones Prepared: Northern Gate (Rajasthan), Southern Gate (Madras/Travancore)
20 Estate Workers assigned to lodging, stabling animals, and registering arrivals
Secrecy Instructions:
No public banners
All merchant flags only flown after 15 July sunrise
Even British spies, if any, would find only "a local cloth fair" on the surface.
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🗂️ Documentation & Witnessing
Shyam had commissioned a young Sanskrit-literate scribe from Kanchipuram named Mahadevan to record the full event. He would:
Maintain transcript logs of all discussions
Note who proposed what
Maintain signatures for partnership charters
All documents would be preserved and copied into three bundles—one stored at Kolar, one at Travancore (under temple archive protection), and one to be kept under Ramrajan's private library vault.
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🔥 Final Touch
On the evening of 14 July, as the last cart carrying mango crates arrived, Shyam stood on the balcony above the entrance gate. Below him, estate workers lit lamps, one by one, around the perimeter of the estate—forming a glowing circle of unity.
In his hand, he held the final sealed scroll: "Vyaparik Ekta Patra – Charter of Merchant Unity."
He whispered:
> "Let the British build their empire on contracts and cannons... We will build ours on trust and truth."