Chapter 15: Pressure from Above, Control from Within
Date: July–September 1967
Location: Kaithal–Karnal Industrial Belt, Haryana
The monsoon was late that year.
By July, the air in Haryana felt thick and restless. Dark clouds would gather in the sky every evening, but the rain kept holding back, as if even the heavens were unsure. Farmers stood in their fields, looking up, waiting. For them, waiting meant worry—about crops, about money, about the coming months.
Inside Akshy's factory, the uncertainty felt different.
It came in the form of numbers.
"Sir…"
Shyamlal stood near the table, holding the ledger tightly. His voice was quieter than usual.
"Costs are going up."
Akshy didn't look up right away. He was busy checking the daily production sheets—how many pieces were made, how much material was used, how efficient the workers were being.
"Which costs?" he asked calmly.
"Steel prices have increased. Transport charges are higher now. Some suppliers are delaying deliveries again. And…"
Shyamlal hesitated.
"And?" Akshy prompted, finally lifting his eyes.
"Workers… they're asking for higher wages."
Akshy slowly closed the file in front of him. For a moment, the room was completely silent.
"Call Raghubir," he said.
A few minutes later, Raghubir walked in, wiping grease from his hands with an old cloth.
"Ji, saab?"
"Sit down," Akshy said, pointing to the chair.
The three men sat together. The air felt heavy with seriousness.
"Costs are rising from every side," Akshy began. "Steel, transport, and now wages. But at the same time, demand is also growing fast."
Raghubir nodded. "Orders from the Karnal side have doubled, saab. Even villages near Panipat have started asking for our parts."
Shyamlal added, "Traders who used to ignore us are now coming to buy. They want regular supply."
Akshy leaned back slightly in his chair and looked at both of them.
"This is normal," he said quietly. "When a system becomes stable, pressure always comes from two directions."
He paused, then continued, "From below—more and more demand. From above—more attempts to control it."
That "above" became very real just one week later.
A government officer arrived at the factory without any warning.
He came in a jeep, dust flying behind him, with two assistants following. The moment the workers saw the vehicle, everything slowed down. Whispers spread quickly through the workshop.
"Kaun hai yeh?"
"Lagta hai sarkari aadmi hai…"
Raghubir was the first to approach.
"Namaste, saab."
The officer gave a small nod, his sharp eyes scanning every corner of the factory.
"So you people are running all this?" he asked.
"Yes, saab," Raghubir replied. "Our owner is inside. I'll call him."
Akshy stepped out a moment later. His face was calm, his steps measured.
"Welcome," he said politely. "How can I help you?"
The officer didn't waste time on pleasantries.
"We've received some reports," he said. "You've started making machine parts. Supplying to many villages. Expanding quite fast."
Akshy nodded. "Yes, we have."
The officer looked straight at him.
"Do you have proper registration for all this?"
There it was—the first real friction.
Akshy didn't show any anger or fear. He answered steadily, "All important documents are ready. If anything is missing, we will complete it immediately."
The officer walked slowly through the factory floor. He touched a freshly made blade, checked a few tools, and observed the workers carefully.
"You're growing very fast," he said at last.
Akshy replied simply, "We are only growing according to the demand."
There was a long pause.
The officer turned to leave, but not before giving a final warning.
"Make sure you stay within limits."
After the jeep drove away, the tension remained in the air like smoke.
Shyamlal spoke first, worry clear in his voice. "Sir… this is serious."
Raghubir added, "If they decide to make trouble, our work can stop anytime."
Akshy walked back inside slowly, thinking.
"Then we prepare for that," he said quietly.
That same night, Akshy opened his old notebook again.
He wrote three clear points:
Complete all legal paperwork immediately
Strengthen connections with local political people
Increase internal efficiency and margins
Because the pressure wasn't only coming from outside.
Inside the factory, the workers had also started talking among themselves.
"Dus rupaye zyada mil rahe hain doosri jagah…"
(Other places are paying ten rupees more…)
"Kaam itna badh gaya hai, par salary same…"
(Work has increased so much, but salary is the same…)
One afternoon, a small argument broke out near the shaping section.
"Main itna kaam kar raha hoon aur paisa wahi?" one worker complained loudly.
Another snapped back, "Toh chhod do na, bahar jaake dekho!"
Raghubir quickly stepped in. "Bas karo! Everyone back to work!"
But the unhappiness stayed.
That evening, Akshy called all the workers together.
They gathered in the open space, some looking nervous, some curious. Akshy stood in front of them quietly. He wasn't shouting. He wasn't angry.
"I've heard your concerns," he said in a clear, steady voice.
The workers became silent.
"Work has increased. Expectations have increased. So, the rewards will also increase."
Soft murmurs spread through the group.
"But," Akshy continued, "not for everyone in the same way."
Now everyone was listening carefully.
"Those who work better, faster, and with more care… will earn more. Those who improve themselves will grow with the factory. This is no longer a fixed system."
Raghubir watched from the side, surprised. This was something new.
"In the coming weeks," Akshy said, "we will start performance-based pay."
One worker asked hesitantly, "Matlab, saab?"
Akshy explained calmly, "Matlab, jo zyada achha aur efficient kaam karega, usko zyada paise milenge."
The mood in the room changed. It wasn't complete happiness yet, but there was clear interest. Competition had been quietly introduced.
Meanwhile, outside the factory, the monsoon finally arrived.
Heavy rain poured across Haryana. The fields drank the water greedily. Farmers breathed a little easier—for now.
But the rain also brought new problems.
Transport became slow. Roads turned muddy and difficult. Deliveries started getting delayed.
One morning, Shyamlal rushed into the office, looking worried.
"Sir, two shipments are stuck near the canal road. The truck is trapped in mud."
Akshy stood up without hesitation.
"Send smaller carts instead. Split the load."
"But sir, the cost will go up," Shyamlal said.
"Delay will cost us even more," Akshy replied.
This was the change. Earlier, delays were just problems. Now, they had become decisions that needed to be made quickly.
By August, the factory had adapted once again.
They started using smaller transport units during the rainy days. They kept spare stock ready in important villages. Local repair teams were made stronger.
Raghubir smiled one evening while watching everything run smoothly.
"Sir… the system is becoming strong."
Akshy looked at him and replied quietly,
"The system never truly becomes strong. It only becomes harder to break."
September brought something unexpected.
A letter arrived from a cooperative group in a nearby district. They wanted direct supply— a big bulk order and a long-term agreement.
Shyamlal was clearly excited. "Sir, this is really big!"
Raghubir agreed. "Very big opportunity."
Akshy read the letter slowly and carefully. Then he placed it down on the table.
"We will not accept it yet," he said.
Both men stared at him in surprise.
"Why, sir?" Shyamlal asked.
Akshy looked at them with calm eyes.
"Because we are not ready. If we grow too fast, we will lose control."
That night, Akshy walked alone through the quiet factory.
Rain tapped gently on the tin roof. Water dripped from the edges outside.
Inside, everything was in order—neat stacks of parts, clean tools, a clear structure.
But Akshy could feel the limits.
The system was strong, but not strong enough for the next big step.
He opened his notebook once more and wrote:
"Next phase: Create a management layer."
Then below it:
"Train supervisors. Reduce dependency on myself."
After a pause, he added the final line:
"Prepare for scale beyond personal control."
Because the challenge had changed.
Earlier, it was about survival.
Then it became about growth.
Now…
It was about maintaining control while growing bigger.
Far away, the fields had turned a deep, rich green under the monsoon rain. Farmers worked with machines that had slowly become part of their daily lives. Villages were beginning to depend on a system they still didn't fully understand.
And in a growing factory near Kaithal, that same system was quietly preparing for its next evolution.
Not louder.
Not flashier.
But deeper.
End of Chapter 15