December 11th, 1655
Dakshin Bharatiya Empire, Vijayanagara State, the cultural and educational capital - Hoysala.
The city of Hoysala, named after the mighty Hoysala Kingdom, which used to be two different towns, Velapuri and Dwarasamudra, has now been combined to form the educational and cultural capital of Vijayanagara State.
Since the decision to combine these towns was made, the local government has worked very hard to integrate them. Because the area between the old towns of Velapuri and Dwarasamudra was empty, the city was constructed there.
The city’s construction is yet to be completed, but you can already see the foundation and a rough outline of a major metropolis in its infancy.
This city, spanning a stretch of 15 km, was constructed with the standards of the Empire in mind, including roadways, drainage systems, police stations, post offices, courts, bathrooms, special lanes on the roads, and other features found in major cities like Hampi, Madurai, or even Pune.
With the construction of this new city, the old towns of Velapuri and Dwarasamudra, which contain such a rich cultural heritage, were divided into their own taluks and classified as heritage sites.
With the latest petition by the city administration to upgrade these sites into tourist destinations, following an idea by the Minister of Transportation, the towns of Velapuri and Dwarasamudra could be expected to gain a lot of income from this new field of tourism.
Such a city, bustling with activity due to constant construction throughout the year, has become even more active in recent days.
The reason? Well, it is because of something that happened a few days ago...
December 7th, 1655
Having concluded his inspection of the pamphlets destined for distribution throughout the Mughal Empire the previous day, Vijay wasted no time in meeting with the Minister of Communications, Kumar, the very next day.
"So Kumar, what do you think? Is it feasible?" Vijay asked with a curious gaze, as he had just proposed a communication system using the heliograph device to the Minister of Communication sitting in front of him.
Kumar was thoughtful, his hands stroking his chin in contemplation. However, within a few seconds, he had the answer he needed and replied, "Your majesty, it is theoretically feasible, as this technology has been used in the naval industry and has already proved effective."
However, his face took on a worried expression as he continued, "But Your Majesty, will this communication system be cost-effective? For this communication system to be built, a tower has to be constructed every few kilometres, similar to the naval warships. However, unlike those naval warships, these towers cannot be moved and will always be permanently located in the place they are built.
So, my only worry is if this communication system is cost-effective."
Vijay, upon hearing the response, felt reassured. He understood that not everyone in this era grasped the importance of communication and intelligence immediately.
However, it was crucial for Vijay to ensure that Kumar comprehended its significance, especially considering that the new communication system, constructed from heliograph devices, fell under the purview of the Ministry of Communication, of which Kumar was the minister.
"Kumar, you can’t only consider the economic cost for the construction of this communication system. You must also consider its benefits. For example, even though normal people will not be able to afford this communication system, have you considered that with the system installed, it could act as a direct connection between one place and another?
Unlike the post office, which, although fast, takes at least a few days for news to travel between two places."
Kumar was left thoughtful as Vijay continued, "With the installation of this communication system, the government’s administration could be improved by multiple magnitudes. With an efficient communication system installed, policies could be implemented within the same day throughout the empire, thereby achieving policy realization and universalization simultaneously."
Kumar’s eyes lit up as he failed to consider this, but Vijay was still not done yet.
"Also, have you considered that with the installation of these communication systems, all the 8 Bharatiya Institute of Technologies would be connected into a network, making it easier for research tasks to progress and for the better Dissemination of information, thereby hastening the process of scientific development?"
Vijay saw that Kumar’s expression was one of surprise upon learning only two of the benefits of the communication channels, but he did not mention to him how this communication network could also be used as signal towers in the future when radio communication is invented.
Talking about radios, before deciding upon heliograph communication, Vijay considered using a crystal radio.
This type of radio works without any external power source, with its only components being an antenna (a long wire that captures radio waves from the air), a tuning coil (a coil of wire), a crystal detector (a lead sulfate crystal and a fine wire, for which cat’s whiskers could be used), which functions as a rectifier converting alternating current signals into direct current signals, and finally an audio device (a speaker could suffice after hooking it up to a water wheel for power).
However, although the concept is theoretically feasible, it remains theoretical. Even if this device could somehow be made to work in this era, which is still difficult due to signal transmission and power source problems for the audio devices, Vijay cannot explain or dump these advanced theories to the budding scientists of the empire.
The crystal radio utilizes knowledge such as electromagnetism, radio waves, wave duality, and electronics, which were not developed until the 20th century. Perhaps they could naturally figure out this phenomenon because of Vijay’s existence pushing the technology of the world forward in a decade.
Hence, Vijay does not want to distort the technology tree of the Dakshin Bharatiya Empire And wants the scientists in the Empire to discover these theories on their own.
Returning to the discussion at hand, Vijay finally convinced Kumar about the heliograph communication platform on land.
As Kumar was about to leave to commence the work, he suddenly paused and asked Vijay, "What should we call this new communication system, Your Majesty?"
Vijay thought for a split second and a name naturally came to his mind. "Let’s use the same name that is used in the Navy and call it Arka Drishti Communication. Wherever there is a main hub in the path of this communication system, build a station to serve both the clients and the government. Hence, let’s call them Arka Drishti Stations," Vijay said, very happy with the name.
"So what do you think?" he asked.
Kumar understood the meaning of this name, and a smile naturally appeared on his face as he quickly replied, "It is a very suitable name, Your Majesty. I will complete the establishment of this department by the end of the day, and the work can start immediately."
Vijay nodded his head with satisfaction and approval.
As Kumar said, by the end of the day, a new building in the capital was occupied by a new department under the Ministry of Communication called the Arka Drishti Communication Department.
This department immediately contacted the Military Logistics Department, which currently runs all the logistics channels of the country due to the military economy system.
The Military Logistics Department, not wasting any time, promptly mobilized the local manpower and began work the very next morning. If anyone from the future saw this, they would be taken aback by the efficiency, but for people living in the current Dakshin Bharatiya Empire, it had become a normal occurrence.
Since the start of the military-economic system, once the Military Logistics Department receives any order, it starts implementing it immediately, not wasting any time.
And that brings us to the current city of Hoysala.
December 11th, 1655
Two Arka Drishti Communication towers have been installed so far in the city of Hoysala.
The route for these towers is strategically planned to be in close proximity to both the Bharatiya Institute of Technology Hoysala (BIT Hoysala) and the local administrative office, as these are the primary clients utilizing this communication system.
At the construction site, the construction manager Jayaram Raju is yelling at the top of his lungs, making sure that all the construction tasks are completed perfectly.
"Hey Gundappa, don’t hit the nail there," he said with an angry face, frustrated that these people could not even follow simple instructions. "Hit it here! Don’t you see the marking? This is a factory-marked log; you should hit the nail here and nowhere else."
The worker who was called Gundappa smiled in embarrassment and got back to work.
Jayaram Raju let out a sigh of exasperation as the last nail of the third tower in Hoysala was completed.
"Okay, pull!"
With his order, the workers pulled the rope tied to a pulley atop the standing pole, hoisting a platform to be installed on top of the four poles standing in the air. Despite the platform weighing several hundred kilograms, the workers, drenched in sweat, managed to lift it to a height of 17 meters.
Next, workers skilled in climbing coconut trees swiftly ascended the poles and secured the platform using the pegs manufactured at the factory.
With the platform in place, the structure stabilized. Following Jayaram Raju’s command, support logs and poles were installed at the tower’s four faces, completing the construction.
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After the tower’s completion, a few professors and their students from the Bharatiya Institute of Technology Hoysala also came to inspect it.
100 meters away...
"Have you seen, students? This tower, at least 18 meters tall, was constructed using the top-to-bottom construction method. Although this method is generally unsafe and not recommended by us educators, it is undeniably the fastest way to build the tower," explained a professor, pointing at the newly constructed 18-meter tower, which stood above the peaks of the surrounding trees.
"Therefore, even if something is not appreciated or recommended by the university, it doesn’t mean you are wrong. It just means it is generally wrong. But, place emphasis on the word ’generally,’ as your thoughts might be correct in specific conditions.
For example, in the current construction of this tower, although the method is generally considered wrong, it is not wrong under today’s special circumstances where speed is the key factor."
The students, mostly teenagers, were all taken aback. It was the first time they had learned that in certain circumstances, even the academy could be overruled or wrong, which was a huge revelation to them. They had never expected that the place they thought to be a representation of truth and authority could also be wrong.
But hearing the lecture of the professor, it looked like it was obviously not the case, and looking at the people swiftly coming down from the pole, they had much to ponder.
This one incident greatly altered their view of the university, bringing down the sacredness of the institution a little bit. However, this ended up being a positive experience for the empire, as the graduates ended up being more flexible in their thinking.
Even though it caused a lot of trouble for the universities, since students started to break the laws and move away from what typically everyone considered as norms, Overall it was a net positive for education.
Jayaram Raju did not know what these students and professors were talking about, but he had a tight schedule, so he immediately went over to the next construction site.
Throughout the empire, multiple such projects were taking place. In the state of Vijayanagar alone, communication channels were being established between Hampi and Bangalore, the new capital, which spanned 295 kilometres and required 59 towers.
The next project involved a channel between Hampi and Mangalore, spanning 329 kilometres and requiring 66 towers.
The third project was from Bangalore to Mangalore, covering 300 kilometres and necessitating 60 towers.
And since Hoysala is situated between the cities of Bengaluru and Mangaluru, both of which have a planned communication channel, the Hoysala Arka Drishti Station joins the Bangalore to Mangalore communication line, as Mangalore is only 120 kilometres away and is already included in the Bengaluru to Mangaluru communication line.
Similar projects are started in each and every state where the three main cities of, economic, cultural, and educational capitals are taken as main nodes, and communication channels are constructed between these three nodes, interconnecting within themselves.
These individual isolated communication channels within each state are further connected with other isolated communication channels of other states. For example, Hoysala to Pune is a communication channel spanning 607 kilometres, which requires 122 towers, further connecting the states of Satavahana and Vijayanagar.
These connections are established in all 8 states, with Anuradha Puri being an exception. In Anuradha Puri, a few Dhristi-class catamarans had to be used to complete its channel, as Anuradha Puri is an island.