《Bringing the new era》


 Arrival

    The Mumbai airport buzzed with its familiar symphony of sounds¡ªa mix of announcements, hurried footsteps, and the lively conversations of travelers.


    Rakesh positioned himself by the arrival gate, his crisp blue shirt and beige trousers standing out against the surrounding commotion.


    He held a small sign that read ¡°Aditya Srivastav¡± in bold, black letters. After nearly an hour of waiting, the rhythmic tapping of his right foot, the frequent glances at his watch, and the beads of sweat forming on his forehead revealed his growing impatience.


    ¡°I really shouldn¡¯t have arrived so early. His flight has landed, yet there¡¯s still no sign of him,¡± Rakesh sighed, a frown creasing his brow. He rose onto his toes and stretched his neck, scanning the crowd for his friend. ¡°Ah, there he is, fashionably late as usual,¡± he murmured under his breath, raising his hand to catch his friend¡¯s attention.


    A young man in his early twenties, with smooth olive skin and a captivating smile, weaved through the throng, his height of 6 ''2 making him a striking figure amidst the crowd, drawing curious glances from those around him.


    Aditya made his way through the crowd until he spotted Rakesh. ¡°Hey, man! I¡¯m really sorry for keeping you waiting,¡± he said, pulling Rakesh into a quick hug, a sheepish grin on his face.


    ¡°It¡¯s all good; I should have known better than to arrive so early,¡± Rakesh replied with a hint of sarcasm in his tone.


    ¡°I truly apologize. I promise I¡¯ll be on time next time,¡± Aditya said earnestly, his hand tucked behind his back.


    ¡°I can see you¡¯re hiding something back there. Must be crossing your fingers. Do you really think you can trick me?¡± Rakesh teased, locking eyes with him.


    ¡°Guilty as charged, my friend,¡± Aditya admitted with a playful smile, raising his hands in surrender.


    ¡°You¡¯re such a kid sometimes¡­¡± Rakesh sighed, shaking his head at Aditya¡¯s antics.


    ¡°Come on, my family is eager to see you,¡± Rakesh said affectionately as they headed toward the exit, where a taxi awaited them. Aditya¡¯s brow furrowed in confusion at the sight of the taxi.


    ¡°Why are we taking a taxi? What happened to your trusty old ambassador?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Dad lent it to some relatives for a while¡ªI¡¯m not really sure,¡± Rakesh replied.


    ¡°What? Are you upset about this?¡± Rakesh pressed on.


    ¡°No, why would you think that? You know me better than that,¡± Aditya responded, a hint of irritation creeping into his voice.


    ¡°I was just joking! No need to get all worked up,¡± Rakesh clarified with a chuckle.


    They both climbed into the taxi, which soon began to move. After settling in, they started to catch up, while the scenery outside the window transformed with each passing moment.


    Through the slightly dusty window, Bombay in March 1993 stirs to life under a pale golden sun. The air is already warm, carrying the scent of damp earth, fresh flowers from roadside vendors, and the unmistakable mix of diesel fumes and salty sea breeze.


    On the sidewalks, hawkers arrange their wares¡ªgarlands of marigolds, stacks of newspapers with bold headlines, steaming steel tumblers of chai. Office-goers in crisp shirts and trousers hurry toward buses, while women in colourful sarees balance baskets of vegetables on their heads, chatting as they walk.


    A big red double-decker bus lumbers past, its conductor ringing the bell as passengers hang onto the side rails.


    The taxi halts at a signal near a bustling Irani cafe, its wooden doors propped open. Inside, old men in white kurtas sip chai, dripping bun maska into their cups, while waiters in stained aprons shuffle between tables. A newspaper vendor knocks on the glass, flashing the copy of The Times Of India, its front page likely filled with political news and cricket updates


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    Rakesh casually glanced out at the distant view of Marine Drive, the Arabian Sea stretching endlessly beyond the Art Deco buildings, and asked, ¡°How many years has it been since you went to the US for your studies? Eight? Nine?¡±


    ¡°It''s been nine years¡­¡± Aditya replied softly, his thoughts drifting elsewhere.


    ¡°So, are you planning to settle back in India for good?¡± Rakesh inquired cautiously.


    ¡°Yeah, that''s the plan for now. But I¡¯ll still need to travel abroad for various reasons,¡± Aditya responded nonchalantly.


    ¡°I figured as much. Your renewable energy startup is based in the US, right? The one focused on solar panels? And what about that new material you were working on?¡± Rakesh asked.


    ¡°Our solar energy startup is thriving; we¡¯ve reached 80% efficiency. However, those will be used for scientific applications due to their cost, while commercial versions will only hit 50% efficiency. As for the material, I think I¡¯ve finally created it.¡± Aditya paused for a moment, building anticipation.


    ¡°What is it? Don¡¯t keep me in suspense!¡± Rakesh exclaimed, a hint of impatience in his voice.


    ¡°Alright, alright. You¡¯re such a buzzkill. It¡¯s graphene!¡± Aditya declared, excitement bubbling over.


    ¡°Graphene? Isn¡¯t that the material that¡¯s supposed to be stronger than steel yet lighter than a feather? You actually created it?¡± Rakesh exclaimed, practically jumping in his seat, his eyes wide with excitement at the possibilities.


    Aditya spoke with a hint of pride, ¡°Absolutely, it¡¯s the wonder material. Its potential is enormous, and I truly believe it will change the world.¡±


    Rakesh, connecting the dots, asked, ¡°Is this what led to the incredible efficiency in your solar panels?¡±


    Aditya nodded, pleased with his scientific breakthrough.


    As he gazed out of the taxi at the bustling people going about their day, he continued, ¡°Researchers are already diving into graphene for both scientific and commercial applications. It¡¯s going to be a hot topic soon, though we might not see the impact for another decade.¡±


    ¡°Just like how plastic transformed our lives, right?¡± Rakesh remarked, also looking out the window.


    ¡°Exactly, just like plastic,¡± Aditya replied.


    ¡°Then you¡¯re definitely in line for a Nobel Prize in Physics in the coming years,¡± Rakesh said, his voice filled with enthusiasm for his friend¡¯s potential recognition.


    ¡°Maybe, but honestly, that¡¯s not what drives me,¡± Aditya replied nonchalantly, seemingly unfazed by the idea.


    ¡°Don¡¯t downplay your accomplishments. What you¡¯ve achieved will be celebrated in history books, I¡¯m certain of it!¡± Rakesh encouraged, aware that his friend often underestimated himself.


    Aditya chuckled at Rakesh¡¯s enthusiasm and turned to him, asking, ¡°You remember my dream, right?¡±


    ¡°How could I forget your grand vision? ¡®I want to change the world for the better!¡¯¡± Rakesh said, playfully mimicking Aditya¡¯s tone.


    ¡°When you first shared that dream, I thought you were a bit out there. It seemed like something from a story, not reality. But now, I genuinely believe you can make it happen.¡±


    ¡°Come on! Don¡¯t put me on a pedestal; I might get a big head. In science, arrogance can be an inventor¡¯s downfall. There¡¯s always someone out there who¡¯s better,¡± Aditya said, trying to maintain a humble demeanor.


    Rakesh simply gazed at him.


    ¡°I apologize if I came off as preachy,¡± Aditya said softly, avoiding eye contact with his friend.


    ¡°Not at all. Given who your grandfather was, this makes perfect sense,¡± Rakesh reassured him, hoping to ease his friend''s discomfort.


    ¡°It¡¯s my grandfather¡¯s dream that I¡¯m now pursuing,¡± Aditya replied quietly, his gaze drifting out the taxi window. ¡°I figured as much¡­¡± came a gentle response from Rakesh.


    Aditya managed a small smile, likely reminiscing about his grandfather.


    ¡°By the way, did you know that the World Wide Web became public this year?¡± Aditya suddenly shifted the conversation.


    ¡°Yeah, so what?¡± Rakesh asked, intrigued.


    ¡°Well, I teamed up with a couple of my college friends to create a browser aimed at improving internet surfing, and it¡¯s starting to gain some traction in the tech community,¡± he explained.


    ¡°So, we can use it to find web pages made by others?¡± Rakesh asked, trying to grasp the concept despite his confusion. ¡°It¡¯s not exactly a search engine, but it will assist with that. We decided to make it open source for everyone. There¡¯s also a new browser launching next month called Mosaic,¡± Aditya added, recalling the name.


    ¡°What¡¯s the name of your browser, then?¡± Rakesh inquired.


    ¡°Nebula! Isn¡¯t that a fantastic name? George came up with it,¡± Aditya replied enthusiastically.


    ¡°It is a good name. But if you¡¯re here, who¡¯s managing the business side?¡± Rakesh asked.


    ¡°That would be George. He¡¯s the CEO and will oversee the business operations. Cameron is the CFO, and I have found someone to take on the role of CTO. Even though I hold 49% of the shares since the idea and initial funding were mine, those two will handle all the business and financial details. But the exciting part is the algorithm I developed, which will give us a competitive advantage over other browsers,¡± Aditya said, laughing a bit, clearly thrilled.


    Rakesh looked puzzled as he asked, ¡°What¡¯s so exciting about an algorithm?¡± His friend¡¯s enthusiasm was hard for him to grasp.


    ¡°I¡¯ve developed a fantastic PageRank system that will simplify web page navigation through a user-friendly interface. I even patented it, so anyone who wants to use my algorithm will need my approval.¡±


    Rakesh interrupted, realization dawned on him, ¡°And that¡¯s going to help you generate passive income, right?¡±


    ¡°Exactly! I plan to use that income to fund my other projects. I¡¯ve already put some of my inheritance into companies like Qualcomm, Microsoft, and Cisco,¡± Aditya replied, unfazed by Rakesh¡¯s interruption.


    ¡°Maybe I should consider investing in those companies too, if you¡¯re so sure about them,¡± Rakesh said thoughtfully.


    ¡°Absolutely, you should!¡± Aditya encouraged, noticing the concern on his friend¡¯s face. ¡°I know you¡¯re worried about what happened last year with the Harshad Mehta case, but trust me, these companies are poised for greatness.¡±


    The conversation faded as they both gazed out the window, the heavy air of Bombay still thick with the tension from recent riots across the nation. Yet, despite the turmoil, Aditya held onto


    hope¡ªa hope to improve the daily lives of ordinary people and to build a brighter future for the country.