Raajali - The Falcon

   Raajali - The Falcon

“Who invented Raajali? Was it you or me?”
The question came in a soft voice from Ranjan, who was sitting opposite me.
The illness had worn him down. His hands trembled weakly, and he had lost a lot of weight. His face was shriveled, and his jawbones jutted out sharply.

Raajali is a small flying drone. Ranjan designed it back in 1988 when we were both studying together at IIT.
The following week, I too made a similar drone, but I attached a camera to it. It could fly twice as high as Ranjan’s and was made of a different metal to prevent easy damage.
For some reason, my drone became far more popular in college. It even took on the name Raajali for itself.
Ranjan did not care much about it because back then, he was my dearest friend.
But today, he sat in front of me as my rival.

Ranjan broke the silence.
“Raghav, you still haven't answered my question.”
“You never asked me this question back then.”
“Yes, and I have been paying the price for it for the past thirty years.”

Speaking with emotion brought on a bout of coughing. His wife gently supported him and led him into the next room.

Ranjan's question kept echoing within me.
Who really invented Raajali?
Without a doubt, it was Ranjan. Even back then, he was an eccentric genius.

We came from completely different backgrounds. I studied at a prestigious private school in Chennai. My father was a senior manager at a major corporation.
Ranjan was from Panruti, a small town, and had studied in an ordinary school before making it to IIT. He couldn’t even speak English fluently when we first met.

But the first time I saw Ranjan, I liked him immediately. We clicked effortlessly.
We liked the same girls, enjoyed the same movies.
Through me, he got used to reading English novels and watching English films.

We would often talk endlessly about our dreams. Our common goal was to study well and get a job at NASA in America.
But neither of us ended up at NASA.
Soon, our ambitions changed, and life took us on a journey toward far greater achievements.

Ranjan sat again in front of me.
“This is a killer disease. You have caused me many harms. This illness is one of them.”
He chuckled at the surprise on my face.
“You were the one who taught me to smoke.”
“I quit after marriage.”
“You escaped. Raghav, I am not afraid of death. But there are some things I must complete in this world. Only I can do them. I just ask God for five more years.”

“I came here with the same intention. Last year, I thought of forgetting our rivalry and working together again. But fate played its part. Your end will be a huge loss for me.”

“March 18, 1990. Do you remember that day?”
“How could I forget? That day shaped our lives.”

During our college days, Ranjan and I often visited the library at Besant Nagar.
One day, Raghav showed me a thousand-page book, Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. After reading the synopsis on the cover, I too picked up a copy. We both finished it within three days.

After finishing the book, I was overwhelmed with emotion. I went looking for Ranjan.
It was midnight. All the students were studying for the next day’s exam.
Ranjan was lying on the terrace, staring at the moon. I sat beside him.

“Raghav, I haven’t studied for tomorrow's exam.”
“Same here.”
“From tomorrow, I am quitting college.”
“I will follow you.”
“I am not going to NASA.”
“We will create an organization stronger than NASA.”
“We will change the world with electric cars, autonomous vehicles, and flying cars.”

I placed my hands on Ranjan's. He gripped them tightly.
This is the story of how one book changed both our lives and marked the beginning of how we changed the world.

Within ten years, we started a car manufacturing company. It became the leading car company in India, a story worthy of a novel.

The day we parted ways was January 1st, 2000.
Ranjan had invited me to his home to celebrate the New Year. After exchanging pleasantries, the conversation turned to business.

“Raghav, ten years ago, we dreamed big. How much of it have we achieved?”
“Didn’t you read yesterday’s Economic Times? They predict we’ll remain number one for the next ten years.”

“Is that enough? Our models are cheaper than competitors, so we are first.”
“Our models are also praised for their quality.”
“True. But weren't our dreams bigger? Electric cars, autonomous cars, flying cars—wasn’t that our real goal?”
“The global market’s oil prices are low now. Even if they go up tenfold, electric cars still won’t be cheaper to produce than petrol/diesel cars. Even giants like Ford, GM, Toyota, and Honda are struggling with this.
The autonomous and flying cars you mentioned are all locked away in some research lab.”
“Give me six months. I will bring you a technical proposal for electric cars.”

Despite hours of discussion, I did not agree to his proposal.
Ranjan left and started his own car company.
Within four years, his electric cars were running on Indian roads.
His cars were cheaper than all global competitors and even cheaper than petrol/diesel cars.

Not just in India, but globally, his company began producing electric cars.
The following year, my company introduced an electric car model.
Due to its lower price, higher battery life, luxurious flight-like experience, and elegant design, we quickly regained the number-one spot in the market.

Then, in 2014, Ranjan launched autonomous vehicles into the market.
The next year, I launched an even better autonomous vehicle model.

My company always stayed in the number-one spot globally, while Ranjan’s remained second.
In 2019, Ranjan announced his dream project of bringing flying cars to the market.
Due to the outbreak of COVID-19, that project was postponed.

Two months ago, Ranjan gave the shocking news that he had cancer and only six months left to live.
After hearing this, many plans formed in my mind.
That’s why I was sitting before him now.

“Lost in old memories, Raghav?”
“Yes. Looking back, the journey is indeed fascinating.”
“You still haven’t told me why you came.”
“Ranjan, I was saddened to hear about your health. Have you decided on your company’s future after you?”
“I have appointed a new CEO.”
“But you are the company’s backbone. Once you are gone, your shareholders will flee.
Even after you announced your health condition, your company’s stocks crashed.”

“You clearly have a plan. Say it openly.”
“Our dreams have always been the same. We only differed in approach.”
“So?”
“Let’s merge our companies. After you, I will carry forward our dreams.”

“You still haven’t answered the question I asked at the start of this story. Who invented Raajali?”
“Who invented it doesn't matter. What matters is who simplified it and made it exceptional for the world to use.
The cars you made were like Motorola or Nokia phones of the ’90s. The cars I made are like iPhones.
I don't need to tell you what the world celebrates today.”

“How do I explain to you the importance of Motorola and Nokia to a world that hadn’t even dreamed of a mobile phone?
Without them, there wouldn't be an iPhone.”

“Our ideological differences don’t matter now. Shouldn’t our achievements continue for future generations? Don’t let pride stop you. Accept my proposal.”

“To hand over my company to you would be like losing my soul.”

No matter how much I argued, I couldn’t make Ranjan agree.
Four months later, Ranjan passed away.

A week later, I received a call from his wife.
I could feel the emptiness of Ranjan’s absence in his home.

She handed me a letter written by Ranjan.

Raghav,

Our conversation during our last meeting has been echoing in my mind.
Once, in New York, I visited a mall. There, our showrooms were next to each other.

I was amazed to see how people admired your cars. Even if they didn’t buy, they found joy just looking at them.
In contrast, at my showroom, the impact was much less.
It felt like people bought my cars just because they were the world’s first electric or autonomous cars.

Why this difference?
What did I do wrong? What did you do right?
I realized one thing clearly.

I was just a scientist. My cars were merely scientific solutions to the world’s needs.
But you were more than a scientist.
You were an artist.
Your cars had beauty and artistic finesse.
You didn’t just solve problems—you gave people joy.

Our roles are equally important.
We are like two halves of a circle. Without either, the circle is incomplete.

*For that very reason, I cannot give you my company.
Our companies, our ideological differences, and the competition between us are necessary for this world.
Without Tesla, there is no Edison.
Without Bill Gates, there is no Steve Jobs.

Without Raghav, there is no Ranjan. Without my company, there is no your company. Let them both run independently and conquer the world.

With love,
Ranjan

His wife then took me to Ranjan's office.
Inside, in a glass display case, were two drones.
One was the one I had designed 33 years ago.
The other was the one Ranjan had designed.
Both were neatly placed side by side inside the glass case.

Ranjan's wife handed me another letter.

Raghav,

Do you remember something that happened during our college days? Both our Raajali drones went missing.
Despite searching frantically, we couldn’t find them. You were deeply disappointed.

But the truth is, I was the one who hid them.
All these years, I preserved them with great care.

You have won many times in business.
There were many moments when I felt defeated.
During those times, just looking at these two Raajalis gave me hope and recharged my energy.

After my death, you alone will be the rightful owner of these Raajalis.
I believe they will give you the same strength they gave me.

Raghav and Ranjan both invented Raajali.
Let history remember it that way.

With love,
Ranjan.

Tears rolled down my cheeks and soaked the letter.

The two Raajalis looked at me with excitement, as if smiling warmly.