A New India

Prime Minister Rohan sat with his sleeves rolled up, a sign that the day had been long but was far from over.

Across from him, K.P. Singh, the Foreign Minister of India, sat upright.

"I assume this is about something more than trade agreements," Singh said, his voice measured.

Rohan exhaled, leaning back in his chair. "It is. I need you to arrange a meeting with Bell Labs."

Singh raised an eyebrow. "Bell Labs? The Americans' prized jewel in telecommunications?"

"The same," Rohan confirmed. "I need them to help us set up our first semiconductor fabrication unit."

Singh folded his hands, his face unreadable. "That won't be easy. You're asking for access to one of the most guarded technological advancements of our time. The Americans barely share this knowledge with their closest allies, let alone a newly independent country like ours."

"I don't expect them to share their best technology," Rohan said. "But they might be willing to guide us, provide consultation, and help set up our first fabrication facility. It's an opportunity for them as much as it is for us."

Singh's expression didn't change, but his fingers drummed lightly on the desk. "You're assuming they see this as an opportunity. But from their perspective, why would they help us? India isn't a major market for semiconductors yet."

Rohan leaned forward. "Not yet. But we will be. Look at the trajectory of technology. Semiconductors will define global power. Radios, defense systems, telecommunication, computing, it all comes down to who controls the microchip. Do you really think the U.S. wants India permanently dependent on Soviet technology?"

Singh let out a quiet chuckle. "You're playing geopolitics now, Sir?"

Rohan smirked. "I'm just presenting them with a long-term investment disguised as a favor."

Singh sighed, rubbing his temples. "They won't agree to any direct transfer of technology."

"They don't have to," Rohan said. "All we need is technical guidance. A roadmap. If they help us take the first steps, we'll take care of the rest."

Singh's eyes narrowed slightly as he thought it over. "And what if they refuse outright?"

"Then we approach the Soviets," Rohan said simply. "And make sure the Americans know we're doing it."

Singh chuckled again, this time more genuinely. "You really are playing both sides."

"I'm keeping our options open," Rohan corrected. "If Bell Labs won't work with us, the Soviets might. But the Americans don't want India getting too close to the Soviets especially in technology. That's our leverage."

Singh nodded slowly. "I can arrange a preliminary meeting with their Delhi representatives. But if you want real progress, you'll need to talk to their top executives in New York."

"Then set it up," Rohan said.

Singh stood up, adjusting his cuffs. "You do realize that if this goes wrong, the Americans will shut the doors on us?"

Rohan met his gaze. "Then we break a window."

Singh let out a small laugh. "I'll make the calls."

On the other side Dr. Homi Bhabha sat at his desk in the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), his fingers tapping against the wooden surface.

A half-drunk cup of tea sat next to a pile of documents, profiles, reports, academic papers.

He had spent the last three days going through them, searching for the right minds to build something that didn't yet exist in India.

A semiconductor research lab.

A team that could build India's first transistor.

He wasn't in the mood for politics, but he knew Prime Minister Rohan was serious.

If India wanted to enter the modern age, it couldn't rely on imported technology forever.

It needed its own scientists, its own engineers, and it needed them now.

A knock at the door.

"Come in," Bhabha said, without looking up.

The door opened, and Vikram Sarabhai stepped in, holding a folder under his arm. "I hear you're building a secret team."

Bhabha finally looked up, a smirk forming at the corner of his mouth. "I wouldn't call it secret, Vikram. But yes, I need the best minds in the country. And I need them fast."

Sarabhai pulled up a chair, sitting down across from him. "You want a team of physicists, engineers, material scientists, and chemists all working together? That's not an easy ask."

"I don't care if it's easy," Bhabha said. "It has to be done."

Sarabhai leaned back. "Alright. Who do you have so far?"

Bhabha slid a sheet of paper across the desk. Sarabhai picked it up, scanning the names.

Dr. Satish Dhawan – Aeronautical engineer, a rising mind in material science.

Dr. M.G.K. Menon – A physicist with a deep understanding of solid-state electronics.

C.R. Rao – A statistics genius who could model semiconductor behavior.

Raja Ramanna – A nuclear scientist, but someone who understood atomic structures deeply.

A.S. Rao – A pioneer in Indian electronics and communications.

Sarabhai nodded slowly. "Not bad. But you're missing someone."

"Who?"

Sarabhai smirked. "Me."

Bhabha raised an eyebrow. "I thought you were busy planning on that secret organisation called something..."

"ISRO and yes I am," Sarabhai said. "But you need someone who can think beyond physics. You need someone who understands systems how semiconductors will shape industries, not just labs."

Bhabha tapped his fingers on the desk. "You realize this won't be easy, Vikram. This isn't about launching a rocket or developing a nuclear bomb. This is about building a completely new industry from nothing."

Sarabhai shrugged. "Then let's build it."

Bhabha exhaled, nodding. "Fine. Welcome to the team."

A week later, they gathered in a small conference room at TIFR.

The first official meeting of India's semiconductor research team.

The table was cluttered with notes, engineering blueprints, and crude sketches of transistor designs.

Bhabha stood at the head of the table. "Alright, gentlemen. We don't have time for long speeches. You all know why you're here. We're building India's semiconductor industry."

The room was silent.

No one spoke.

Then Satish Dhawan leaned forward. "Where do we start?"

Bhabha picked up a chalk and turned to the blackboard.

He drew a simple three-stage plan:

1. Research on Germanium Transistors – The easiest starting point, as the U.S. was already making them.

2. Fabrication Lab Setup – Build a clean room and acquire basic processing tools.

3. Move to Silicon Technology – Once they had mastered germanium.

"This is the roadmap," Bhabha said. "But we have two major problems. We don't have the materials, and we don't have the equipment."

A.S. Rao, the electronics expert, frowned. "We don't even produce high-purity germanium in India."

"We can import it," Harish Mehta, the Finance Minister, said from the corner of the room.

He had insisted on sitting in, to ensure money wasn't wasted. "But it will be expensive."

Sarabhai looked at Bhabha. "And what about manufacturing? Where's the fabrication going to happen?"

"Bangalore," Bhabha said. "The government has already approved land for the National Semiconductor Research Lab (NSR Lab) there."

Dhawan nodded. "Bangalore makes sense. But we still need fabrication tools etching machines, diffusion furnaces, testers."

"That's where Bell Labs comes in," Bhabha said. "The Prime Minister is working on negotiations."

"Bell Labs isn't going to give us their best technology," Raja Ramanna pointed out.

"They don't need to," Bhabha replied. "They just need to help us build the basics. We'll take it from there."

There was silence again.

Then Sarabhai smirked. "This is madness, you know that?"

Bhabha grinned. "Absolutely."

"And you're sure we can pull it off?"

Bhabha looked around the room.

The best minds in the country were sitting right here.

If anyone could do it, it was them.

"We don't have a choice," he said. "We either build this industry now, or we remain dependent on others forever."

Raja Ramanna leaned forward. "Then let's get to work."

And just like that, India's semiconductor revolution had begun.