Chapter 9: Demonstration.

Under the guidance of Dharmapal, the village Elder, the villagers were gathered in a single place, near the Banyan tree. There Radheya was at the front of the crowd with the Elders and his waterwheel.

He looked calm on the surface but was nervous since it was his first time ever addressing a crowd. He might have been an active NGO member in his past life but he was the type who worked in background and did not prefer to address the large number of people.

The Elders had gone to a great length to gather the villagers. After he showed the model of the waterwheel and how it works to Elder Dharmapal last week, the Elders became very busy gathering the crowd. Many of the people worked in the noble houses where holidays were rarely given.

The Elders tried very hard to convince those people saying that the tool that will be shown will be very helpful to the kingdom. So, he has to do a stellar work in convincing not only the villagers but also the official that have come from the palace, otherwise his family will be severely punished. Which by the way, wasn't helping in decreasing the pressure.

It has to be said that being close to those in powers is very helpful even if it is just a low job like charioteer. It allowed his father to talk to Mahamahim Bhisma during one of their travels and ask for permission. Since, Bhisma was so fond of Adhiratha, he helped by sending an official to the presentation.

Also, the rumor is that if the official likes the presentation and decides it is helpful for the kingdom's people then not only will they be awarded tax free monetary reward but also few manpower to set up the waterwheel.

They will also be hired to lead and direct the teams that will make similar waterwheel throughout the kingdoms and maybe even other neighboring kingdoms with very good wages. Though, it might not be a rumor since Mahamahim told his father directly and father told him. It came from legitimate source, so not a rumor.

Radheya looked at the crowds and watched as they stayed in front of the stage. He recognize almost all of them and also the official from the palace who was in different getup than the rest of the people and was sitting in a place from which everything in the stage is visible.

"Hey I heard some miracle tool was to be shown today. Do you know anything about it?"

"No but it heard Adhiratha's son created the tool."

"Adhiratha's son? Isn't he like 4 or 5 years old? You must have heard wrong. Otherwise how can a tool created by child be called miracle tool?"

"Yeah, you must not have noticed but there is a high ranking official from the palace. Why would such a person come if the tool was created by Adhiratha's son?"

"I don't know anything about that but it was the Elders who told me. They shouldn't have lied about that"

"Well you are right. But let's see what happens."

"Hey, did you hear Radha's son made some great tool and palace will reward him if it is successful."

"Yeah I heard about it too. Hey do you think we can get our daughter married to him if he is successful?"

"Don't even think about it? I heard Sumitra's daughter is to be married to him. If you even talk about it then you will get it, understand."

"Yeah. Yeah I understand."

Radheya and the Elders watched as the crowd murmured on their own. He looked towards Radha Maa who nodded at him. Radheya smiled and walked towards the center of the stage. "Namaskar everyone. I am Radheya, son of Adhiratha and Radha. Some time ago, Ganga Maa came to my dream and showed me a tool that can help us solve the problem of drought we are facing.

I made a drawing of the waterwheel and showed it to the Elders. The Elders helped me by making some equipment to make the real-life model of the waterwheel. Today, I am bringing the model of the waterwheel in front of you to show you how it works. So, please be ready.

 What I am about to show you today is something that will make us battle against the drought more easily. We live near the capital so the backlash we face is low but some villages have started to have their lakes dry up.

If this wheel is used correctly then it will change the way we farm, something that will make people's life easier. So, allow me to introduce you to waterwheel, a tool that does so much work that even the oxen will get jealous.

(A few villagers chuckle at this.)

What you see in front of you is a small model version of the waterwheel but the principle is same. As the wheel rotates, these pots attached to the wheel are filled with water from the river and carries it upward.

And while rotating, the water pours into a canal that we will build. The canal will be connected to a huge lake. We can connect various small canals to this lake and use the water for irrigation on our fields, our orchards or even a small pond for our animals."

While saying this Radheya rotates the waterwheel by his hands while showing how exactly it works. Seeing this one of the villagers asked, "Radheya, how will this work? Although you are spinning it now, I doubt you are going to do it all day, are you?"

Radheya replied chuckling, "Of course not. My hands have much better things to do like eating laddu and chapatti. In a real setup, the current of the river will spin the wheel naturally by pushing the pots connected to it. And if there is no river current then we can use oxen or donkeys to drive the mechanism. Either way we can get water from the river to our villages."

Another villagers raised his eyebrows and asked, "But what if the wheel breaks? You know how things in our village have a habit of breaking and being lost when you need them?"

"A good question. That's why we'll use strong woods like neem or teak to resist the rot. As for pots, we can use sturdy clay or even metals if we are feeling ambitious. Maintenance will be simple, just little oiling on the axle now and then.

And even if some parts gets destroyed then we can easily pick that apart and fix it with a new part. If you have paid attention to the way this model is made then you will realize what I said is possible to do."

The palace official looked impressed and nodded at the practical explanation given by Radheya. At the same time, villagers continued to ask questions to Radheya.

"Hey Radheya, will it be able to lift enough water needed to fill the pond that can irrigate several acres? Or will it take months to do that?"

"No. No. No. It won't take months. And if this waterwheel is of proper size and is properly put there, then it can lift enough water to irrigate several acres of land in a day. Of course the pond will connect to the river far down through another canal, so that the pond water will remain fresh and useful for drinking. The waterwheel won't complain, and it won't certainly stop working claiming it is tired all the while gossiping about another-unlike certain people I know."

There was a soft laughter amongst the villagers. The explanation given by Radheya had satisfied the villagers and the palace officer. But the palace officers asks one last questions that no one else asked.

"Radheya, this waterwheel idea of yours is remarkable and impressive. I would go as far as saying it is revolutionary. But what will it cost to build? No matter how revolutionary the idea is and can change the future, we should focus in the present. So, tell me is this idea of yours affordable by the villagers?"

"Of course, my lord. The cost depends on the materials. If we use wood and clay, it won't cost much. Even if there is no help from the palace, we can build it in our village by ourselves. This idea will not disappear in the time due to the lack of funds. And the value it brings is priceless. Because we will not only save time but also grow more food and create something that will serve use for years." Radheya replies to the palace official.

'Ha! What a double standard. You guys have no problem giving away large amount of wealth in rewards to even those who just sing a just little better, but have problem funding my waterwheel.'

Hearing this the official looked at Radheya for a moment before laughing, "Hahaha. You don't need to worry about the funds Radheya. I was just jesting and checking something. This idea of yours is definitely praiseworthy. Our King, Dhritarastha is a very generous and kind-hearted king.

When he will hear about this wheel of yours, he will definitely want to build it in every village of the nation to help our people. I just wanted to know that it won't put much of a dent to the royal treasury. And if it did then how much harder will we have to work to recover.

Because believe me, the generous king of ours will definitely fund this project of yours."

Hearing this Radheya smiles and looks towards the villagers who are looking at the model and smiling by imaging their improved future.