Chapter 39: When the Market Pushes Back
Date: 3 March 1972 – 28 March 1972
Location: Kaithal → Panipat Route & Panipat Market
The morning felt heavier than usual.
Not because of the workload or the lingering winter chill that still clung to the air. Something else had shifted — a subtle change in the atmosphere that Akshy noticed before anyone spoke a word about it.
Fewer calls from Panipat.
No new messages.
That silence was not peaceful. It was heavy, like the quiet before a storm.
Akshy was reviewing the previous week's service logs when Suresh entered the office, holding a small crumpled paper. His face was tight.
"Message from Panipat," he said.
Akshy looked up, setting the ledger aside. "Tell."
Suresh hesitated for a fraction of a second, as if the words tasted bitter. "They are saying… our machines are failing. Stopping after a few hours. Some customers are returning them."
Silence fell over the small room like a thick blanket.
Raghubir, who had been sorting spare part lists nearby, looked up sharply. "What?"
Akshy did not react with shock or anger. His voice remained level, almost unnaturally calm.
"Who said it?"
"Two traders," Suresh replied. "The ones who took our first units. Word is spreading in the market."
That was enough.
This was not random gossip born from dissatisfaction. This was planned. Someone had noticed their quiet entry into the city and decided to push back.
Date: 4 March 1972
Location: Panipat Market
They did not wait for the rumors to grow stronger.
The next morning, the jeep was on the road again before the sun had fully risen. The same dusty route. The same familiar landmarks. But the tension inside the vehicle was different this time — heavier, more focused.
When they reached the market, the usual chaos greeted them: shouting vendors, clanging tools, the constant honk of cycles and trucks. But something had changed in the air around their presence.
The first trader — the same man who had tested their initial unit — was no longer welcoming. He stood behind his counter with crossed arms, face guarded.
"Problem is coming," he said immediately, without greeting.
"What problem?" Akshy asked, voice steady as he placed a small bag of tools on the floor.
"People are saying your machines stop after some time. Overheat. Fail under load. Customers are talking."
Suresh stepped forward, barely containing his frustration. "Who said that?"
The trader shrugged, avoiding direct eye contact. "Market talks. You know how it is."
That answer was enough.
In the market, rumor was a sharper weapon than truth.
Akshy asked the only question that mattered. "Your own machine — is it working?"
The trader paused, then nodded reluctantly. "Working."
Silence stretched between them.
"Then why are you saying this?" Suresh demanded, voice rising slightly.
The trader looked uncomfortable. "Because others are saying it louder. If I defend you too much, they will turn on me too."
That was the real problem.
Not actual failure.
But perception.
Rumors spread faster than repaired machines.
Date: 5 March 1972
The second shop was even colder.
The trader did not even let them finish their greeting.
"I heard your machines have issues," he said bluntly, eyes narrowed. "Some people brought them back already."
Akshy looked straight at him, unflinching. "Have you used one yourself?"
The man hesitated. "No."
"Then don't speak like you have," Akshy replied calmly, without raising his voice. "Come and test it properly. See for yourself."
The trader's expression shifted — a mix of surprise and reluctant respect. Confidence, when backed by facts, carried its own weight.
The third shop was more direct.
The owner pulled them aside, voice lowered. "Someone is spreading word against you. Quietly, but effectively."
Akshy nodded once. "Who?"
"New supplier. Came from outside the district. Selling cheaper machines. Talking big about reliability. He's targeting anyone who shows interest in your units."
There it was.
Competition had noticed them.
And they had acted first.
Date: 6 March 1972
Location: Kaithal Workshop
Back at the factory, a meeting was called immediately.
The core team gathered in the small office. The air felt thick with tension.
Suresh was visibly angry, pacing near the table. "This is wrong. They are lying through their teeth. Our machines worked fine during the war. Now suddenly they fail?"
Raghubir added, voice grim, "If this spreads further, we lose everything we built in the city. One bad rumor can kill months of effort."
Shyamlal looked down at his accounts book, worry etched deep on his forehead. "Orders may stop completely. Even the village side could feel the backlash if word travels."
All eyes turned to Akshy.
He stayed calm, fingers lightly tapping the edge of the table as he thought. Then he spoke one simple line:
"Then we stop the rumor."
Simple words.
But not easy to execute.
"How?" Suresh asked, stopping his pacing.
Akshy met their gazes one by one. "We show truth. No tricks. No counter-rumors. No shouting in the market. Only real work."
No shortcuts. No clever games.
Just consistent, visible action.
Date: 7 March 1972
Action started the very next day.
Step one: Visit every active customer and shop in the city. Check every machine personally. Fix even the smallest issues on the spot.
Step two: Stay visible. Do not hide or defend from afar. Let people see them working.
Step three: No arguments. Only service.
The team was divided. Suresh took one group. Akshy led the other. They moved shop to shop, machine to machine, without fanfare.
Date: 9 March 1972
Location: Panipat Streets
Suresh and his small team moved from shop to shop under the harsh afternoon sun.
"Any problem with the unit?" he asked each customer and trader, voice polite but firm.
Some said no. Some pointed out small issues — minor overheating, dust buildup, incorrect loading.
Every single complaint was addressed on the spot. Parts replaced. Settings adjusted. Proper usage explained clearly, using the notes Karim had prepared.
Word began to spread in the narrow lanes.
"They are coming themselves."
"They are checking everything, even small things."
"Others never return after selling."
That changed the tone, slowly but noticeably.
Meanwhile, Akshy visited the main trader again — the first one who had tested their machine.
"I heard many things about your units," the trader said, watching him carefully.
Akshy nodded. "So did I."
Then he asked the key question: "Your own machine — is it still working?"
The trader replied after a pause, "Working fine."
Akshy stepped closer, voice low but clear. "Then say that also. When people ask. Tell them what you see with your own eyes."
Silence.
The trader looked at Akshy for a long moment, weighing the request. Finally, he gave a slow nod.
That single voice mattered.
Because one strong, honest voice could quiet many weak rumors.
Date: 12 March 1972
The rumors did not stop completely.
But they slowed.
Now two things existed side by side in the market:
Rumor.
And reality.
Customers and smaller traders started comparing openly.
"Others sell and disappear. These people come back for repairs."
"The cheap ones break faster, but no one returns to fix them."
That difference mattered more than any advertisement.
Date: 15 March 1972
Then came a real problem.
One machine actually failed.
Not rumor this time. A genuine breakdown.
Raghubir brought the news, face pale. "This is serious. If word gets out now, it will fuel everything."
Akshy asked only for facts. "Reason?"
Details came quickly — a small manufacturing defect in one component. Minor, but real.
Akshy decided without hesitation. "Replace it. No cost to the customer."
The machine was replaced the same day. The customer, expecting arguments or excuses, stood surprised when Suresh's team arrived with a new unit and took the faulty one away without protest.
"You didn't argue," the customer said, almost in disbelief.
Akshy, who had come personally, replied simply, "No need. It failed under our name. We take responsibility."
That single act built more trust than a hundred perfect machines.
Date: 18 March 1972
The competitor finally showed himself openly.
A man from outside the district, well-dressed, loud voice, selling noticeably cheaper machines from a newly rented shop.
"They are expensive and they fail," he declared to anyone who would listen, gesturing dramatically. "My units are cheaper and more reliable."
Suresh wanted to confront him right there in the market.
Akshy stopped him with a firm hand on his shoulder. "No public fight."
"Then what do we do?" Suresh asked, frustration clear.
Akshy replied quietly, "Let the market decide. Truth takes time, but it lasts longer than loud words."
That required real confidence.
Because in the short term, noise often wins.
Date: 22 March 1972
Orders slowed down noticeably.
Some traders reduced their interest. A few pulled back entirely.
Others stayed quiet but continued small dealings.
Balance.
Shyamlal updated the accounts in the evening, voice cautious. "Growth has slowed this month."
Akshy nodded, showing no panic. "Expected. This phase is a test. We do not break under pressure."
Date: 25 March 1972
Karim called Akshy over to the far corner of the workshop.
The tractor had improved further. The control felt smoother. The balance was noticeably better under load.
Suresh tested it personally, driving it across the compound in slow, deliberate circles.
"It can handle real load now," he said, impressed.
Akshy watched the machine carefully.
Then he said, "Field test soon."
Next stage.
But still — no rush. No premature celebration.
Date: 28 March 1972
Evening.
Akshy stood outside the factory gate once again, the cool March air brushing against his face. The compound looked the same, yet everything felt different after the month's battles.
This month had been hard.
Not because of financial loss.
But because of resistance — the market pushing back the moment they tried to grow beyond their familiar ground.
Earlier, during the war and immediate postwar period, growth had come almost forcefully, driven by urgent need.
Now, every single step was challenged.
Raghubir joined him, lighting a beedi and taking a slow drag.
"Did we make a mistake coming to the city?" he asked quietly, voicing the doubt that had lingered in everyone's mind.
Akshy looked at him, eyes steady in the dim light.
"No."
He paused, then added, "This is the real test. If it was easy, everyone would win. The city only keeps those who can stand when it pushes back."
That ended the doubt.
Akshy pulled out his small notebook and wrote under the faint glow of the compound bulb:
"Market attacks when you grow."
"Answer = work, not words."
"Stay steady."
He closed the notebook gently.
Because now he understood something important —
Success was not simply reaching the city.
Success was surviving inside it.
And they were learning how.
End of Chapter 39