Chapter 368 Wonderful
"Amma, are you saying that Hinduism allows men to marry four wives?"
"Brahman."
"Yes, but why haven't I heard of it before?"
Ron knew that herders could marry four wives, but he had never heard that Hindus could do the same.
Is there any relationship between the two?
"It is only recorded in the ancient Manu Code, and the current version is no longer available."
“What a pity…”
"What did you say?"
"Oh, I mean it's a pity that the glorious Manu Code cannot be passed down in its entirety."
"If India wants to become a modern and powerful nation, it must discard the outdated aspects of its religion."
"Yes, you are right." Ron nodded obediently.
After the Congress Party came to power, it has actually been following a secular approach.
Their goal was to gradually modernize India through relatively mild means.
So modern laws replaced religious codes, and the Marriage Act enacted in the 1950s prohibited Hindus from practicing polygamy.
Relevant content in the "Code of Manu" was also deliberately deleted, and most of the books displayed in bookstores now are castrated versions.
Ron was born in the 1970s and had never heard of his own religion, which had such a tradition in the past.
The middle class in modern cities also accepts this legal constraint.
However, this custom has been preserved in some backward and poor areas.
Even a small number of Hindus converted to Islam in order to circumvent legal restrictions and legally marry multiple wives.
"Mom, you don't want me to..."
Jayalalithaa slapped him.
"What are you dreaming of? You've already bullied two women. Do you want to marry four wives according to the Manu Code?"
"Of course not. How could I do that? I got them pregnant out of love for them, not out of religion."
Ron's mind was racing. Oh, why didn't anyone tell him before that Brahmins could marry four wives?
The Manusmriti stipulates this, how can he go against the true God?
There must be a reason why he asked him to marry four wives, so that four families would be relieved.
Yeah, yes, that's it.
The people around me are all idiots and don’t even know this.
“I am saying this because your case is special,” Jayalalithaa sighed.
"I'll listen to you, Mom."
“You can marry Verma’s daughter but also marry Kavya.”
"How do I do it?" Ron asked humbly.
"Two women, one in North India and one in South India. They don't need to meet each other and don't interfere with each other. But your career is in Mumbai, so they can stagger their time to come there and reunite with you."
Great! Ron almost clapped his hands.
"Now that things have come to this, this is the only way." He looked ashamed.
Jayalalithaa looked at him without saying a word, as if she saw through everything.
"But I still have a question," he added.
"What?"
“Even if Isha and Kavya agree, how will the legal issues be resolved?”
According to modern Indian law, one can have only one legal wife.
So who is the legitimate one? This concerns future inheritance rights.
“That’s exactly what I wanted to say.” Jayalalithaa straightened herself.
"Yes, I'm listening."
"Regardless of the legal issues, you must treat their two children equally in the future."
"Of course." Ron shook his head.
"Same inheritance."
"Um?"
"The north belongs to the north, and the south belongs to the south. You have to make a written guarantee."
“Mom, it’s not that I don’t agree, but business matters can’t be handled in such a one-size-fits-all manner.
Take Sur Electric, for example. It has branches all over India. If they were to forcibly break it up, it would be like destroying their own strength.”
"Of course I know. I mean different industries can be divided. I heard you also have cement and mining businesses in the north?"
"These are just the beginning, Mom. I think it's too early to talk about this issue now?" Ron thought she was too impatient.
"You don't understand. Some things must be decided now. When the children grow up and have their own ideas, some things will be difficult to discuss."
Ron was stunned. He hadn't really thought that far ahead. As the first generation, no one dared to question his decision.
But what about decades later, will the next generation become enemies?
The Ambani brothers are the best example, they are brothers.
"How about this? I'll make the decision for Kavya. This will also provide her with the most basic protection. The port in Tamil Nadu will be managed by you and her child from now on."
"Okay." Ron nodded in agreement.
"But that's not enough. Any business you own now is more profitable than the port. You need to give us at least a little more compensation. It can't be less than the scale of the cement plant and the mining industry."
"Shipping," Ron sighed.
"Shipping?"
“This was originally a future plan, but since you asked, I’ll tell you about it.
Ennoer Port is just the first step. Once the port is established, shipping is needed to support it.
The whole world is now in a golden period of rapid development, and the pace of globalization is accelerating.
What is globalization? Simply put, it’s trade!
I believe that in the next 20 to 30 years, global demand for shipping will be extremely strong.
This is an opportunity, and it's the perfect time to enter the industry. We'll start with domestic shipping in India, and then gradually expand to surrounding areas.
Of course, there won’t be just one port. I plan to buy a few more ports in Gujarat.
Trade there with the Persian Gulf states has been growing, and current cargo throughput is far from meeting demand.
"Mother, I'm optimistic about this business. The Ennore Port in Madras will be open for business in half a year. When you go there, you'll see so many ships that you won't be able to count them."
Jayalalithaa believed this statement. During her time in the detention center, she also read a lot of news.
Among them were numerous reports of ship congestion at Madras Port, which was so busy that the docks were overwhelmed.
According to Ron, a few ports plus a promising shipping business should be enough to ensure the lives of Kavia and the children.
"If I have the opportunity to govern again in the future, I will grant you a few more ports in Tamil Nadu."
"That would be the best, of course. It's all for the children." Ron agreed quickly.
“I am just going to wrong Kavya,” Jayalalithaa said with a bit of shame.
"What?"
"After all, in modern India, you can only have one legal wife. Register your marriage with the Verma family's daughter."
"Mom?" Ron looked at her in surprise.
This was really beyond his expectation that as Kavya's aunt, she actually gave this opportunity to an outsider.
"I can't control the outside world, but in Tamil Nadu, I will make Kavya your legal wife. Don't worry about the paperwork, I will have someone take care of it."
"You mean New Delhi follows the normal process, while Tamil Nadu follows a separate system?"
"Nothing is impossible. As long as you don't make this public, no one will care."
"I see." Ron nodded.
Jayalalithaa's intention is very straightforward. Verma's daughter Isha will become Ron's official wife.
That is, in New Delhi, North India, their relationship is legally recognized.
But in Tamil Nadu, Jayalalithaa can manipulate and make Kavya the legal wife of Ron.
Sounds like bigamy, or concealed registration.
But are there legal risks involved? For example, if Ron's marriage is found to be chaotic and in conflict?
It may be obvious in other countries, but not in India.
If they really had that ability, the number of cases in Mumbai would not have piled up to tens of millions.
The situation in each state in India is different, and local governments have great legislative power.
The four states of South India have always been at odds with North India. Their culture, language, customs, and even race are different.
If it were not for Britain, the four states of South India would never have been unified into the country of India.
The gap between the two sides is far deeper than outsiders can imagine.
So Jayalalithaa was not joking when she said that making Kavya the legal wife of Ron.
She could have made sure that the Tamil judiciary and society recognized their marital relationship.
However, the area is ultimately limited to Tamil Nadu, and cannot compare with the influence of New Delhi.
Ron now understood why Jayalalithaa had been so anxious to ask him to clearly allocate the ownership of the port.
Kavya was at a disadvantage in terms of status, and she wanted to compensate her niece.
"But no matter what, the agreement between the South and the North still stands. They are equal in status and have the same rights."
"Yes, I promise."
"I'll go and convince Kavya." Jayalalithaa was ready.
"Let me tell her the news first. She is pregnant with my child."
Jayalalithaa gave him a deep look and said, "You are a real man. You did not run away from the battlefield."
"I've always been a responsible person." Ron regained his composure.
"Let's go down, Kavya must be waiting anxiously."
"Wait, Mom, have you ever thought about what will happen after you get out of prison?"
"What?" Jayalalithaa, who was about to get up, sat back down.
"I mean, what are your thoughts on the future political situation in Tamil Nadu?"
"It's only been a year since the general election. The AIADMK needs to study its last defeat carefully so that it can make a comeback next time."
"No, it's too late. That's still a few years away."
"What do you want to say?" Jayalalithaa said seriously.
“Amma, have you been following the DMK’s governance this year?”
"I've read all the papers on the subject."
“What do you think of DMK’s performance?”
"Hmph, what a mess!" Jayalalithaa sneered.
Even though the DMK is clamoring to punish Jayalalithaa for corruption cases during her administration, they themselves are not good people either.
The ruling team led by Karunanidhi could not wait to start amassing wealth as soon as they came to power.
A highway built in the state last year was exposed to serious problems of false reporting of project quantities and cutting corners, resulting in collapse and cracks in some sections before they were opened to traffic.
There were also cases of contract fraud and misappropriation of funds when the government procured medical equipment and medicines, and in the end, all the suppliers who got the contracts were those with close ties to DMK.
The funny thing is that they originally accused Jayalalithaa of taking huge kickbacks when she procured Sur television sets.
In fact, DMK also makes a lot of kickbacks when it makes its own purchases.
All Indian officials are of the same character: none of them is not greedy.
But this was not the worst. They did something stupid, which gave Ron an opportunity to take advantage of them.
(End of this chapter)
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