Karthik sat in the back corner of Celestial Technologies, staring at the weekly ledger.
Profits were steady.
Too steady.
"₹2,200 this week. ₹2,400 the week before. ₹2,150 before that."
It wasn't bad. In fact, for most 18-year-olds, it would be amazing.
But not for someone who had seen the financial dashboards of billion-dollar corporations in his past life.
"I need growth. Not survival."
The Frustration of Good, Not Great
He looked around the shop.
Customers came and went.
Repairs were done on time.
Workers were happy.
But that was the problem — it was all too comfortable.
If I don't push now, I'll be stuck in local comfort forever.
He needed velocity.
The Plan: Bulk and Volume
That evening, over a tea stall discussion with Ravi and Sajid, he said:
"I want to start buying junk. Electronics. By the kilo."
Sajid blinked. "Junk? You mean damaged Walkmans, burnt radios, broken calculators?"
"Exactly. We sort, repair what we can, salvage parts, sell the rest in bulk. Margin will be lower per unit — but volume will carry us."
Ravi nodded. "What about storage?"
Karthik smiled. "Already arranged. Mahesh's uncle has a spare godown near the Guindy rail track."
Parrys Corner Run
By Sunday morning, Karthik and Ravi were in Parrys Corner — Chennai's heartbeat of trade, wholesale, and chaos.
They visited four scrapyards and negotiated hard.
By evening, Celestial Technologies had acquired:
18 Walkmans (9 repairable)
7 portable radios
22 pocket calculators
3 desktop keyboards
A large box of IC chips and resistors
And two monitors that "just needed one slap to start"
Total cost: ₹4,800.
Expected resale: Over ₹11,000 — if they played it smart.
The Other Investment: Stock Market
Karthik hadn't forgotten the power of the stock market.
Late at night, after everyone had left the shop, he opened an account through a trusted broker contact he met via Dr. Sundaram's recommendation.
He used ₹2,000 from profits to start investing.
But not randomly.
He made his first three picks based on 1990s market memory:
Infosys (pre-IPO rumors) — he knew its real future
Tata Tea — post-UK expansion spike was coming
Asian Paints — to benefit from real estate boom cycles
These were long plays. Quiet, patient.
"This is not for daily gain," he wrote. "It's to prepare for the real war."
A Deeper Discovery
One evening, Dr. Sundaram visited the shop to check in.
He mentioned casually, "My friend from the national research center in Kalpakkam was very impressed you recovered that data."
Karthik raised an eyebrow. "Kalpakkam?"
"Don't ask too many questions," the scientist said with a smile. "But just know — the file you saved is now part of something... very large."
Karthik nodded silently.
He didn't need details.
He just realized: his name had entered circles beyond city boundaries.
Life Beyond Business
In the middle of all this, college exams approached.
Karthik adjusted his schedule:
Shop hours cut to 5 PM–8 PM
Mornings used for revision
Group study with Aravind, Meena, and Prabhu
Cricket Match: A Breath of Life
Rajendran gathered the team for a friendly match against their local rivals from Kodambakkam.
The match was intense — with Karthik bowling surprisingly well in the final overs.
Rajendran dropped a catch, fumbled a run, but ended up hitting a last-ball four that won the match.
"See? Strategy over skill!" he declared, falling flat as he tried to celebrate.
Everyone burst into laughter.
For once, Karthik laughed too — fully, freely.
Sometimes, purpose needed play.
A Family Outing
To celebrate Karthik's successful exams, his mother suggested a small trip to Marina Beach.
Evening breeze. Roasted corn. Watching Kavitha draw in the sand.
His father, unusually relaxed, smiled and said, "You're becoming something quietly."
Karthik just nodded.
He was.
But no one — not even his family — knew how big that "something" would become.
Final Notebook Entry
"Steady business is not failure.
But it's not victory either.
I must grow faster, move sharper, bet smarter.
Junk is value waiting for recognition.
Stocks are maps hiding in plain sight.
Play the long game.
But never stop moving."