It started small — like most things that matter.
A quiet Tuesday afternoon. Karthik was walking past Lakshmi Stationery, planning to drop off a new version of the stock sheet template he'd improved over the weekend.
He noticed a few students standing outside the store, pointing to a colorful board pinned to the door.
"Now Selling Study Planners – ₹2 only!"
Karthik blinked.
He stepped inside.
Behind the counter stood Kumar, Lakshmi aunty's nephew — early twenties, gold chain, a sharp jaw, and an even sharper eye for opportunity.
"Hi, Kumar," Karthik said, his voice light.
"Hey Karthik! What's up?" Kumar replied casually.
He handed over one of the planners.
Karthik looked at it — nearly identical to the one he'd made and sold two weeks earlier. Same format. Same fonts. Only the colors had changed.
Even the typo in "assignment" was copied.
And there was no mention of Karthik.
He smiled.
And said nothing.
The Conversation That Changed Him
That evening, he returned — not to fight, but to ask.
He waited until the shop was quiet, then approached Kumar.
"Nice planner," he said.
Kumar grinned. "Right? It's flying off the shelves!"
"I made that template."
Kumar paused, then shrugged. "You made one. I just improved it."
"You mean... reprinted it with new colors."
Kumar leaned forward. "Look, Karthik. You're smart. But this is business. First to scale wins. Not first to draw."
Karthik nodded slowly.
"Did you at least tell Lakshmi aunty?"
"She said do whatever works."
Karthik looked at the counter, then back at Kumar.
"No problem," he said. "Good luck."
And walked away.
The Internal Storm
That night, Karthik sat alone on the terrace, notebook on his lap, tea untouched.
He wasn't angry.
Not really.
He was learning — in public.
In his last life, he'd dealt with corporate theft, idea leaks, patent disputes.
But this?
This was raw.
Personal.
A ₹2 planner that reminded him: ideas aren't enough.
Execution wins.
And protection is strategy.
Talking to Meena
The next day, he met Meena near the college library steps.
She saw his face. "Something's happened."
"Kumar copied my planner. Now selling it."
She frowned. "What are you going to do?"
"Nothing."
"Nothing?"
"I'm going to scale faster. Broader. Deeper."
He handed her a sketch.
A new design — more sections, better fonts, calendar format, quote of the week, tips for daily focus.
"I'm going to partner with tuition centers, not shops. Give them branded planners as handouts — with Silent Seed printed on each one."
She stared.
"That's... smart."
"No," he said. "It's war. Silently."
A Small Fall, A Stronger Rise
By the end of the week, Karthik had printed 200 copies of the new version using credit from Bala Tuition Centre.
In return, Bala got his name on the front, and Karthik got free distribution.
In two weeks, 150 were gone.
Not sold.
Seeded.
Every page carried:
"Designed by Silent Seed – For Students Who Build Systems"
By the third week, students started asking at other centers: "Do you have the Silent planner?"
A Quiet Realization
Rajendran, hearing the story, offered to go fight Kumar.
"Give me one slap and two black markers. I'll erase his whole inventory."
Karthik laughed. "No need."
"I'm serious!"
"I know. But I've learned something better."
He looked at his notebook.
"I'll build tools.
Then I'll build systems.
Then I'll build demand.
After that?
People will come to me. Not the copycats."
Closing Note
That night, he wrote:
"My first theft. My first system loss.
But not my last victory.
I won't protect my work with anger.
I'll protect it with scale.
Let the world copy the shell.
I'll keep the soul."