Mathrabumi

The Kingdom of Mathrabumi (: मतभूमि का साम्राज्य; : Mātr̥bhūmīcē Rājya) or just Mathrabumi is a theocractic in Anterra, located in the East of Kesh. It borders Kodeshia to the South. It is seen a regional power in Kesh, and a rising great power in Anterra with a growing economy and powerful modernizing army. Mathrabumi is a dominant party state with authoritarian tendencies, following a unique ideology known as the Krishin Way that has often been compared to formalism. It still retains many democratic elements. The government officially designates itself as a giving a role to the monarch, the aristocracy, and the people.

The climate of Mathrabumi is tropical. The coast is primarily flat and very fertile but inland sits the. Around 30% of the population live on the dense Sirand Delta, a river delta that is known as the core of the nation. Most of the population lives on the coast, dubbed the. In recent years development has transformed this region into of Hyndana's most urbanized regions. This region with a low elevation is flood prone during monsoon months, controlling these remains a challenge for local authorities, modern impressive damming projects have helped reduce the impact of flooding. Mathrabumi is a major producer of crops such as rice, and lentils.

Mathrabumi has a strong, fast growing economy based on the manufacturing and services industry. The Mathran economy once seen as a basket case, has turned itself into a major economic power since the National Reform, privatizing inefficient temple trusts, ending strict regulations, and cultivating new small business, and massive conglomerates. The result has been the Miracle on the Krishin River, Mathrabumi turning into a, with advanced cities, companies and infrastructure. With little natural resources the Mathran economy is based primarily on secondary, tertiary, and quaternary sectors. The country has some of the largest companies in Kesh. The economy is highly unequal with a high GINI, and great divides exist between the capital and countryside. The state is much more involved with the economy than in other countries, with finance being state controlled and Four Year Plans released. Yet Mathrabumi remains one of the best places in Kesh to do business with pro business regulation, and an Tiperyn style court system.

The history of the modern Mathrabumian state began when Tiperyn colonized Hyndana (details added later). Famine was endemic during this period, and farmers were taxed heavily. Nascent Marathi industry was burned to the ground, ensuring the inability for Mathrabumi to modernize unlike it's Kesh counterparts. Tiperyn however would set the basis for Marathi education, and infrastucure. Tiperyn in the 1910s granted increase self rule for the colony, and gave citizens suffrage in the colonial legislature. The country would also become a site for utopian movements from various Tiperyn political groups. These groups along with many returning Marathi intellectuals would form The Krishin Way, a movement to build a strong nationalistic state and defend Hindu interests. They declared Ganapuli the 1st as the king of the new mixed constitution state. Initally after independence Mathrabumi was a divided democracy with numerous parties straddled around caste and class lines however the Kesh War allowed the countries military elite to create the National Society of Krishin Conciousness to unite the country.

Domestically the regime set about a policy of import substitution early on, building a massive heavy industrial base. Mathrabumi also created the in these early days, who prereform would dominate the majority of the countries urban economy. At first the country saw rapid industrial progress, aided by foreign advisors. However in the 60s a rot begin to appear as the inefficent grew stagnant. The Ganapuli Restoration occured due to political tension from this event, and began reforms that saw the country rapidly modernize. Today Mathrabumi is one of the fastest growing economies in Kesh with a burgeoning manufacturing and services industry.

Politics and Government
According to the Constitution of the Kingdom of Mathrabumi the kingdom is a monarchy led by the Ayyangar family. The king is directly adivised by a panel of advisors from two bodies, the Cabinet and Privy Concil. The Cabinet is seen as the higher of the two, and meets every other day whereas the Privy Council meets every 2 weeks. The King and his Cabinet form the basis of the executive, leading the nation and it's ministries. The Cabinet is made up of 8 officials, the Peshwa, Finance Minister, Secretary, Minister of the Interior, Minister of Defense, Foreign Minister, Chief Justice of the Courts, and the Minister of Faith. The Privy Council meanwhile is made up of 20 regular state officals as well as 5 designed "representatives of social society".

The country has a bicameral legislature, although the King has the power of veto, ability to propose laws, and appoint ministers. The two houses are the House of the People, the only democratically elected body at the national level, and House of the Experts. The presiding officer for both is Peshwa, the King's first minister, who, while directly elected, must be confirmed by the King and selected as a Candidate by the House of the Experts. For a law to be passed in Mathrabumi one of the houses needs to be able to get a simple majority, and have both the Peshwa and king approve it. The Peshwa is seen as a "first among equals" in terms of his status.

The country's legislature and Privy Council have been consistently dominated by the National Society for Krishin Consciousness since the 1960s. The Society has won these elections by a wide margin, often 90%+. It's dominance has been attributed to it's big tent nature, control over the media, networks into all facets of Marathi society, and unparalleled upward mobility for politicians. It also enjoys widespread support among the business community and bureaucracy due to it's embrace of the ebullism. The countries elections are commonly seen as noncompetetive, since in most districts the parties of the society decide on a single candidate, and the opposition is too weak to run. However in more recent years the opposition has developed with the Hyndanan National Congress, Marathi Democrats, and Common Mans Party getting increasing support.

Mathrabumi borrows a significant amount of it's judicial system from Tiperyn, although there are differences. Judges are selected differently from much of Kylaris, being directly elected from a pool of candidates for a term of 10 years in both civil and family courts. Judges must be a part of the National Society of Krishin Consciousness with recommendations from gurus. The country uses a mixture of civil and common law, with law seen as a method of having an individual fulfill his rightful dharma. Marathi courts are seen by human rights organizations as far from independent, although in general they operate on Tiperyn principles.

In the past Marathi political philosophy was quite underdeveloped, however the Ganapuli Restoration gave the Society the impetus to better coordinate officials, and thus created an official political line. The line sought to create a "modern political theory that would allow the modernization of the country while respecting the Constitution". The new so called Krishin Way would see one of the first official adaptations of Ebullism in Kylaris. First the country did away with calling itself a democracy but instead a "" where monarchy, aristocracy, and democracy would coexist as one. Second it sought to define the purpose of the state, calling it a "Corparation" that exists both for the public good and dicate the wishes of the soverign. Thirdly it enshrined the principle that the state should make offical power structures within it as close to reality as actual informal power structures inside the state, meaning for the first time businesspeople had signficant say in the makeup of the Marathi state. Finally the powers of the Monarch was established formally, and he would exist as the final soverign in the country, however at times when public emergency wasn't at stake was to allow the technical state to act on it's own accord. The new line was enshrined through the Marathi Constitutional Amendment of 1975, and gave the state the power needed to startup major economic development and integrate Mathrabumi into the global economy. The line was a major win for ebullist groups in Kesh, as well as many Saytists who feared increasing leftist encroachment.

Entering the Kingdom's complicated bureaucracy is quite difficult and requires passing the National Standardized Civil Service Exam, an exam that covers math, political philosophy, physics, English, and the sciences. With a civil service job in high demand these exams are extremely competitive and passing rates are usually very low. There are different tiers of the exam, which give officials entry into different tiers of governance. While these exams have been criticized for being extremely difficult and causing enormous stress for young college graduates the government has justified them on the basis of giving everyone a fair shot at entering the government, and ensuring all officials have adequate knowledge before entering the state. Nevertheless, the exams focus on classics has caused many critics to label it elitist and focused on the reproduction of Marathi class society through other means.

The economy is corporatist, with the country's large industrial cartels, the state, and workers coordinating through the National Corporate Organization of Mathrabumi. This semi-public organization drafts national plans, upholds and drafts agreements between employers and laborers, and settles labor disputes. The state operates the All-Mathrabumi Trade Union--the only legal trade union in the country--to improve bargaining for workers. The economy is planned through the National 4 Year Plan which is drafted through consultation between the workers, managerial class, citizens, local governments, and foreign businesses operating in the country. The plan creates economic objectives and allows long term economic development to take place.

Monarchy
Mathrabumi is a monarchy in Kylaris, with the monarch seen as a "philosopher king". The Ayyangar family justifies it's rule through with the Raja as Krishin's representation on Earth, and his "appointed protector of all Earthly beings". Mathrabumi borrows heavily from the Arthashastra in it's conception of the Raja. The King should be a "Saintly King" who "shall restrain the organs of sense; acquire wisdom by keeping company with the aged; see through his spies; establish safety and security by being ever active; maintain his subjects in the observance of their respective duties by exercising authority; keep up his personal discipline by receiving lessons in the sciences; and endear himself to the people by bringing them in contact with wealth and doing good to them". A King who falls to sin and lustfulness and no longer focuses on his duties will no longer have karma, and will "fall a prey either to the fury of his own subjects or to that of his enemies". The Saintly King is seen as coming from a highly family, and thus the position is hereditary with the previous king's children being eligible for monarch. A Council of Nobles will decide his successor after the death of the previous king with the activities checked by Royal Spies.

Since the King is seen as the Kingdom's representation from the spiritual world, he is the supreme authority with sovereignty emerging from him. The Maratha nation emerges from the King's soul, and for people to see moksha they must perform their duties to the King. The King must also perform his duties to the people following the Six Fold Policy, and be a wise King that follows the will of Krishin. The King must also care for his subjects, pursuing prudent policies that allows all his subjects greater prosperity.

Taxation
Mathrabumi posses one of the most unique tax structures in Kylaris. Instead of getting tax revenue from levies on income or sales, Mathrabumi levies the value of all unimproved land and natural resources. This distinctly tax structure means that the state collects value from the land, and is able to cut income and corporate taxes, some of the lowest in Kylaris. The country also taxes the ownership of assets, along with a so called "land appreciation tax" that levies the appreciating value of land. The most infamous of taxes is Mathrabumi's high inheritance tax, which applies a 50% rate on the wealth of an individual before passing it over to his son. The business community opposes the tax, yet the state still justifies it on the basis of "stopping generational wealth consolidation". Despite that the Marathi tax system is praised in the international community for it's almost nonexistent corporate taxes, low sales taxes, and quite low income taxes (around 15%) while still providing a high quality of government services. The country has served as a model for many others in Anterra who hope to attract businesses, cut on tax evasion, and still ensure government revenue. However many observers note the low rate of corporate and income taxes is since companies are taxed for usage of land and natural resources instead, and Mathrabumi has a significant amount of state owned companies operating in strategic areas to bring revenue for the state.

Military
The Armed Forces of the Marathi State are the standing armed forces of Mathrabumi. The Armed Forces are divided into 3 branches: The Mathrabumi Naval Self Defense Forces, The Marathi Army, and Mathrabumi Air Forces. The Armed Forces posses around 3-400,000 active troops and keeps reservist numbers secret. The Armed Forces of the Marathi State utilizes along with  as it's doctrine attempting to "quickly nulify an attacking force, and quickly break through enemy lines". Towards this end Mathrabumi mantains a small but professional and well trained army, with significant amount of tanks and artillery to break-through enemy lines. The so-called "Sirand Doctrine" has been critized for it's willingness to use excessive force, and indiscrimatly destroy civillian infrastucture.

Foreign Relations
(this is totally out of date) Mathrabumi is a significant due to it's status as one of the most powerful in Hyndana, and often seen as an emerging. It is aligned with the Euclean Community, having significant economic, military, and cultural links to the Community. The country enjoys a "special relationship" with Valentir, Brumah and Senria, having important treaties and agreements with all three. The strongest partnership for Mathrabumi is the Senrian relationship with some dubbing their relationship the Sirand-Keisi Axis.

Mathrabumi's foreign policy has gone through various shifts over the years, however, the goals have been consistent: defend Marathi territorial integrity; protection of Marathi interests from outside interference; allow Mathrabumi to have a stable and secure environment in order to improve living standards; open up Coius to better human rights and democracy; and limiting the aggression of ROSPO aligned powers. The current foreign policy establishment works to do this in tandem with other democractic powers, and strengthen Mathrabumi's position. The country cooperates significantly with other powers, and has repeatedly supported both Euclean and Senrian forigen policy adventures. As a result many see Mathrabumi as an "Senrian" client state. The foreign ministry has repeatedly debunked such claims stating the country acts independently on the basis of it's own interests. Mathrabumi defends it's foreign policy through various means, most important of which is attempting to maintain a cordon throughout Hyndana through which Zorasani influence cannot penetrate and helping to contain Zorasani influence in Coius. The country has used a variety of economic, diplomatic, and political means towards this end, often utilizing Krishinava, or Satyist religious groups. The country has also put emphasis on maintaining it's trading routes, and gaining energy security through cooperation with Asterian nations, most importantly Valentir. The country also advocates multilateral solutions to international issues, and common economic development with the country investing billions in less developed and developing countries. Through various Krishinava missionary groups Mathrabumi is seen as one of the largest suppliers of humanitarian aid in Kylaris.