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In OTL, Maharaja Ranjit Singh, the Lion of the Punjab forged a powerful Sikh kingdom by uniting the various Sikh factions and driving the Afghans from the Western Punjab. He hired European mercenaries to train the Sikh Army (the Khalsa) and by the time of his death in 1839 left a powerful, heavily armed kingdom with an army boasting equal training and equipment to any in Europe. However, due to dissension among his heirs the Punjab fell into chaos and was annexed by Britain in the First and Second Sikh Wars.

Let's say that his eldest son Kharak Singh manages to fend off the court plotters and unite the various factions just as his father did. He then goes on to take matters one step further and begins a programme of industrialisation. How would a powerful, independent Indian nation affect India and the world?
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