Years passed. Sharma Electronics grew. They added a second godown, then a third. Vishal learned to generate (Alt + G, Balance Sheet) every Monday morning. He learned Cash Flow (Alt + G, Cash Flow) before signing any loan. He learned Budgeting (Alt + G, Budgets) to stop impulsive purchases.

But Mr. Mehta was patient. “Think of it as a safe, Vishal. The first key is the company creation. The second key is the password. Without both, no one touches your money.”

And so began the installation. The CD, with its yellow-and-blue label, spun in an old Dell CPU. Two hours later, the screen glowed with a gateway to another world: .

“See?” Mr. Mehta pointed. “Your gut said routers are selling. Tally says they’re gathering dust. Your gut said power banks are okay. Tally says order 500 more tonight.”

Day one: They entered masters. Ledgers felt like naming children—Sundry Debtors, Sundry Creditors, Sales Accounts, Purchase Accounts. Vishal laughed when he typed “Tiwari Traders” under Debtors. “Now they can’t deny payment.”

“It is,” Mr. Mehta smiled grimly, “for chaos. Specifically, Tally.ERP 9.”

After she left, Vishal turned to Mr. Mehta. “That software… it’s not just accounts. It’s truth. Cold, hard, organized truth.”

Then , “Outstanding.” A list appeared: Ramesh Electricals – 90 days overdue (₹2.3 lakh). Vishal’s face hardened. “Call them tomorrow. No more credit.”

Then, one monsoon afternoon, his accountant, a weary man named Mr. Mehta, slammed a red file on the desk. “Vishal bhai, we have a problem. We billed ‘Tiwari Traders’ for 100 LED bulbs. The godown says we have 120. The purchase register says we bought 80. And the bank is bouncing our cheque because we paid tax on 150.”

Day three: The first invoice. Vishal watched, mesmerized, as Mr. Mehta pressed (Go To), then V (Voucher), then F8 (Sales). A clean grid appeared. He typed quantity: 100. Rate: 350. Tally automatically calculated GST—CGST 9%, SGST 9%. Total? ₹41,300. Press Enter . The stock from “LED Bulbs – 9W” reduced from 120 to 20. Instantly. Simultaneously, Tiwari Traders owed ₹41,300. The ledger updated. The tax liability registered.

“No,” Mr. Mehta corrected. “That’s double-entry, real-time, with integrity.”

Vishal rubbed his temples. “Then what do we do?”

“ERP?” Vishal frowned. “Sounds like a disease.”