Dawood Ibrahim's brother sabir was killed at a gas station by pathan gang's Amirzada and Alamzeb. To avenge his death, Dawood hired David Pardesi and got Amirzada killed in a court. The pathan gang retaliated by employing services of one Abdul Kunju who hired a guy named Safalika to kill Dawood's man Rajan Nair alias Bada Rajan. And his death in turn was avenged when Chhota Rajan got killed Kunju. With me so far? No? Well, welcome to the club!
A few pages into the book and my head was already reeling with these chain of murders and mayhem that seemed to reign supreme on Mumbai's streets during the 70s and 80s. Frankly, though I vaguely remember the underworld wars from the newspaper pages of those years, I was shocked to read that they were so routine and so brutal. I guess gangsters don't matter much when you are worried sick about the studies and exams. The teachers in our school were so strict when it came to either that they could have given all these gangs a run for their money (and Gold!). :-)
Jokes apart, this book is a must read for anyone who wants to catch a glimpse of this important chapter in the history of the metro. To a certain extent it also tells us how and why people get sucked into underworld - though anyone was has watched Hindi movies from that era would find the tale familiar. We get a look into the workings of the world that we know exists but hope never to see - its bhais and dadas, their minions, their mansions and cars, their women, the smuggling and drug peddling, the cops who want to destroy them and the cops who turn a blind eye to them because they are getting their hafta. From Abu Salem, Haji Mastan, Manya Surve, Varadarajan Mudaliyar to Babu Reshim, Rama Naik, Arun Gawli and Chhota Shakeel, this book covers them all.
As I went to return the book the attendant showed me another book based on underworld and asked if I wanted to read it next. 'Thanks!' I said, with a smile 'but two such books in a row would be a lot. I will come for it next month' :-)
A few pages into the book and my head was already reeling with these chain of murders and mayhem that seemed to reign supreme on Mumbai's streets during the 70s and 80s. Frankly, though I vaguely remember the underworld wars from the newspaper pages of those years, I was shocked to read that they were so routine and so brutal. I guess gangsters don't matter much when you are worried sick about the studies and exams. The teachers in our school were so strict when it came to either that they could have given all these gangs a run for their money (and Gold!). :-)
Jokes apart, this book is a must read for anyone who wants to catch a glimpse of this important chapter in the history of the metro. To a certain extent it also tells us how and why people get sucked into underworld - though anyone was has watched Hindi movies from that era would find the tale familiar. We get a look into the workings of the world that we know exists but hope never to see - its bhais and dadas, their minions, their mansions and cars, their women, the smuggling and drug peddling, the cops who want to destroy them and the cops who turn a blind eye to them because they are getting their hafta. From Abu Salem, Haji Mastan, Manya Surve, Varadarajan Mudaliyar to Babu Reshim, Rama Naik, Arun Gawli and Chhota Shakeel, this book covers them all.
As I went to return the book the attendant showed me another book based on underworld and asked if I wanted to read it next. 'Thanks!' I said, with a smile 'but two such books in a row would be a lot. I will come for it next month' :-)
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