BOOKS OF THE WEEK

When It All Began: The Secret Archives of the Underworld (1920 – 1980) | True Stories of Gang Leaders, Crime Syndicates & the Birth of India’s Underworld by Rakesh Maria

ABOUT THE BOOK

In the 1980s, the streets of Dongri, Pydhonie, Nagpada, Agripada and Byculla witnessed some of the bloodiest gang wars and reigns of terror India had ever seen. These neighbourhoods became the battlegrounds of crime. But when did it all begin?

Tracing it back to the 1930s, when Abdul Karim Sher Khan Pathan, aka Karim Lala―considered one of the first feared dons of Bombay―arrived in the city. He soon mastered the tricks of the trade with the Pathan lords Babul Khan and Jumma Khan, thus gradually establishing his dominance. As the Pathans grew in power, resentment against them simmered among the Pathans. Petty criminals from the city’s streets and markets began to evolve into ‘dadas’ and ‘bhais’, forming gangs of their own.

This gave rise to the first generation of dons―figures including Karim Lala, Haji Mastan and Dilip Aziz―who built empires through smuggling, extortion and other rackets. Over time, these groups diversified, regrouped and expanded into larger syndicates of organized crime.

But the next generation of gangsters were ruthless. Power struggles turned volatile, and many began to pose serious threats to one another. Dawood Ibrahim and his allies too emerged during this time. What followed was an era of bloody rivalries, gangsters eliminating their rivals with impunity, openly defying the police.

Rakesh Maria, the veteran Indian Police Service (IPS) officer, who led some of India’s most high-profile investigations, reflects on the tumultuous history in this extraordinary book, When It All Began. Replete with rare information, landmark cases and the full arc of gang wars at every turn, the account captures the rise and fall of Bombay’s underworld like never before. With its authoritative voice and an insider’s perspective, this book will grip you to the very end.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Rakesh Maria is a former IPS officer who led some of India’s most high-profile investigations, including the 1993 Mumbai blasts and the 26/11 terror attacks. Known for his sharp instincts and fearless leadership, he rose to become Mumbai’s Police Commissioner before retiring as Director General of Home Guards in 2017.

                             

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BOOKS OF THE WEEK - SATURDAY, 14 NOVEMBER, 2020

Red Fear: The China Threat

Written by : Iqbal Chand Malhotra

About the Book :

Red Fear: The China Threat catalogues, evaluates and infers the consequences of the political and military confrontations between India and China from the 15th to the 21st century.

Contrary to the glowing accounts in popular imagination of a congruence of values and interests between these two nations, the relationship has been confrontational and antagonistic at many levels throughout these last six centuries.

The lessons of history are hard to learn. Nevertheless, China seems to have learnt them better than India. It bided its time well and positioned itself to humiliate and denigrate India whenever possible as retribution for the perceived harm India and Indians did to its society and economy during the infamous Chinese century of humiliation between 1839 to 1940.

For India, today's post-Galwan situation is reminiscent of the challenge India's first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru faced in 1962 and the identical challenge India's 14th Prime Minister Narendra Modi faces in 2020. Vedic philosophy argues that time is cyclical, and not linear, and by this argument, the year 2020 completes a 60-year cycle that began in 1960. How Modi responds to this challenge will define India's relationship with China as well as its position in the world through the rest of the 21st century.

About the Author :

Iqbal Chand Malhotra has produced over 500 hours of television programming which have been telecast worldwide. He has directed three award-winning feature documentaries. He is a member of the International Academy of Television Arts and Sciences and has also served on the panel of Jurors for the Emmy's. Malhotra is the co-author of the bestseller Kashmir's Untold Story: Declassified. He has visited both China and Tibet. Currently, Malhotra is Chairman & Producer, AIM Television Pvt. Ltd.

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www.ebdbooks.com

Our mail order service ships books in India and Overseas

Email: sales@ebd.in, Phone: +91 135 2655192