Preeta Chag

Pub by: Viking- An imprint of Penguin Random House

“My sole aim has been to preserve a history that was in danger of being erased – not from paper but from consciousness.”

‘When it all Began’ by Rakesh Maria is an encyclopedic treatise on the rise of the underworld in Bombay (now Mumbai).

The roots were pre-independence … finding and digging their way through Kunar, Peshawar, then onto Calcutta (now Kolkata) and Bombay to culminate in the rise of Bombay’s first don. Karim Lala.

The book begins with an intriguing introduction to the dark underbelly of Dongri and a surprising, humane introduction of the man who would rule the underworld for decades to come. The author has taken great effort to dig into the past and draw a historical line to define and introduce the reader to the notorious underworld of Bombay.

By the end of chapter 4, stories of Karim Lala, Vardarajan, and Haji Mastan are outlined, establishing a springboard to catapult the story of the dark and criminal to another level.

Narrating sordid stories of the underworld and its intricate intertwining with the country’s political situation and the law enforcers, the book is an intense document of the intergang rivalry and between the gangs of the Pathans and Konkani Muslims.

Ibrahim Kaskar was a cop living in Dongri playing a tight, but easy rope between the underbelly surroundings of his home and the profession he was employed in.  But, he was unable to rein in his two sons, who thrust themselves onto the gang lord scene with a ruthless ambition to be the leaders. Dawood and Sabir.

The new generations of the gang lords were in no mood to preserve the ethics. Rivalry for their turf, and vendetta for murders became the mainstay, creating a vicious and cruel terrain, which the police force was finding it tough to fight on.

Dawood Ibrahim fled to Dubai in 1986. A man whose self-preservation instinct made him take the call, but his proxy wars continued on the streets of Mumbai, ruling over and fighting for all the turf.

The book is racily written like a thriller, keeping the reader engaged. The mention of actresses, Helen and Suraiya, on pages 78 and 90 brings to light the intertwining of Bollywood and the underworld long before the 80s brought it to light.

Julio Riberio and Y C Pawar.  Illustrious names who fought with immense courage and fearlessness to bring a semblance of  ‘rightness and law’ onto the landscape of Bombay.  The book points out many such names of police super cops who fought valiantly to make the city a safer place to be in.

‘When It All Began’ outlines the fearlessness and dares of the criminality which pervaded the streets of Bombay and the desperate, sometimes successful, and sometimes helpless acts of the police in trying to contain it.

The courtroom killings. The revenge murders. The attempts at rapprochement. The police’s frustration and helplessness amid ‘police not allowed’ posters in Dongri. The lusty murders of rival gangs.

Rakesh Maria has written an extremely detailed book outlining the illicit, vicious underside of the city. Drawing heavily on his personal experience, official records, oral accounts, and published material, the book will definitely be referred to as a textbook on the rise of the underworld in the future.

However, it is a little confusing to keep track of the timelines…as to which year was the chapter all about. Also, the names and connections of the dons’ sons and nephews kept cropping up, which was a little difficult to keep track of. A chart in this regard would have helped.

But the book is a must-read. The book ends in 1988 with Arun Gawli coming to the fore to take revenge for the gang killings. “Enter an entirely new star cast, deadlier and greedier with ambitions that made their predecessors look ridiculously childish and their dreams almost innocent.”

Another saga is surely yet to be written.