The inspiration for my writings come from stories heard or read online. One of the main source of my stories is journalist Baljeet Parmar who owns a youtube channel where he publishes his content and videos.
Mumbai or erstwhile Bombay has always been the commercial capitol of India since India and also during British times. There are many fascinating aspects of the city. From Bollywood to business tycoons, politics of Maharashtrian cum Hindu nationalism to this other culture that Mumbai has become. The city has seen rise and fall of many criminals and gangsters. Some small time who just became famous due to the present circumstances then. Others who laid low and were later discovered by crime fighting authorities, journalists and the press. So let me begin this journey of a city I have never been to but have only heard of from movies and stories.
Mumbai is the New York of India. Every Indian wants to once in his life go there to visit. It's where the world's largest movie industry is. The hero or the villain you might say is supposedly Dawood Ibrahim. This story however not only involves him. Like it or not, Dawood's life is not that interesting. All we know is that he is one of the most powerful and elusive gangsters in the world. He is good enough professionally to not let a lot of facts about his life in the public. Every thing else is hearsay. No one really knows how he became what he is now. His journey is a mystery. Mysteries are always enigma if you have a glimpse of parts of it and form opinions and stories. That is the case also with Dawood. Dawood as per Hussain Zaidi worked for Bashu dada or Ahmed Khan. Bashu dada was a smuggler along with other smugglers of his time, which also include the now legendary Haji Mastan. Story is that Bashu insulted Dawood's father. Dawood took offence at this and went against his former boss. He orchestrated an attack on dada with bottles and knives. Bashu, so embarrassed to be humiliated by his own men, very low in rank within the gang decided to call it a quit and move to Hyderabad.
The Bashu dada story doesn't end there. It certainly ends there in Hussain Zaidi's version of things. Bashu dada had a lot of misfortunes and hitbacks in his business. The once almighty Bashu dada soon became a recluse and lived in a building in Mumbai. People could sometimes see a man at the window looking out at the open. An old man, who had nothing in life. This is Baljeet Parmar's version of things. Who is Baljeet Parmar?
Baljeet Parmar is the once famed journalist who broke the notorious Sanjay Dutt story. Parmar in all his blogs has no like or even respect for Dutt and calls him a man with the brain of a twelve year old. Apparently, he adviced Dutt to inform police of the guns and the place where they were hidden. But he soon received a notice the next day from none other than Ram Jethmalani on behalf of Dutt on spreading false information. Parmar seems like a tough man. Proud of his Rajput heritage as apparent in his videos. A strong critique of the Modi government. He has a lot of stories to say. He claims to be writing a book on the Pathan gang. The gang that was created by the now hall of fame gangster Karim lala.
One of the best parts of the stories told by Parmar is how he also gives descriptions of places. He describes places that once were. Places that we wouldn't find on the google map because they have no official significance. Neither to the Bombay municipal organizations that exist that are responsible for the planning, nor to the ordinary middle class citizen who is attuned to large constructions or landmarks. Infact, after listening to a few videos of his, you will actually be able to map and reconstruct these areas in your head. You will feel like you have had a tour of these places. You will also want to visit the city with the map you have created in your head with the landmarks as told by Parmar in his stories.
