Dawood's Mentor

Complimenting the unputdownable, Dongri to Dubai, the book sketches the life of the don who introduced white collar smuggling for the 1st time and brought character and a sense of value in a field where betrayal and treachery were the order of the day. The wrestler by his upbringing, a warrior at his heart, a brain graduated in economics, Khalid Khan aka Khalid Pehelwan had been the most dependable ally of Kaskar brothers in their most formative days. Upsetting a stalwart wrestler at a challenge, the young Khalid Khan was picked up by Bashu Dada as his closest bodyguard turned partner in the silver smuggling business that the later quickly turned to gold literally. But maybe fate had stored a different future for this duo. So, the humbler Khalid, was soon deserted by his mentor but was quickly to be united to his protege, Dawood, forging a long lasting friendship that saw a new era of underworld activity.

The book really is complimentary to the rise of the Mumbai mafia as narrated by the author in his other books and sketches a more detailed narrative of Sabir-Dawood-Khalid coalition that is interspersed with tragedy and thrilling sequences. Writing in his characteristic gripping style with a touch of subtle humour that blends well amid some tensed settings, the acknowledgment could be no less better than the way Husaain Zaidi expresses his gratitude to his mentors and mentee in his journey of investigative journalism.

What Happened to Netaji?

This is the million dollar question for the admirers of Netaji that needs to be answered truthfully. That too in such a fashion as to leave no doubt to the enquirer. Three enquiry commissions, confusing outcomes, glaring mistakes that is overruled in accepting some inferences, clues strewn all over the globe, but still there is no clear cut revelation about what really happened to Netaji after the Taipei conundrum. Is this what we deserve? By we, I mean the Indians. The plight of INA after the WWII is also another query that needs to be clearly clarified. Those brave soldiers who wanted to free the motherland and fought the British led army of Indians, who actually massacred the Jalianwalabagh innocents, were branded as traitors! Is this a joke? I think it is for the ministers who won't divulge the secret facts of Netaji who kept freedom of India as his top priority always. But there is still hope. This can be said after we find people like Anuj Dhar tiring out every bit of his investigative journalism in excavating the bits of truth that is to be pieced together to find the truth whose secrecy is like the Holy Grail for the country. His efforts had already been published in two books and this actually summarises his efforts with some logic put forward to give credibility to his findings. In fact some chapters points out what he thinks is the dilemma of the governments to declassify the top secrets and some files graded above that. It is quite convincing to the layman why Congress might have tried to hide facts about their only rival in the political career. But what about Janata Dal and BJP? Why did they not reveal the files for the countrymen? It is apparently not very obvious. But the author has actually tried to clarify that too in a manner that requires deep thinking. So doubts might be there after completing it but one thing is certain which is the  mystery that is shrouded under layers of secrecy across multiple countries is not to be left as it is and this admiring team of experience and skill will give all their efforts to unravel this.
So with all the best to the researchers this book is recommended for all those who feels indebted to the freedom etched out by the blood of the unsung fighters.

Netaji Rahasya Sandhane

Each and every work of the author is an work of research. But this time he seems to exceed that in trying to bring out what may have happened to Netaji on and after August 18, "45. Written in a truly unbiased way, the author analyses the report of the Shah Nawaz committee, Suresh Bose's Dissentient Report, some investigation snippets of the foreign governments, some of the books based on the mysterious night and a set of interviews that he carries out at Japan. In a true style of the unbiased journalist he approaches the events in a frank truthful way and brings out the inferences that a logical thinker will. In doing this he actually hints at four different possibilities that justifies reason and remarkably matches some proofs unearthed in future. But while doing so, he, quite justifiably, spares not a single stab at the misleads which seemed to be purposefully effected by several persons for some motivation other than unearthing the truth. But there is a single complain that I have regarding two photographs that indeed needed references for validation, why the author was reluctant in furnishing them seems mysterious. A tribute to the valiant leader of the motherland the author hopes that someday we will be able to pay the due respect to the lion who fought for the freedom of the nation in the way that the nation demanded at that time.

Gumnami Baba A Case History

The man who was one of the greatest heroes that India ever produced seemed today still the centre of a mystery spanning over decades with the haunting search still on on what happened to the man post 1945. At least three different theories have evolved, the most prominent being that of the Gumnami Baba which is explored by Adheer Som in this book. Not only the book explores the possibility of Netaji's apparent self ordained reclusion but also explores the man himself that gives a precise insight of him. Infact it will inspire the readers with the greatness that Netaji possessed even in his younger days. That a man can leave a life of the passionate revolutionary to a hermit might look a bit too odd to many. But this book actually proposes strong logic on the contrary. The book delves deeper into the information available on Bhagwanji and proposes some brave but logical conjectures that is worth probing. Summarising the reports of the Shah Nawaz Commision, the Khosla Commission, the Mukherjee Commission and the report on the handwriting analysis by B Lal, the author questions that if Gumnami Baba is not Netaji then who is he. Surely there must be some identity that can be converged upon beyond all doubts. But still we are unsure of that which seems quite confusing. With the scientific resources available, is it really very difficult to unearth the identity of somebody? Or is it that the identity is being allowed to be masked? The Baba had several articles that actually would have been more natural to be found in possession of a Bose kin which actually gives some clue to his identity. The author demands to know the truth behind the man for which he investigates from several perspectives. The book is a real eye opener to many. It is a tribute to the legend, It inspires to search for the truth. Rather it demands to know the truth! We can only hope that the author with his inspired readers actually finds the reality that the seekers of justice had been yearning for through the years.

Dangerous Minds

Brijesh Singh, elite IPS officer and IGP, Cyber, Maharashtra and S Hussain Zaidi, the fearless crime reporter join forces to delve into the intricate terror web spewed by the likes of the apparently humble Saquib Nachan convicted in bomb blasts, the engineering graduate Mehdi Biswas who turned the social media in favour of ISIS propaganda, the stamp paper scamstar Abdul Telgi, the doctor-to-be-turned-bomb maker Jalees Ansari, the terror couple Hanif Sayed with his wife Fahmida Ansari who made terror a seemingly ordinary event and many more like them. The events are the result of intense research and investigation yet the pace of the narratives is easy but thrilling. The anecdotes reveal several spine chilling truth and the fundamentals of the terror outfits and their members. The stories tell the evolution of the terror force from the older hardcore terrorists to the electronic experts specializing in spreading terror over the internet to those waging terror wars in various parts of the world. It does not stop there but also highlights how the security forces across the country combat these forces by methods that not only requires understanding of the criminal psychology but sometimes requires skillful handling of delicate situations where a single false move can make the case go awry. The fascinating storytelling of the authors mixes the thrill of fictions with the hard truth in such a way that never for once the reader will feel bored. The book is categorized in chapters each of which details a particular person or organization. The investigators have also maintained a list of references indicating the source of the compilations. But the best thing of the book is that, contrast to the opinionated reports that makes the clutter in the media nowadays, the authors present facts leaving opinions to be drawn by the readers. A must read compilation of articles it brings to fore the truth in its dangerous avatar.

Back from Dead Inside the Subhas Bose Mystery

The mystery that has puzzled numerous Indians for decades seem to divulge more than the eyes could discover. The 1st in the series, Dhar explores the twisted reportings and tries to unearth a secret that may reveal several dark features. Among the murky waters of Indian politics there lies a secret that is curious yet extremely dangerous. The curious disappearance of Netaji seemed to have posed questions to many. If he actually died, why the reportings were delayed of an important personality? What happened to the INA treasure? Why India remains silent about the list of war criminals? Why some persons became multimillionaire overnight and why a monk seemed to hold key to everything? I have read the sequel to this book earlier which compelled me to buy this one but this proves to be more intense with its reportings. Starting from the fateful day that Netaji plans escape from Japan the narrative climaxes with the appearance of the peculiar monk Bhagwanji at UP. Full of details acquired through extensive research, the book converges logically and poses several questions to the readers. Several in the arena of Indian politics have come up enquiring about the disappearance of the great leader but each time the culmination seem far from satisfactory. But the book has pointed out to a certain pattern in the behaviour of the loyal followers of the man with the lion's heart. An oath so strict that the followers pledged that what Bose told would be followed till the person himself asked them to do otherwise. So it is very obvious that if he asked someone to hold the truth it will be held stubbornly till the next order comes from him. So if Habib-ur-Rehman told that Bose died in plane crash, then there remains a chance that Bose might have proposed his lieutenant to tell so. It also seems natural that if Bose turned a monk and asked his fiercely loyal followers who came in touch with him to not divulge the secret it will be not be made public. Going like this the book make certain revelations that will seriously cause some inquisitiveness to the honest soul. So this might serve as the stepping stone to solve a mystery that have eluded investigators for decades.

Headley and I

The book had been a revelation to me about one of operatives behind the Mumbai mayhem of 2008. The key figure behind the plot who served as the intelligence gatherer, David Headley, had been described by many as being not only spy for only one agency, rather being an agent with multiple handlers from multiple agencies. He not only sketched the attack to its gruesome fate but when the time came he even offered sincere account to the investigators. This had been the underlying character of Daood Gillani who proved to be the dangerous spy ever recorded in years to come. Not only did he coax his way thru all the obstacles with apparent ease, thanks somewhat to the lax security of the countries he frequened, but he also played with the emotions of many. One of these was Rahul Bhatt, the coauthor of the book, who, along with his gym instructor Vilas, proved to be the front for Headley's espionage activities. Written in the first person, mainly from the perspectives of both Headley and Bhatt, it reveals how cautiously the intelligence was gathered with clever deceptions and coded transcripts. It is a tail of betrayal and horror penned effortlessly by Zaidi and forewarded by Mahesh Bhatt that brings true emotions in the open and makes us aware of the dormant risk that engulfs the common people everyday. International politics also have been highlighted a bit that seemed to mould certain events of which ultimately the common people becomes sufferer. The author has given a glimpse of the true story behind the horrific strike against humanity that paralyzed a city temporarily while the world watched helplessly.

Byculla to Bangkok

Sequel to Dongri to Dubai, the book traces the evolution of the Maharashtrian mafia and is even more fast paced than the predecessor. The narrative style is more of a collage of anecdotes and thus chronologically overlapping in parts. But the central theme is as chilling as ever. The socio-political aspect has been more critically analysed which makes it more haunting. Taking its birth from the socio-economic condition that allowed exploitation of the Maharastrian youth, the lust of the few made the evil even more dreaded. Murders were committed at daylight, gangs were formed and broken, smuggling networks became bafflingly intricate, police became mere spectators. In this situation were ushered in the encounter specialists, heroes who quickly turned the tables. But the ruthlessness of evil seemed to grow only. Some turned to politics while other fled to foreign lands. A state of confusion made apprentices to turn against their mentors as an age of treachery prevailed. Revenges were the order of the day and suddenly it seemed that the underworld is split in two. But this was only the broader divide. Internal to the split world, the zone was again divided into sects that took turns to rise and fall. Zaidi recounts the evolution of the mob where the battle for supremacy is defined in blood and gore.

India's Biggest Cover-Up

The National Best Seller got me attentive in the recent Boookfair and I bought the book in flipkart after researching a bit about the author and of course about the book itself. Clearly I was justified in the purchase as one of the most mysterious happenings in the life of the greatest Indian hero, Netaji, seemed to be at last given a public audience, thanks to this book. I would definitely defer to agree on all the views shared by the author but the evidences put forward in most of the cases defy any counter logic against the theories. The copies of several documents, the most chilling being the last photograph, proves once and for all that the predominant theory of Netaji's Taiwan air crash just don't stand much chance as an established logic. The excerpts of interviews of Netaji's INA brothers and their later movements as traced by Dhar, Barun Sengupta's investigative journalism, deliberations held in parliament, the precis of the commissions held, all give an entirely new dimension to the mystery. The views of Bose's relatives and near and (most but not all) dear ones also bear insight to the mystery that has kept several of the countrymen guessing for a solution that seemed so neglected at times. Not only the Japan angle but the Russian angle has been considered with a clear rationale that brings forth several new avenues (at least to me) that had been explored while documenting the beliefs in the book. Being an admirer of Netaji, as I don't think I have the audacity to idolize him, I find this endeavour to unmask any cover up a most welcoming one and also the citizens of a democratic country should have right to the truth.

Black Friday the true story of the Bombay bomb blasts

The anecdotes are a bit dry compared to Dongri to Dubai and more like reporting but the chilling facts when compiled gives us a really scary picture of the ace smugglers who orchestrated the 1993 serial blasts in Bombay. Zaidi once more portrays the masterminds of the plot and how the police force and CBI reponded after. However the poignant fact remains that thousands of innocencts suffered the communal wrath though in no way were they linked to any of the sides. The attacks and retaliations were swift but was so smeared with malice that it took decades to cool down. But the riddle of the century remains that whether real culprits ever got punishment that was due to them. I personally felt that the surprise bollywood connection shifted the attention to a lesser direction. The later blasts in Bombay once again threatened the people. The recent IM connection to serial blasts in Patna seems to reflect the same modus operandi. So the country must think for a solution to fight these crimes that are serious threats to the nation and the people who believe in the land.

Mafia Queens of Mumbai Stories of Women from the Ganglands

As I was reading through the anecdotes of the queens of the underworld, the first thing that struck me was these were the missing pieces of the puzzles that were left incomplete in the Zaidi's narrative of the male dons of Mumbai. Infact the narrative was compact and even more fast paced as compiled by Hussain Zaidi and Jane Borges. The murky lands of the underworld, traversed prominently by the masculine hand had always been guided by the feminine shadow, at least in several cases, as has been documented here. With chill running down the spine, the readers may find truth a bit more harsh and a bit more scaring than it appears. Be it the story of love and lust, crime and revenge, manipulations and politics - the ladies were in no way less scheming than the others. Plotting crimes of the deadliest kind they played their part whenever the men found the heat rising. Starting from housewives to abandoned elopers, the aspirations to rise high in crime or the desperation catapulted them in their path to the evil corners of society. Some became dangerous, some generous while for some the fate could not have been worse. But it all created a new facet of the crime world - that portrayed by shrewd ladies which challenged the security of many.

Dongri to Dubai Six Decades of the Mumbai Mafia

A sensational insight into the underworld that evolved in Bombay and gradually raced to the international arena as been put in words by S. Hussain Zaidi, a veteran in investigative journalism in the Mumbai media. Starting with excerpt of the thrilling telephonic interview of Dawood, the book is filled with more startling revelations of the Mumbai underworld interspersing politics and entertainment. In this extensive compilation, not always followed chronologically, the chapters detail out the background of the gangs leading to the formation of the infamous D company. Not only this but the Bombay police heroics and some courageous journalism, in the midst of the maximum heat, are also being portrayed. The smuggling business etched on a path of unavoidable bloodshed, leading to terrorism at large, intertwined with international affairs has been clearly portrayed in this serious yet fast paced narrative. Augmented by several snaps of the crime lords and assassins the narrative has been made even more gripping. Personally my particular observation was the peculiar resemblance of the life in crime as detailed in this book to that depicted in Mario Puzo’s fictional Sicilian mafia novels and Francis Ford Coppola’s rendering of the Godfather saga made decades earlier, which seem to emphasize the point that beneath the glory and glamour of the underworld, their lives are always predictable. Some very clear parallel can be drawn as in Khalid Pehelwan’s inhuman revenge that can be compared with Luca Brasis’s torturous killings of assassins deployed to kill Vito Corleone. Another was the attempt at Dawood’s life with the climax of Copolla’s Godfather III.