Inspired the movie "Once upon a time in Mumbai" I started researching a bit on so called Dons in Indian History. We have had plenty... But Majorly 2... Their story resembles movies in every aspect... Dawood Ibrahim and Chhota Rajan.
Both the names are quite famous... but the striking thing was reason for their rivalry.
Dawood was the mastermind of 1993 serial blasts.. and this was the reason of rift. Chhota Rajan considered this to be against the nationality of India. Killing Civilians was not his business... But then, how many lives has his drug business cost..? And then there was Haji Mastan... Smuggler, but he donated loads to Anti-drug campaigns!
That got me wondering.. what is the business of these people.. Is it really all drug trafficking and murder, or as many movies have suggested, helping out the needy.. Bending government rules where necessary... Smuggling to meet the arbitrage by taxes...
Lets see a bit of history of major crimes...
till 1980s, smuggling was the major anti-govt act... but then the historic deregulation happened... and u can almost trace of net value of these dons decreasing in late 80s and early 90s...
Then in 1990s, came the era of betting... again very much illegal, along with sponsorships of movies... which has been driven down in recent times due to stricter regulations on match fixing and transparency in movie investments.
Almost at the same time came video piracy.. (and fortune of Chhota Rajan)... But it is also decreasing these days because most movie CDs are available at 50-100 Rs...
Currently, we are running high on Software Piracy, Games, etc... Some one in the backlines must be making huge money out of this... Only to come out in open maybe 5-10 years.... as the next don.. perhaps the next Dawood...
Wonder what the next big anti-government act will be!
But the question is.. Are these people really as anti-India as we portray, or are they anti-government, but nationalist none-the-less... If its later, I believe that it is a big, and repetitive failure on the part of government...
And if they are really anti-government.. are they supported by political parties? Or maybe some bureaucrats? And are the actions and inactions against certain Dons merely government's way of forwarding their agenda?
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ReplyDeleteIt is a very interesting outlook at the gangster bussiness. Your research needs a better analysis of facts. Let us forget the numbers for a second. The real intentions of any gang is to keep growing and maintaining a level of control over thier areas and bussinesses. Criminal sydicates are born from repression and imperfections of a society that struggles to grapple with its enormous growth rate. Heralding a nationalistic reason is possibly politically motivated. The strategies involved in the operations of the Underworld is highly volatile. The bottom line is that, there are many factors. For example, there is definetly a conflict of interest between two lynchpins in a gang. If one has to grow at the expense of the other he has to cite a rivalry to grow his own mafia. For example, It is impractical for Rajan to gather support for mafia operations by pleading that he is fed up with Dawoods rising power. A patriotic or a communal reason can create hate elements faster and once that is achieved you can actually run your bussiness for long periods. Although I do not have data to back my conclusions, the theory stands on speculative grounds. Patriotism may be an abused term in the post-macaulian era, as one associates purity of intentions with it. however, trying to break away from Dawood is hardly patriotic. it is a simple case of grabbing an oppurtunity to set up one's own gang.
ReplyDeleteRegarding the drug peddler who donates to anti drug campaigners, It is again a case of retribution for a greater goal. My question is, dont you see maimed people like azharruddin in the elections too often? Doesn't it strike you as a very easy route to control your own empire? Once he is an MP, who can question his actions? BTW haji mastan did float his own political party for dalits which reflects some form of casteist politics. Such is the nature of romance in India. Commit a crime and you are the dearest son of Mother India.
All we can do is speculate here... (with shady sources like newspaper articles and other blogs).. the actual truth might never come out..
ReplyDeleteI believe the reason people indulge in social work is that they like being respected by others. Also, it gives a sense of achievement. Probably the best way to satisfy your ego.
Patriotism is being abused.. But I personally refuse to believe that it is non-existent... I also believe that Influential people are at position because of certain intangible motivation.. Be it Patriotism, Communal-ism, or any other reason... Are being powerful and controlling in business and area, enough motivation to self-motivate yourself, and your entire team, for a period of maybe more than 25 years! I dont know...
Another thing is, these people grow because the common wants them to grow.. We indulge in piracy, etc, bringing revenues to them.. True, with fast pace growth of country, such imperfections are to arise.. But is this imperfection good for society, or bad... Are they Robin Hoods, or Osama Bin Ladens!!
You know this is the same thing I was pondering after I watched that movie. I mean Be a DON or not..you re still human. I like to believe that they re anti government..not Anti-people..
ReplyDeleteAnd well, what Dawood did in 1993 was wrong for sure. Killing innocent victims aint the solution..
But the point is there has to be line to draw in how much evil a person can get..Some rule by compassion for the mass, and some by inflicting fear and maims..
I remember a line from the movie Once upon a time in Mumbai said by Emraan Hashmi whilst describing Sultan Mirza : " Agar ek se leta hain toh dus logon mein baant bhi deta hain.:
Exactly... at times, it is good to know that there are few people who can be philanthropic.. and continue being so inspite of the opposition of government...
ReplyDelete