Dongri to Dubai: Six Decades of the Mumbai Mafia

Dongri to Dubai is basically the story of rise of Dawood Ibrahim. But the book is not limited to Dawood only. It covers a period of over 6 decades and stretches back to pre independence time. It covers the two generations of smugglers/mafia/don of Mumbai. The first generation consisting of Haji Mastan, Karim Lala and Vardhan while the second generation covers the Pathans and Dawood. This book documents the difference between the two generations. While the older generation didn't believe in bloodshed and followed the laws of mafia, the second generation did exactly the opposite. The story nicely builds up the change in Mafia over two generations. If you want to understand the growth of Mafia in Mumbai then read this book. Towards the end, though it seems to get repetitive. Otherwise this book is fast paced and engrossing. Read this along with the book Queens of Mumbai written by the same author.

The book is a well researched and well written narrative of the rise of Dawood Ibrahim. The author has taken great care to give us the context of his rise as well. The editing too is tight with every chapter holding your attention. The story telling will feel crude at points but that is as much a by product of the subject. There are also many gaps after the 1993 blasts, about match fixing but its understandable that the feel of the first hand accounts you come across earlier in the book would be hard to come by later when the Don himself became more secretive. I'd have liked more on many of the other characters in the story but I guess that is for another book.

I grew up in Bombay in the 80's and spent considerable time reading (and sometimes witnessing) the exploits of the underworld and its impact on day-to-day lives in the city. It was quite fascinating reading of these "Dons" who were essentially a bunch of cunning, murderous thieves but even back then, the news reporters of the day were quite smitten by these individuals and (perhaps unintentionally) painted a picture of them being unsung heroes. In such a time, it was refreshing to read a highly objective and detailed analysis on gang wars and their roots in an article in the Illustrated Weekly of India by Amrita Shah. This was no regular article but rather a thesis on the origins of the various gangs, its leaders, their motivation, their reach and their current standing (the article was originally published in 1985). For its time, it was amazing how Ms. Shah was able to collate so much information and present it in such a readable form. It is clear this article was influential in Mr Zaidi's career as a crime reporter and he has acknowledged this at the end of his book. However I cannot say the same level of objectivity (or finesse) is found in this book. Don't get me wrong, this book is not mediocre by any stretch and Mr Zaidi's capabilities as a reporter and his courage are evident in his choice of subject matter and his vast knowledge on the subject. But the book tends to veer (perhaps unintentionally again) towards glorifying the head of the D-gang and all his supposed accomplishments. For instance, on more than one occasion Mr. Zaidi waxes eloquent on Dawood's superior intelligence and his strategic planning calling him a better businessman than the Ambani's and Tata's combined and smarter than many heads of state put together! He goes to great extent to illustrate this superior intelligence throughout the book thru some action or incident, some of which would appear as mundane tasks for a ganglord! Other faults I find with this book are- 1) The book sometimes reads like a lengthy blog post and could benefit from useful tools like map, timelines, charts showing connections across various gangs etc. 2) Lots of passages are repetitive as if to emphasize a point. 3) The book appears to be all over the place with random chapters thrown in the middle that derail any attempt at structured analysis (the chapter on the starlet Mandakini is snicker worthy!!). 4) Could have done with better proof reading to correct basic grammar and syntax errors. All that said, what I liked about the book are 1) It offers interesting analysis and history on the various ganglords from Bombay and is presented in chronological order from the post-independence era up until the formation of "organized crime" in the 90's thru the rise of Dawood and his family and the breakout groups like the Chota Rajan gang. 2) I was very impressed by its presentation of Bombay's police force and all its accomplishments in thwarting some of these crimes despite their limitations due to the bureaucracy, antiquated technology and a corrupt political system. 3) Mr Zaidi is essentially a crime reporter and an astute one at that. His perspective on the crime situation and the political will (or lack of) to bring the criminals/terrorists to task are very insightful. It's amazing how India keeps blaming Pakistan for providing refuge to the likes of Dawood yet when he himself offered to surrender, we chickened out due to political pressure. All said, Mr Zaidi's book is an essential read for anyone interested in the subject matter of crime in Mumbai and has some familiarity with it to fully appreciate it. Despite some flaws in the narration style (as detailed above), this book is noteworthy for it's scope and the insight it offers. I would not be surprised to see more than one movie come out of this effort :)

S. Hussain Zaidi presents a well-researched history of crime syndicates in Mumbai, detailing the rise of India's most notorious ganglord Dawood Ibrahim. Used as the basis for many Bollywood crime-films, this book is written almost like a screenplay featuring cops, criminals, conspiracies and killings aplenty. A real page-turner, a must-read to understand how deep rooted and far reaching are these crime empires! A comprehensive dossier on Who's Who making it to the Hall of Infamy with their ruthless, heionous deeds.

The ebook has been 'unputdownable' - a fascinating read. Although it historically documents the growth of the different gangs and ganglords based on facts and police records - it reads like crime fiction and personally I really liked that. That's what made it so interesting. By the end of the book, you realize that it isn't just about some people and the crimes they've committed - there are larger interconnecting issues at stake - including financial and political. These shades of grey in Dongri to Dubai have been highlighted with complete objectivity and honesty.

I've never been much interested in anything mafioso. The fact that I haven't read the book or watched the movie The God Father speaks for itself. I started reading the book without any expectations just because Kindle was offering it free. Once I started reading, I got pulled into the world of plots, strategies, subterfuge and couldn't believe this was an actual account of reality. This is a rare example of glamorous non-fiction despite being dealing with a topic not usually associated with glamor. This books has inspired me to read any mafioso books I can lay my hands on. The next in line being "Mafia Queens of Mumbai".

The author has set a brisk pace, covering the finer nuances and details splendidly. This is my first experience of a narrative of History (roughly put I guess) but it left me wanting more. Towards the end it does trickle down, but still a very good read. Would hope for more on the other dons too. Only one negative, the chapters aren't very well ordered in chronology. Broadly fine, but in some spots you will need to turn back the pages.

got the book in good condition. excellent read

S Hussain Zaidi is considered to be one of the finest investigative journalists and definitely for a reason. His works are as riveting as they are informative. 'Dongri to Dubai' is one classic example. While the topics that he chooses to delve into are controversial at best he does complete justice to, not just the factual accuracies but also literary aspects. The narrative is sharp and moves at just the adequate pace. Some bloody details and stories make you twitch but they do not make you squirm. People looking for voyeurism are in for a disappointment. The origin of mafia and Bombay of the days gone by is brilliantly brought to the fore and as a reader you are drawn into those times seamlessly. The skirmishes, quest for power, brutal eventualities and mass killings are what you expect from this book but what makes it a brilliant read is the manner in which it is presented. The lineage of mafias ranging at the times and the gang hierarchies is something which is embedded in the book. If you are looking to understand what Mumbai and it's underworld dens were all about then go no further than this. I agree there are movies galore on the subject, but every bibliophile will agree that it cannot replace the written word. Dongri To Dubai is a complete page turner and a compelling one at that.

I liked the way it reads like a novel. It is factual and does not glamourise the underworld. Worth a read! if only the underworld had used their smart business acumen to develop India's legitimate business industry, India would be beyond competition.

This book really takes you on a journey of Indian Underworld and they came to power. How they operate. How Dawood became a gangsta, some insights into shoot out at Lokhandwala (most of you might have seen the movie, but don’t know the background).

Very Informative.