Dawood's Mentor
Page 22
Shabeeb Sir and I grew up together; his keen interest in academics led him to pursue a doctorate in a business subject. As for me, I veered off into the export–import business before finding my feet in journalism. But I did not lose touch with Shabeeb Sir. I was picking up a lot of things from him, even things he never taught me. I met him regularly, at least once every week, and imbibed some of those monklike characteristics that keeps one solid from the inside.
In my job as a crime reporter, I dealt with criminals and blood and murder. To see all that and still remain unaffected takes a lot of effort. I learnt not to be afraid of the mafia or their diktats, not to get intimidated either by power, the government or reckless police officers. It was my years of association with Dr Shabeeb Rizvi that made me the man I eventually became—both in my mind and spirit. If God had not sent a Shabeeb Rizvi into my life, I would have been just another young man spending decades in the pursuit of elusive success.
Ten years after meeting Dr Shabeeb ‘The Superb’ Rizvi, I met my second mentor in life, Vikram ‘The Great’ Chandra. Vikram was already a globally acclaimed author of several bestselling books but it was his extreme humility that touched a chord with me. Vikram had met dozens of journalists but he decided to befriend me. We had met when he was researching his acclaimed book Sacred Games, now a popular series on Netflix. We both went to various shady places and survived so many risky adventures. Vikram was good at decrypting men of all hues. He took very scant notes but clicked pictures of the surroundings with his mental camera. Often his face was ashen due to his intense effort at absorbing the minutest of details, for instance, at the den of Karim Lala or at Dagdi Chawl or outside Pakmodia Street, which was the hub of Dawood Ibrahim’s gang. I devoted a lot of my reporting time to him as I was learning again with him. Vikram insisted on compensating me handsomely for my time and effort, but I refused point-blank.
It was Vikram who introduced me to Penguin Books and exhorted me to write. My debut book, Black Friday, is the result of Vikram’s lessons to me about storytelling and crafting an interesting narrative. To date, this is my favourite book.
A person is the sum total of lessons s/he has acquired from several teachers and mentors, but only a few remain special and memorable to him. For me, Shabeeb Sir and Vikram Chandra were life-changing universities that gave me the best education.
To give back what one has acquired is a prerequisite of gratitude. My first-ever protégé was Rayyan Rizvi, Shabeeb Sir’s eldest son. I have known Rayyan since his birth and I instantly fell in love with him the moment I saw him.
Soon after completing his college education Rayyan joined the Asian Age as an intern, when I was the resident editor of the Mumbai edition. He was keen on pursuing a career in journalism but the compulsions of family businesses took him away from his aspirations and he ended up handling the Dubai branch of his flourishing business. Rayyan relocated to Dubai soon after and we lost touch.
When I needed Rayyan’s help in Dubai, I knocked on his door and he was very generous with his time and money. This book would not have been possible without Rayyan’s contribution. His devotion, dogged perseverance and immense research skills helped me in culling out the authentic details of Dubai as a city. Rayyan was also present with me during Khalid’s extensive interviews and meticulously took notes, often rushing to the spot at short notice without even having breakfast.
Apart from Rayyan, I came across two other men whose devotion, affection and hunger to learn was immensely inspiring. Gautam Mengle, a nervous, diffident young man who met me at the Asian Age and made his debut as a crime reporter in 2008. I decided to try him out first and asked him to work without a salary for the first ten days. The man really worked hard and earned his stripes. On 1 September 2008, he was hired as trainee reporter, and then 26/11 happened. It was too soon for a reporter who was still wet behind the ears, but he really rose to the challenge and, like a solid crime journo, did a wonderful job of reporting on the biggest terrorist attack in Mumbai. Today, after ten years, Gautam can be easily listed among the top five crime reporters in the city.
Equally amazing is the rise of another pupil of mine. I met Bilal Siddiqi in 2013, when he was all of eighteen. I seriously did not want to take him under my wing. He was too tender and seemed vulnerable. I assigned him some near-impossible tasks which he somehow managed to finish with aplomb—and then asked for more! I was totally floored with that kind of attitude. In the last five years, Bilal has gone from strength to strength, authored three books and written a couple of scripts. Soon, Bilal’s debut book with Penguin, The Bard of Blood, will be adapted into a web series on Netflix.
I am delighted to have these two men in my team who keep making me proud with their intelligent insights, their indefatigable diligence and their unswerving friendship to a man double their age. Shukriya, Gautam and Bilal.
Another protégé of mine who was of immense help with regard to this book was Iram Siddique. Iram is an intrepid reporter with the Mumbai Mirror and she often tried to strike a fine balance with her demanding daily reporting and my high expectations. She managed to achieve both. She was part of several interviews that I had with Sikandar Shah in coffee shops or at his house, and she accurately transcribed them all for me.
Yesha Kotak, a journo with Hindustan Times, was the first one to help me on this project when she started translating lot of documents from Hindi and English; she showed plenty of patience with me while fulfilling the tasks assigned to her. Yesha also helped me in taking notes and transcribing interviews as well.
Film-maker Sanjay Gupta is a superb storyteller. He can hold your attention for hours, and you will never get tired of listening to him with undiluted concentration. Sanjay was very forthcoming about his ordeal with regard to Shootout at Wadala. Thanks, Sanjay.
Among the police officers, Pradeep Sharma was of tremendous help. Sharma opened several closed and inaccessible doors that I faced during the research for the book. Thank you, Sharma Sahib.
Sachin Waze, a former police officer with the Mumbai crime branch, helped me in his own subtle and studious manner with plenty of documents and archives.
Zia Abbas Mirza provided his technical assistance and archived precious photographs. The man is superbly brilliant at his work and selfless in providing us sterling service in the wee hours of the morning, when it was needed most urgently.
A few members of the mafia were, as usual, very forthcoming, with a lot of valuable inputs but, of course, I cannot take names. They would not appreciate such a gesture.
Milee Ashwarya, my publisher at Penguin, is not just an editor or professional partner but also a close friend. She was a pillar of support during my time with the book. Thank you, Milee.
There are times when you have not someone in person but still that person feels so familiarly apna and close. I feel that with my editor, Rachita Raj. Rachita had earlier edited my book Dangerous Minds and ensured that it was so flawless that I began to entertain the thought that I was a good writer. Rachita is helpful, understanding, accommodating and a rare human being. Thanks, Rachita, I owe you big time.
Finally, I would like to convey my immeasurable gratitude to my wife and editor, Velly Thevar, who, surprisingly, was appreciative of the book. She fine-tuned the language glitches and made the narrative more muscular. Velly’s reworking has enhanced the reading pleasure of the book. Often I slept peacefully because I knew that Velly was awake and working on improving the chapter. Thank you, Editor Sahiba.
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This collection published 2019
Copyright © S. Hussain Zaidi 2019
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Jacket images © Parag Chitale
ISBN: 978-0-143-42597-7
This digital edition published in 2019.
e-ISBN: 978-9-353-05457-1
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