Mumbaistan

by Piyush Jha

  Raghu parked the SUV right in front of the station in the 'No Parking' zone. He reached below the backseat and pulled out a police inspector's regulation cap and a wooden police baton. He placed the accessories on the dashboard, in full view of any casual observer. He had used this trick many a time, to park wherever he wanted to. The menacing presence of the police officer's cap and baton were enough to ward off any curious traffic constables. He stepped out of the SUV and entered the teeming station.

  As he entered the platform area, he saw crowds gathered at the far end. The presence of so many police personnel made his pulse quicken. He hoped that nothing serious had happened to Samir. Increasing his speed, he made his way through the crowd to the centre of the commotion. A police constable tried to push him aside, but sensed from Raghu's imperious manner that this was a person of some importance, not to be messed around with. He gave way in deference. Raghu peeped over the heads of the gathered policemen and saw the crumpled body of a young man. Instinctively, he heaved a sigh of relief. It was not Samir. He caught the eye of a young sub-inspector and signalled to him to step forward.

  'What happened here?' asked Raghu.

  'Who are you?' asked the sub-inspector in return.

  'I am a municipal corporator.'

  The sub-inspector shrugged, 'He was just a local tapori... slightly slow mentally. He used to collect hafta from the station stall owners and liked to harass people on the platform for fun. Apparently, someone didn't like his sense of humour. A madman.'

  'Where is the madman? Is he in your custody?' Raghu maintained his deadpan gaze.

  The sub-inspector could not hide his irritation any more. 'Saheb, if he was in my custody, do you think I would be here? He has escaped.' A constable called out to the sub-inspector. The constable had been talking to a couple of youths in the crowd. 'Saheb, these two chaps say that the dead man is the brother-in-law of Kundalik Kadam.'

  Raghu stepped back into the crowd, stunned. 'Kundalik Kadam!' He knew who that was. A slumlord who commanded a lot of respect in Bandra East. He had his finger on the pulse of every illegal activity going on in the Behrampada, Indira Nagar, Bharat Nagar, Navpada and Garib Nagar slums.

  A knot started forming in the pit of Raghu's stomach. He began to fear that he would not see Samir alive again.

  ◉

  Kundalik Kadam had spent the past forty years doing real estate dhandha in the slums of Bandra East. Even though the opportunities to expand his business by becoming a genuine legal 'builder' had been tempting, Kundalik had not yielded to those urges. He was smart enough to realize that he was best dealing with the poor or illiterate, over whom he held complete sway. He didn't want to risk going out into the big bad world and dealing with white-collared customers who seemed wary of his uncouth ways. He had quietly built an empire in the slums, from the bottom of Khar East to the upper tip of Dharavi. No one knew that most of the slum shanties belonged to him, through proxy holdings. The amount of rent that he earned every month far surpassed what many bigshot builders could earn in a year. His small army of thugs ensured that the rent was collected on time and business operations were 'smooth'. He had made it a point not to recruit any family members into his dhandha, as he thought them weak links in his chain of command. He feared that sooner or later, one of these weak links would give way and the intricate infrastructure that he had built would come crashing down.

  Now, as he stood listening to his weeping wife, he feared that that day had come. The one family member that he had allowed to be a part of the dhandha, only because of his disability, had now caused a tremor in his ranks. Kundalik would have to take decisive action, or he would be seen as weak himself. He wanted to tell his wife to shut up, because her snivelling, imbecile of a brother deserved to die anyway. Instead, he phoned his deputy and barked, 'Find this madman. Bring him to me alive.'

  ◉

  The sharp ring of a mobile phone woke Gardullah up from the drug-induced slumber that he had fallen into. At the same time, Samir had been trying to clamber back onto the giant pipe while leaving Gardullah's 'Pipe Star Hotel' to continue onwards. Samir, too, was startled at the ringing and lost his footing on the curvature of the pipe. He slipped back down to where he had been sitting earlier.

  Through his haze, Gardullah reached into a small cloth bag and pulled out a mobile phone. He put the phone on speaker mode and loudly croaked out 'Gardullah Home Delivery Service. What is your order?'

  The person on the other side didn't find any humour in Gardullah's attempt at a joke. 'Abey chutiye, have you seen a madman wearing a hospital patient's clothes?'

  Gardullah looked towards Samir, who was holding his breath. 'Behenchod, are you high as usual? Answer my question,' the man growled.

  'I have seen many madmen. Everyday I see one. In fact, I may become one myself, soon.' Gardullah winked at Samir and laughed like a maniac.

  The man on the other end sighed. 'Laudu, one day your nasha is going to kill you. When you get out of your haze, report to Kundalik bhai's office. And call me if you see this madman, okay? Everybody is looking out for him. He has killed Kundalik bhai's brother-in-law.'

  Gardullah seemed upset. 'What! That haraami yeda is dead? He owes me money for the last three consignments I scored for him!'

  'That bastard had borrowed money from me, too, but what can we do? Instead of thanking his killer, we have to find and kill him instead.'

  The line got cut. Gardullah and Samir stared at each other.

  Finally, Gardullah reached under his mattress and took out a wooden box that was wedged in a corner under the pipe. He took out an old police service revolver from the box.

  'We have to get out of this area immediately,' he told Samir. He grasped a welded piece of iron and clambered on to the pipe. Standing atop the pipe, he looked down at Samir and said, 'Are you waiting for a shubh muhurat to come up?' Samir smiled, held on to the iron and, using all his strength, joined Gardullah on top of the pipe.

  Gardullah stuck the gun in the waistband of his pants and covered it with his shirt. Then he started walking along the pipe, in the opposite direction from which they had come in earlier. The pipe's curvature was suitable for walking without letting one tip over and fall. Samir hesitated when he saw that the pipe extended for about a kilometre across a black river of swirling sewage. He gulped as he imagined what a small sip of the black swirling water could do to a human being, were he to lose his footing and slip into it. A few yards ahead of him on the pipe, the nimble-footed Gardullah called out, 'Oye, madman, show me how mad you are. Follow me as fast as you can.'

  Samir rose to the challenge. He took a few tentative steps, gained confidence and increased his speed as he began to follow the swiftly moving Gardullah.

  ◉

  Raghu entered Kundalik Bhavan, a three-storey brick-and-cement building, standing right in the middle of Garib Nagar. It was from this place that Kundalik Kadam conducted his business activities. At that point of time in the late afternoon, Kundalik Bhavan was bustling with activity. Aggressive, brooding men were walking around, looking ready to spring into action if given a call. Impotent anger was writ on almost every face. A hefty dark man stopped him in his tracks.

  'Where are you going?' he asked Raghu, his voice laced with tension.

  'I want to meet Kundalik bhai,' replied Raghu coolly.

  'Kundalik bhai is busy right now. He will not meet anyone.'

  'He will meet me. Tell him I know who the madman is.'

  The man immediately dropped his aggressive manner. 'You wait here. I will go and tell him about you.'

  In a few minutes, the man was back. He did a thorough body search on Raghu, all over his limbs, chest and back. Satisfied at not finding anything, he asked Raghu to follow him to a large inner chamber on the second floor, which resembled the inside of a temple. Statues of gods and goddesses were placed in various niches and walls. Small diyas flickered in front of these statues. The parts of the walls that did not have niches were covered with laminated phot
ographs of more deities. At the far end of the room was a large table, across which sat a man dressed in a red silk kurta and matching silk lungi. The man's face vaguely resembled yesteryear's Bollywood comedian Mehmood. Raghu knew that this was Kundalik Kadam but was surprised at the fact that he didn't wear the air of aggression that others in his headquarters seemed to possess.

  'So, who is this madman? asked Kundalik, coming straight to the point.

  Raghu walked closer to the slumlord and sat down on a chair from across him. 'He is the man who knows the details of my father's death,' he said in the cool, collected manner that he always used while dealing with authority figures.

  Kundalik studied Raghu's face. 'I take it that you are looking for him too?'

  'Yes, I am,' said Raghu, 'But, I want you to—'

  Kundalik's phone rang. He picked up the call. 'What? Where? Accha, send men over there quickly. I am on my way.' Kundalik frowned. He snapped the phone shut.

  'Your madman has just been spotted walking across the pipeline that goes over Mahim Creek to Mahim. He is really mad.' He laughed and Raghu shivered. 'Haan. You were saying something when the call came. Please finish.'

  Raghu replied in a measured tone. 'I want you to call off your men. I will go after him. Don't worry, he will be taken care of. Promise.'

  Kundalik looked at him, incredulous. 'Who the hell are you?' he asked.

  'That is not important,' Raghu replied.

  Kundalik reached for a bell under his table, but Raghu was quicker. He whipped out the Glock and placed its nozzle between Kundalik's eyebrows before he could ring the bell. Throughout the conversation, Raghu had anticipated this moment and was prepared for it. He had hidden the Glock securely in his underwear, tucked under his testicles, a place where no self-respecting goon would lay his hands, unless forced to. While seated opposite Kundalik, he had furtively unzipped his pants and extricated the Glock from its uncomfortable position—just in time to put it to good use.

  Raghu was terse as ever, 'I am sorry for your loss, but the situation is far too complicated for you to understand.'

  'Kutreya, it is you who don't understand. You and your madarchod madman are both going to die,' spat out the defiant Kundalik

  Raghu realized that any further discussion was useless. 'Get up,' he growled, with enough menace in his voice to convince Kundalik that he meant business. Kundalik got up from his seat. 'This is my garh. Do you think you can get away from here?' he hissed.

  Raghu didn't say anything, but motioned him towards a door at the back of the office. Kundalik looked at Raghu closely. He realized that Raghu knew what he was doing. The back door opened into a small private staircase that led to a shanty behind the slumlord's headquarters. This was Kundalik's private exit route that he had had specially constructed to help him make a quick getaway, should the need ever arise. Raghu continued in his businesslike manner, 'Don't try to call out to your people. I will shoot you down right here and escape through the backdoor. It is better that you come with me quietly.'

  Without further protest, Kundalik opened the backdoor and walked down the staircase, with Raghu behind him. All along, Raghu held the Glock to the back of Kundalik's head. Before they emerged two shanties away from Kundalik Bhavan, Raghu covered his victim's head with a large handkerchief. Although his vision was impaired, Kundalik could make out a white SUV parked next to the shanty. Raghu bundled him into the passenger's seat, hopped into the vehicle and started the engine. Kundalik couldn't help but marvel at Raghu's level of information and planning.

  'How do you know so much about me?' he asked.

  Raghu replied, 'You have many enemies in the police. And I have many friends'

  ◉

  Samir and Gardullah were each gulping down a cold drink outside Shetty Cold Drink Shoppe, at the corner opposite Navjivan Society, Mahim. Both of them were out of breath and needed to boost their flagging energy levels. They had walked across the pipeline over the creek without incident, except for some cheers from passengers in a local train that had rumbled past them on the adjoining train tracks. They had reached the Mahim side of the creek and hopped off the pipeline near the police quarters. Moving quickly along the path that leads under the flyover towards the Mahim railway station, they had made good time, reaching the mouth of Tulsi Pipe Road. Samir had wanted to go on towards Mahim station but Gardullah had insisted that they go towards St Michael's Church instead, as he felt this would confuse any person who might be following them. Gardullah had not disregarded the risk of being spotted on the pipeline. Samir decided to go with Gardullah's suggestion, as he was wary of trusting his own judgment.

  The lemony cold drink revived Samir's senses somewhat. But the late afternoon sun was blazing and Samir could feel his skin burn. He sat down on a wooden bench under the shady awning that stretched over the shopfront while Gardullah chose to brave the heat out on the pavement. Samir watched Gardullah's eyes darting up and down the street and marvelled at his rodent-like alertness. During their journey along the pipeline, Gardullah had told him that he had been a solider in the army many years back, which was why he could brave the pipeline crossing while most others would baulk at the prospect. Samir didn't know whether to believe him or not, but as he watched Gardullah standing in the sun unfazed, he realized that it was perhaps army training that had saved Gardullah and kept him going despite the severe drug abuse he had subjected his body to.

  Without warning, A jeep full of tough-looking men turned into the lane, interrupting Samir's thoughts. He sprang to his feet, ready to flee the scene. Gardullah, instead of running, yelled out to him to grab a few of the sealed glass cold drink bottles from a crate lying outside the shop. With amazing precision, Gardullah started flinging the bottles at the advancing jeep. The velocity of the gas-filled glass bottle colliding with the jeep in motion was enough to create the effect of a small bomb, as the bottles exploded against the jeep's exterior with ferocious intensity. One bottle exploded against the windshield, smashing it into a thousand starry pieces. The driver lost control, causing the jeep to swerve and ram into an electric pole.

  Without wasting time, Gardullah grabbed Samir's hand, shouted 'run' and swiftly loped towards St Michael's Church. Samir ran behind him. His energy seemed to have returned with full force, his brain seemed to be pushing his legs to run faster with every passing second. He overtook Gardullah after a couple of hundred yards. Gardullah waved him on. A loud shout from behind made Samir turn his head to see two of the goons from the jeep giving chase. One of them held a gun, aiming it at Samir and Gardullah even as he ran behind them. But luckily, the crowded road was too full of passers-by for him to be able to get a clear shot. Samir increased his pace and started dodging between the passing vehicles. By this time, they had almost reached the church. Samir looked to his right and saw an empty double-decker bus emerging out of the Mahim bus depot. He made a dash for it and grabbed the bar to heave himself inside the bus. Gardullah, was still a few paces behind. 'Jaldi!' Samir shouted, reaching out to grab Gardullah, when the man running behind him squeezed his gun's trigger. A bullet whizzed past Gardullah and Samir and embedded itself in the advertising board at the back of the bus. Gardullah whipped out his revolver. 'No! Get in the bus!' shouted Samir. He grabbed Gardullah's hand and was about to pull him into the bus when another shot rang out.

  Gardullah's chest exploded in a red ball of blood. The bullet had passed through his back to the front of his ribcage. Gardullah's extended fingers started slipping out from Samir's grasp. Samir gulped large doses of air to keep from throwing up.

  The bus was now gathering speed. As Gardullah fell, he chucked his revolver at Samir. 'Catch...' he said, before collapsing in a heap. The revolver bounced into Samir's outstretched hand and somehow stuck there.

  Gardullah's body soon became a speck. But the men chasing them weren't done yet. Samir saw the shocked expression on the conductor's face. 'Please, don't stop the bus,' begged Samir.

  The conductor raised his hands and said, 'Pleas
e, don't shoot.'

  Samir was confused but then realized that he was holding a revolver. .

  The conductor yelled out to the driver, 'Don't stop the bus, this man has a gun.' The driver accelerated, fearing for his colleague's life. The bus sped on, down L.J. Road towards Dadar, without stopping at any bus stops . Samir realized that he couldn't get too far on the traffic-laden main road. He shouted to the conductor, 'Take a right turn ahead.'

  The conductor was hesitant. 'This is not our route,' he said, shivering. Samir now raised the gun at him. The bus conductor yelled to the driver, 'Right!'

  The driver swung right into a by-lane. After that, Samir kept giving random, left-and-right instructions to the bus driver, who did as told without protest.

  In a by-lane somewhere between Mahim and Dadar, Samir jumped off the bus, waving at the driver to carry on.

  He then ran into another alley.

  ◉

  Raghu Nadar was standing near the pipeline opposite the police quarters. He had arrived there with Kundalik Kadam, hoping to intercept Samir. As he arrived, he got another call from Inspector Pandian. This time, Pandian told him about another murder having taken place near Mahim Church. The police had information that a man in hospital clothes was involved in this murder, too. They were in no mood to take chances because of the impending arrival of the ruling party leader. They had labelled this man a terrorist on the loose and were on the lookout for him. Raghu suddenly realized that the back door of the SUV was open. He cursed loudly and sprang out, only to see Kundalik jumping headlong into the black waters of the creek behind. Raghu had his gun ready as he waited for Kundalik's head to pop out of the filth, but the water's surface remained placid. Sewage and assorted pieces of garbage kept swirling past, but nothing that remotely resembled a human being. Raghu lowered his gun, realizing that the toxins in the water would kill Kundalik as surely as a bullet would, except that his death would be a slightly prolonged affair.