Tag Archives: Author

A viewfinder on crime

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In the hands of a master chronicler, Mumbai’s underworld reveals itself to the world. Hussain Zaidi’s latest book is interesting, to say the least.

Publisher : Harper Collins India Pages: 271, Price: Rs.299
Publisher : Harper Collins India
Pages: 271, Price: Rs.299

From Byculla to Bangkok by Hussain Zaidi is alternately spine-chilling and moving. As Zaidi takes readers through the inner mechanism of the Mumbai underworld, it becomes obvious how much intense research has gone into the subject. In retrospect, only a seasoned journalist like Zaidi (who was a crime reporter at Mid-Day and Asian Age, among others) could have kept a neutral voice while writing about the underbelly of the city. Byculla to Bangkok takes off from Dongri to Dubai, his previous chronicle on the mafia.

Have you ever feared for your life?

I have never feared for my life during crime investigation. But when I wrote Black Friday in 2001, I feared for my son Ammar’s life. I received a threat over the phone, saying they knew in which school my son was studying. My heart was in my mouth. But I nonchalantly told them in which class and section he was studying and his school timings before hanging up the phone. It was sheer bravado, but I refused to let them know I was scared. Of course, I didn’t send my son to school for a few days, but the next few weeks were hell. I had not even told my wife about the threat. It was a terrible period.

You have documented the Mumbai underworld from the 70s. Have things changed?

Earlier, gangsters were reckless, in it for money, and unafraid of the cops. Post 1998’s MCOCA (Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act), they were more cautious. The encounters made them realise that the cops meant business. Those who escaped are lying low in places such as Bangkok and the rest are in prisons in India, if not dead. Currently, the underworld is not as active as in the 90s. They have also gone legit in many businesses.

Are encounter specialists maligned? 

Whatever the excuse, a police encounter is nothing but an extra judicial killing. I do not condone it as it is wrong to take law into your own hands. Within the police force itself, there was a lot of debate on encounters. Most officers gave in because they felt there was no other way. But the fact remains that encounters made the Mumbai mafia very insecure. At one point, gangs found it hard to recruit jobless youths. And the encounter police of Mumbai did wipe out the underworld.

Your book speaks of politicians who recruited the underworld for personal work. Why haven’t you named them?

Knowing is different from proving. Police officers and other sources have told me of these people but I have no evidence that can stand in a court of law. A don like Arun Gawli had 45 cases against him but they were all dropped because of lack of evidence. So, where is the likelihood that my statements will stand?

Are politicians to be blamed for the rise of the underworld?

Politicians are just a cog in the wheel. Criminals and politicians feed off each other. Personally, I feel we should stop voting for corrupt politicians. Voters put corrupt politicians into power. One bad apple will spoil everything. Why should I be responsible for putting a politician into power only to see him/her misuse the powers?

You have written about crimes and criminals. Under different circumstances, do you think gangsters could have contributed to society?

It is the movies that dramatise such situations. All dons entered this field out of choice. If circumstances forced an educated man to be a gangster, then half of our population would be gangsters. There is no excuse for a life of crime.

If not a crime investigator, would you have been a police officer?

In my younger days, I very much wanted to join the IPS. But my family wanted me to do commerce and pursue management. I know for a fact that a good police officer, someone who is smart, intelligent and brave enough to not cow down to political pressure can make a tremendous impact on society. Today, I keep telling my two sons to join the IPS.

source: http://www.bangaloremirror.com / Bangalore Mirror / Home> Entertainment> Lounge / by  Jayanthi Madhukar, Bangalore Mirror Bureau / March 19th, 2014 (20th in Print Edition).

Letters to the Prophet

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IN PURSUIT OF BALANCE Writer Ali Ansari / Photo: Zeenab Aneez / The Hindu
IN PURSUIT OF BALANCE Writer Ali Ansari / Photo: Zeenab Aneez / The Hindu

Ali Ansari’s first work of fiction takes the reader on Zarina’s journey which spans across countries and different belief systems

Unveiled, I show you my face. You, a man. I, a woman. Never the two can meet. But, we must talk. Woman to man.

These lines, penned by Zarina to Prophet Mohammed, in Ali Ansari’s debut work of fiction Dear Prophet will leave anyone curious, if not enthralled. Based on the life of a ‘liberated Muslim woman’, the novel follows the protagonist Zarina across borders in search of her son, Hamid who is on the run from both the American FBI and militant Islamic groups.

The story goes back and forth in time and space as Zarina recalls the events that led to Hamid’s disappearance. Sometimes frustrated, sometimes distraught but always introspective, in looking for Hamid, she finds herself embroiled in an internal struggle of belief and identity. As evident by the title, the narrative is formed by letters Zarina writes to the Prophet of her religion, Islam. Her letters act as soliloquies, giving the reader an intimate account of her journey and carrying the story forward. “I thought letters are a very personal tool of communication. Although the dialogue is one-sided, Zarina writes with the assumption that the Prophet understands her situation and predicaments,” explains Ali.

Was writing from the perspective of an Indian Muslim woman a tough task? “My feelings towards nature and my reaction to the brutality inflicted on it are more feminine, coming from the heart, not the mind. It came to me quite naturally,” says the engineer-turned-writer. Questioning man’s abusive relationship with the environment fostered by his materialistic lifestyle is only one of the key issues raised in the book. Starting from Zarina’s life in Hyderabad, through her marriage with Rashid and their subsequent divorce, to her decision to settle abroad, the book covers her struggles with marriage, motherhood, religion and, under the circumstances, Islamic terrorism.

Dear Prophet is autobiographical in parts. Like Zarina, Ali had left India when he was very young and moved to the United States for further studies and to work as a lecturer. Moving away from home, being exposed to a wholly different lifestyle had certainly triggered many questions in Ali’s mind. However, his need to find a deeper meaning in things has roots in his childhood in Hyderabad. Growing up in a home where he was exposed to Urdu classics and poetry, he became interested in Sufism, something he began to formally study only later, during his time abroad. Ali’s first book titled Sufism and Beyond, a look at Sufi thought in the light of Twentieth century science, is a result of this study. Ali is now based in Coimbatore and was in the city for a reading of the book held at Crossword.

The dialogue between Zarina and Hamid reflect Ali’s own questions about existentialism and religion. Rife with references to Sufism, Zen, Islam and even Native American mysticism, Zarina’s and Hamid’s story demands concentration and encourages introspection, achieving for the reader, albeit in a small way, what Zarina seeks to achieve — equanimity and mastery over one’s mind.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Books / by Zeenab Aneez / Hyderabad – October 08th, 2012

Short cut to a story

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Seven principles of brain scienceSharmin used them / Photo: BHagya Prakash k. / The Hindu
Seven principles of brain scienceSharmin used them / Photo: BHagya Prakash k. / The Hindu

Chat Sharmin Ali believes that 90 days is all it takes to write a book

She wrote her first book in less than a week and now wants to help other budding novelists do the same. Meet debut novelist, entrepreneur, public speaker, blogger, theatre artist and motivational speaker, Sharmin Ali whose debut novel Y.O.U(You Own Yourself), reflects the author’s determination to bring about a positive change in the lives her readers.

Yet this has not come easily to this multi-faceted, self-possessed young woman who believes in doing things differently, “I had a stammering problem as a child,” she admits adding that the first person whose life she transformed was herself.

An engineer by profession, Sharmin worked in the corporate field for several years before quitting to do theatre.

She went on to co-found a production house, Plain Ice Productions and then decided to write, “I’ve always wanted to write but didn’t know how to put my ideas across. So I started reading a lot of best-sellers and understanding why they worked. After reading 10 of them, I realized I could predict how the eleventh would work. That made it easier for me to write my own and I went ahead and wrote my first non-fiction book is less than a week,” she says.

Her experience with writing her own book made her realize that there was a need to share it with other budding writers, “There are so many out there and I wanted to create something that would make it easier for them,” she says.

This has lead to the creation of her latest product Your-First-Book.com, a formula on how to become a published author in less than 90 days. The CD of the program was launched at the Oxford Bookstore earlier this month.

The product hand holds a budding writer through the journey of writing and includes tips on how to start, how to position yourself, what to write about and how to get published,

“I’ve used the seven principles of Brain Science while creating this product. This will help you create your Magnum opus,” she says adding, “At the end of the day it is attitude not aptitude that matters. You need to just get up and start doing things.”

PREETI ZACHARIAH

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> Metro Plus / by Preeti Zachariah / February 21st, 2014