Dongri To Dubai : Six Decades Of The Mumbai Mafia Quotes
"If you presume it will be my loss, then you are mistaken. I deal in gold and silver."
"My father always taught me that I could escape everyone, but I would never escape the Creator."
"I want to make friends with you as I want to use your muscle power and clout in the city."
"I am making an offer to you which no wise man can refuse."
"Thank God I was not around in 1947; otherwise I would have been blamed for the Partition."
"The city had earned a reputation for its nurturing abilities, in the way it welcomes in all newcomers who get the opportunity to grow in their lives."
"I believe I can still become bambai ka baadshah someday."
"He could not think of any other way to earn a decent living."
"He started off by establishing a gambling den."
"Karim Lala had now graduated from starched Pathani suits to white safari suits."
"He sported dark glasses and was almost always seen smoking expensive cigars and pipes."
"This discouraged some but others remained undaunted."
"Matter patana meant resolving an ongoing dispute by becoming an arbitrator."
"No sooner did the landlord say, ‘Ab toh Lala ko bulana padega’, the occupant would vacate the house."
"Dawood’s family had to give up their house in Temkar Mohalla and shift to Musafirkhana."
"Dawood was just 14 years old when he committed his first crime."
"Despite his already having been a father, the news of the birth of second son made Ibrahim ecstatic."
"Dawood hoped his son would reach the heights of glory, fame, and wealth predicted for him."
"Baashu Dada’s helpful gestures did not go unrewarded."
"Legend has it that Baashu once slapped a cook for serving him less food."
"Baashu decided he needed to crush Ibrahim Bhai’s pride."
"Baashu was quite disdainful of Mastan and Bakhiya."
"‘Phir kholi kaisa khali karega?’ Lala asked with sincere concern."
"‘Hamari khopdi mein ek kamaal ka idea hain, jisse saanp bhi mar jayega aur lathi bhi nahin tootega,’ the landlords replied."
"The profits he made off this scam were sufficient to afford Baashu a luxurious lifestyle."
"Dawood’s family had barely shifted when Dawood made his presence felt in the area as the local goon."
"Dawood loved the power that came by means of terrorising people."
"‘Duniya ko mutthi mein rakhna seekho, haath kholo sirf paisa lene ke liye,’ Karim Lala often said."
"Dawood Ibrahim had never tried his hand at killing or bloodshed until Natiq’s murder."
"Iqbal Bhai, main kasam khaata hoon, jis tarah unlogon ne tumko maara hain, us hi tarah main bhi unko maaroonga."
"‘Aisa kuch kyon nahin karte joh tumhaari ladaee hamare kaam aa sake?’ Likha asked, tentatively."
"‘Shauq nahin sahib, zaroorat hain. Ladenge nahin toh mit jayenge,’ Dawood tried to explain."
"Blood and gore were the only leftovers of his arrogance."
"The idea was to improve India's intelligence abroad, because during the hostilities against the Chinese there was a total failure of intelligence."
"Bloodshed is bad for any business, especially ours, because for our government it is not even worth a stray dog's piss."
"No one could keep a count of the number of bullets fired on Sabir that night, but the autopsy recorded a total of nine bullets extracted from his body."
"Dawood not only turned vengeful but intensely motivated and driven, propelling him out of the small league in the Bombay pool and pushing him into the big sea of crime."
"In a business where complexes develop as quickly as alliances are dishonored, Dawood’s impassive, less involved take on this aspect of business strengthened Khalid’s position as a leader."
"Dawood was shattered. The killing of Sabir was like killing off half his own existence."
"Even his expensive white leather shoes were soaked and softened."
"For a moment, Dawood was dumbstruck. He wanted to hit out at Sujata, drag her down the building by force, and make her pay."
"People were changing sides from here to there without flinching; loyalty was less binding as religion bound them both."
"Khalid realised that if the gang had non-Muslim members, they would not change sides once they pledged their undying loyalty to the gang."
"Lack of job opportunities forced these youths towards the world of crime, and these young Maharashtrian boys had begun to gravitate towards the Dawood and Gawli gangs."
"The Muslim criterion previously requisite for those who wanted to be in Dawood’s gang was forgotten, waning into the dusk of the Middle Eastern shores."
"The Mafia’s Bollywood debut marked a new chapter in the intertwining of crime and entertainment, forever altering the landscape of both industries."
"Jails are supposed to detain people and deter them from further crime. In India, however, jails serve a purpose entirely opposite."
"Facing his parents after the wanton murder of their eldest-born was something even Dawood could not do."
"The way Dawood pursued Pardesi until the end is an example of how vindictive he could be."
"Dawood’s transition from a local gangster to a global underworld figure was marked by his strategic move to Dubai, setting the stage for an empire that would influence not just crime but also politics and business."
"Dubai’s transformation into a global hub was accelerated by its unique position, attracting not just businesses and tourists, but also individuals seeking to launder money with impunity."
"Festering frustration and simmering discontentment brought the gangsters together against their common enemy."
"The irony was that the don, who was once near impossible to seek an audience with, now found no one willing to give him a patient hearing."
"A doleful Dawood now wanted to get out of the whole mess and come out clean."
"Dawood realised that the ISI was executing their own agenda."
"He decided he could not pay attention to supremacy disputes and so would call a meeting of all his men."
"Business is bigger than even my brother, and I want all of you also to understand this."
"Rajan was mighty pleased at Dawood’s intervention; however, Sautya and Shakeel were not one bit satisfied."
"The exclusion from meetings and the ‘kafir’ rationale had hurt Rajan and the slight began to rankle."
"Dawood, on the other hand, continued to focus on efforts to consolidate his position as a don and global power player."
"Every apartment, bank account, farmhouse, money-laundering operation that had any inkling of a connection with Dawood Ibrahim was raided and sealed by the Mumbai police."
"In case his subject is found loafing in the streets or accused of a crime, the kafeel is held responsible."
"He was also contemplating returning to India but he did not have his passport."
"Rajan felt totally helpless. He did not know how to leave Dubai."
"The thought of getting killed and dumped sent a shiver down Rajan’s spine."
"Ignoring Rajan and his growing frustration turned out to be Dawood’s most expensive mistake."
"Rajan’s disappearance from Dubai was not noticed until after a couple of days."
"Dawood had several enemies but none turned out to be as lethal and wily as Raja."
"Salem had seen a lot of balding dons—Chhota Shakeel, Anees Bhai, Noora, Tiger Memon—and shuddered at how ugly and repulsive they were."
"The man who has a gun owns the world, he thought to himself."
"Becoming a hitman for Shakeel Bhai not only gave these boys quick money but earned the appreciation and trust of the great Shakeel Bhai."
"Salem began to expand his circle of victims; the next person he chose was Omprakash Kukreja."
"The serene quiet of Perry Cross Road in Bandra West had been pierced by a few gun-toting men dressed in black."
"The high-profile murder pulled Police Commissioner R.D. Tyagi, Joint Commissioner of police, crime, R.S. Sharma and some top politicians to the spot immediately."
"The entire Dawood gang was scared with tails between their legs."
"But encounters ensured one thing: the young men who had been inveigled into this life of crime realised that the underworld was a one-way street."
"Sharma began working on his campaign, meticulously laying it out."
"The Mumbai police to this day, rely on phone tapping for most of their intelligence."
"The fate of joining the underworld could only be death."
"The once confident, cocksure don was now a scared, shattered man, hallucinating about the end of his days."
"The best way to predict your future is to create it." - Abraham Lincoln
"I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work." - Thomas Edison