Mawali (novel)
Encyclopedia
Mawali, is a Hindi language novel by Surender Mohan Pathak
. It is based upon the biography of a fictional personality called Shyamrav Pethekar, better known as Sikander. The novel is set in Ahmedabad
and draws an excellent and realistic portrait of Gujrat
underworld, that is unknown in Hindi fiction.
There are actually two novels of same name
In the first version the story starts with Sikander planning to take revenge on a guy called Ratan Shah, who has cheated and killed Sikander's friend Kundan Seth. The trio of Rattan Shah, Kundan Seth and another fellow called Latif Katta kidnapped a rich businessman's nine years old daughter for Rs 40 Lakh. The plan was not to kill her but Ratan Shah turned traitor, he killed not only the girl but also Latif Katta and had poor Seth framed for both the murders, with help of a semi-callgirl Rupali, a police inspector called Gokhle and the management and staff of Hotel Surya.(Later instead of killing Rupali Sikander will force her to become his keep, along with her two sisters Malti and Kanchan, and at the end the three sisters will play a vital role in bringing down the Sikander by helping his arch-enemy Chhota Dalvi.)
One by one Sikander kills all. As almost all were part of Ahmedabad underworld, the underworld is shaken to its foundations and the ruthless Sikander, whose main area was only Lal Darwaza, becomes more and more powerful as he becomes the monopolist of bootlegging
in the city. Bootlegging makes Sikander, who was born in a slum in Surat, a rich man living in a luxury flat. Then one day he makes a mistake, he tells Rupali the story of Samson and Delilah
, and also tells her that just like Samson's hair, his weak point is his .38 revolver, a gift from his guru, a ruthless gangster called Commander, who brought up and trained him. One day Rupali vanishes with the gun and all the money. Sikander almost goes mad. He was so attached to his .38 that without it he feels as weak and vulnerable as a baby. His enemies, mainly Chhota Dalvi who is actually behind all mischief Rupali is doing, take advantage of this situation and one by one Sikander starts losing his assets. The government is also trying to trap him just like they trapped Tony Montana
in Scarface - by income tax strategy. But Sikander has a simple solution to that - blow up the Income Tax Officer with a bomb ! When the underworld hears that Sikander is planning to blow up an IAS, they strongly suggest him not to do that. A grand meeting is held where all big dons of Gujrat including Firangi, Tony Masalamix and Vijaysingh (based on character of Vijay Mallya
) are present to talk to Sikander just like the five "families" do in end of The Godfather
, but Sikander has nor level-headedness nor maturity of Don Corleone
- he childishly threatens to kill them all by singing a song ...machinegun uthaaya sabko udaaya... as he loses his temper when they question him about the disappearance of one of his subordinates. This way Sikander signs his own death warrant. In the end his own, most trusted lieutenants kill him (under instruction and pressure of the syndicate's general consensus) .
,and he lets Sikander use it to make corpses vanish without leaving a trace. A famous murder occurred in Delhi which according to BBC
"shook all country". More sensational than murder itself (which was in fact an honour killing) was the attempt to dispose the body.
The murderer had a contact with a restaurant owner, which had a Tandoor
(a clay oven used in India). After his apprehension the guilty told the police that he got the idea from this novel.
Surender Mohan Pathak
Surender Mohan Pathak is an author of Hindi-language crime fiction with nearly 300 novels to his credit. His writing career, along with his full time job in Indian Telephone Industries, Delhi, began in the early 1960s with his brilliant Hindi translations of Ian Fleming’s James Bond novels, and...
. It is based upon the biography of a fictional personality called Shyamrav Pethekar, better known as Sikander. The novel is set in Ahmedabad
Ahmedabad
Ahmedabad also known as Karnavati is the largest city in Gujarat, India. It is the former capital of Gujarat and is also the judicial capital of Gujarat as the Gujarat High Court has its seat in Ahmedabad...
and draws an excellent and realistic portrait of Gujrat
Gujrat
Gujrat is a city in Pakistan. It is the capital of Gujrat District and the Gujrat Tehsil subdivision in the Punjab Province. People living in Gujrat refer to themselves as Gujratis, which sometimes leads to confusion with people from the Indian state of Gujarat which adjoins Pakistan...
underworld, that is unknown in Hindi fiction.
There are actually two novels of same name
In the first version the story starts with Sikander planning to take revenge on a guy called Ratan Shah, who has cheated and killed Sikander's friend Kundan Seth. The trio of Rattan Shah, Kundan Seth and another fellow called Latif Katta kidnapped a rich businessman's nine years old daughter for Rs 40 Lakh. The plan was not to kill her but Ratan Shah turned traitor, he killed not only the girl but also Latif Katta and had poor Seth framed for both the murders, with help of a semi-callgirl Rupali, a police inspector called Gokhle and the management and staff of Hotel Surya.(Later instead of killing Rupali Sikander will force her to become his keep, along with her two sisters Malti and Kanchan, and at the end the three sisters will play a vital role in bringing down the Sikander by helping his arch-enemy Chhota Dalvi.)
One by one Sikander kills all. As almost all were part of Ahmedabad underworld, the underworld is shaken to its foundations and the ruthless Sikander, whose main area was only Lal Darwaza, becomes more and more powerful as he becomes the monopolist of bootlegging
Rum-running
Rum-running, also known as bootlegging, is the illegal business of transporting alcoholic beverages where such transportation is forbidden by law...
in the city. Bootlegging makes Sikander, who was born in a slum in Surat, a rich man living in a luxury flat. Then one day he makes a mistake, he tells Rupali the story of Samson and Delilah
Samson and Delilah
Samson and Delilah may refer to:*Samson, a Biblical figure*Delilah, a Biblical figure*Samson and Delilah, a Biblical narrative* Samson and Delilah , a painting by Peter Paul Rubens* Samson and Delilah, the club mascots of the Sunderland A.F.C...
, and also tells her that just like Samson's hair, his weak point is his .38 revolver, a gift from his guru, a ruthless gangster called Commander, who brought up and trained him. One day Rupali vanishes with the gun and all the money. Sikander almost goes mad. He was so attached to his .38 that without it he feels as weak and vulnerable as a baby. His enemies, mainly Chhota Dalvi who is actually behind all mischief Rupali is doing, take advantage of this situation and one by one Sikander starts losing his assets. The government is also trying to trap him just like they trapped Tony Montana
Tony Montana
Antonio Raimundo "Tony" Montana is a fictional character from the 1983 film Scarface. He is portrayed by Al Pacino in the movie, and is voiced by André Sogliuzzo in the 2006 video game Scarface: The World Is Yours. Tony Montana has become a cultural icon and is one of the most famous movie...
in Scarface - by income tax strategy. But Sikander has a simple solution to that - blow up the Income Tax Officer with a bomb ! When the underworld hears that Sikander is planning to blow up an IAS, they strongly suggest him not to do that. A grand meeting is held where all big dons of Gujrat including Firangi, Tony Masalamix and Vijaysingh (based on character of Vijay Mallya
Vijay Mallya
Vijay Mallya is an Indian liquor and airline baron. The son of industrialist Vittal Mallya, he is the chairman of the United Breweries Group and Kingfisher Airlines. His United Spirits is world's second largest liquor maker, by volume...
) are present to talk to Sikander just like the five "families" do in end of The Godfather
The Godfather
The Godfather is a 1972 American epic crime film directed by Francis Ford Coppola, based on the 1969 novel by Mario Puzo. With a screenplay by Puzo, Coppola and an uncredited Robert Towne, the film stars Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Robert Duvall, Sterling Hayden, John Marley, Richard...
, but Sikander has nor level-headedness nor maturity of Don Corleone
Don Corleone
Don Corleone may refer to four major characters in Mario Puzo's The Godfather saga:*Vito Corleone, the original Don, played by Marlon Brando and Robert De Niro*Michael Corleone, Vito's son, played by Al Pacino, who took over the running of the family...
- he childishly threatens to kill them all by singing a song ...machinegun uthaaya sabko udaaya... as he loses his temper when they question him about the disappearance of one of his subordinates. This way Sikander signs his own death warrant. In the end his own, most trusted lieutenants kill him (under instruction and pressure of the syndicate's general consensus) .
The Tandoor Scandel
Sikander has an innovative solution when it comes to disposal of dead bodies of all people he kills. He has contacts with a fellow called Vinaayakrav Tambe who runs a foundryFoundry
A foundry is a factory that produces metal castings. Metals are cast into shapes by melting them into a liquid, pouring the metal in a mold, and removing the mold material or casting after the metal has solidified as it cools. The most common metals processed are aluminum and cast iron...
,and he lets Sikander use it to make corpses vanish without leaving a trace. A famous murder occurred in Delhi which according to BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
"shook all country". More sensational than murder itself (which was in fact an honour killing) was the attempt to dispose the body.
The murderer had a contact with a restaurant owner, which had a Tandoor
Tandoor
A tandoor is a cylindrical clay oven used in cooking and baking. The tandoor is used for cooking in Azerbaijan, India, Turkey, Iran, Armenia, Georgia, Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, the Balkans, the Middle East, and Central Asia, as well as Burma and Bangladesh.The heat for a tandoor was...
(a clay oven used in India). After his apprehension the guilty told the police that he got the idea from this novel.