947 pages in small print. 947 pages about the rise and fall of a ruthless gangster and the lives revolving around him.
Perceptions matter and perceptions differ. So I’ll speak for myself and the multitude like me in Mumbai who have if not directly encountered gangsters, politicians and the film industry, have definitely not been free of or able to escape their tangle of power, ruthlessness and glamour. How can one, if it’s in one’s face every day; when one has news reporters enthusiastically bleeding their ears and eyes with accounts of the unsafe world one lives in, ruled by these handful despots yielding power.
Ganesh Gaitonde is one such despot and the story is about him and his addiction to power. How I wish every such horrendous creature was nipped in the bud, eliminated, annihilated when they committed their first monstrosity. But this isn’t our world though like imbeciles we believe so; we are only acting our parts in someone else’s play. And like you and me, every Ganesh Gaitonde is a part of this play whether we prefer him or not.
There’s a tree called Manchineel found in the mangroves of South Florida, the Caribbean, Central America and northern South America. Resembling a small green crabapple about 1 to 2 inches wide, its sweet-smelling fruits can cause hours of agony – and potentially death – with a single bite. (source: Why Manchineel Might Be Earth's Most Dangerous Tree (treehugger.com)) Nevertheless, it exists, grows. Nature nurtures it with the needed sunlight, water and conditions to survive, just like for any other tree but unlike others, it dubiously produces poison and that’s what it has to offer. Our gangster is nurtured by the police, politicians and the crowd that seeks refuge and money and willingly enslave themselves to this gory power and in return he spits venom.
The story takes you through the meandering filthy lanes of the underworld. If you have watched enough gangster movies and witnessed contrivance and connivance of these manipulative soulless hyenas of control and dominance over the years, Vikram Chandra’s story then becomes just a rendering of facts beaded together by instances of treachery, immorality, fanaticism and more gruesome tales of betrayal; a colourful script for another movie reeking of inhumanity. The indubitable power of money securing ammunition, control, flesh, friendship, religion litters across the pages. There’s a tacit agreement to these acts, in fact an attempt to justify as well. This reminds me of probably one of the most popular dialogues of yesteryear films, ‘Koi apni maa ke pet se bura paida nahi hota, ye duniya use bura banati hai’ (no-one is born a bad person in the mother’s womb; the world turns them into a bad person). And I go ‘Yes, yes, I can only imagine what a world it'd be had every oppressed person thought this way and turned out to be like this.’
So the mentioned men of law whether it be our hero Sartaj Singh, or Katekar, Parulkar or Kamble, work hard but also take bribes, take pride in their infidelity, use their influence to bend and break the law, team up with gangsters, kill for them, kill them, are shamelessly epitomes of lawlessness but are supposedly justified; we are to feel sorry for them. Women like Jojo, Zoya or Kamala Pandey and many others who not reluctantly but willingly contrive for their dreams of a better life, sell themselves for fun, popularity and power are meant to be justified; we are supposed to feel for them as well. A self obsessed megalomaniac like Ganesh Gaitonde who kills at will, offers his own men who trust and idolize him as bait, ravages women just because he can, feeds on virgins for strength, manipulates and contrives to the lowest possible levels is glorified. But there’s always an eagle lurking for a snake. So, there’s a guru that Mr.Gaitonde believes in, trusts and this guru has a plan for mankind and the plan isn’t particularly conducive to your or my safety, happiness and well-being. I guess we need less gurus and more heroes like Batman to save the world; who have no jurisdiction but are truly good.
Have you read ‘Inferno’ by Dan Brown? Just asking.
Have you read ‘Shantaram’ by Gregory David Roberts? Just asking again.
I wouldn’t say I disliked the book but too much of prose (minus any poetry) probably got to me. Just another gangster movie story I'd say heavily influenced by Bollywood.
Just like the Glocks and AK47s mentioned, the bulk of the book could kill one if it were to fall from a shelf above. 947 pages done with. And what do I feel now? Well, I’m only happy to move on to reading another book; I’d rather go for Dickens or Iris Murdoch this time.
My rating: 5 out of 10
Images copyright
Book cover - ©Buy Sacred Games Book Online at Low Prices in India | Sacred Games Reviews & Ratings - Amazon.in
Author - ©Jabberwock: A conversation with Vikram Chandra (jaiarjun.blogspot.com)
