Book review: The Brahmastra unleashed

The book "The Brahmastra Unleashed" it's written by D Sivanandhan who is the former police commissioner of Mumbai and former Director General of Police Maharashtra. This book is a first person account of how the Mumbai underworld was destroyed by the Mumbai Police.

As someone who is born in 1980 and grew up in 1990s in Mumbai, I am very well aware of the underworld situation in Mumbai back then. In 1990s Underworld was not exactly hidden. The underworld was not in the background, rather was "the main character" of Mumbai. One was not required to search for the underworld, rather the underworld would come chasing someone at their own doorstep. Traces of Underworld could be found in any lane, any road, any corner, any shop, or any building - practically everywhere. Everyday some or the other person would come face to face with the underworld activities. No one would know when they would witness an underworld activity that could lead to their apparent death. Nobody in Mumbai was considered to be safe. 

The Mumbai underworld was popularised in these decades by the entertainment industry. There had been many blockbuster movies such as Satya, Company, Once Upon A Time In Mumbai, Shootout at Lokhandwala etc. These movies showed the POV of the Underworld gangsters. There have also been biography of gangsters where  the gangsters have been glorified as either misguided youth or a noble criminal who is a messiah. These movies also depict the police department in a bad light (classic example of arrival of police after the conflict has been resolved by the hero). I never found these depiction to be true.

In this era, the Underworld had a chokehold on Mumbai and Mumbaikars were suffocating. However, over the next few years especially in 2010s, the underworld activities started declining. Several notorious gangsters were arrested while several were killed in encounters/cross firing. Many gangsters also fled the country. Mumbai felt safer again. This did not happen overnight. As a civilian, I never understood what happened in the background and how our Bravehearts took back the control, until recently when I read the book "The Brahmastra Unleashed". 

I started reading the book and was completely hooked. The book successfully bridges the gap between public perception and the actual legal and situational frameworks policemen operate within. This book provides detailed accounts of multiple gangsters of the Mumbai underworld, modus operandi of these gangsters, their reign, and their subsequent downfall. This book also provides details of various operations carried out by the Mumbai Police. In this book, the author thoroughly describes that how Mumbai Police receive the information; how they utilise this information; how the strategies were designed for the maximum impact with minimal resources; and finally how the plans were successfully executed. As a result of these gallant efforts the city of Mumbai became safe again. The information and the descriptions will capture the readers attention. The reader can tell these stories come from someone who has lived through them; the technical accuracy and procedural details are flawless. This book will satiate the hunger of an avid real life drama reader as it provides the 'insider's view' that many other books lack. 

My only criticism is towards the tables which disrupt the fluidity of the content. While reading the police operation, the story is a abruptly interrupted by a table. As a reader, instead of a table I would prefer a short paragraph. 

Otherwise this is a solid book. Any person who is currently residing in Mumbai, still complains that the city is unsafe - I would urge them to read this book, to understand how difficult life was in 80's and '90s, how they are blessed today with a safer city.  All thanks to the efforts, intelligence, and sacrifices of Mumbai Police. 

Jai Hind 🙏🏻 Jai Maharashtra 🙏🏻