Amazon Bestseller – Bombay 3: Review by Mohamed Thaver

The thought of reading ‘Bombay 3’ a book by Jitendra Dixit – a reporter about whom I had heard so much when I began my career as a crime reporter in Mumbai – was exciting in itself.

The book titled ‘Bombay 3’, the pin code for the locality where the protagonist of the book lives – is told from the perspective of three friends, who go on to take different paths. Their paths diverge especially after their lives – and friendship – are impacted by the communal riots in Bombay that took place in 1992 – 93.

It shows how the communal riots could also destroy something as valuable and innocent as friendship between school children coming from different faiths.

Through the eyes of the protagonist Jaggu, one of the three friends who goes onto become a television journalist specialising in crime reporting much like the author, the book gives the readers a sneak – peek into the world of crime reporting and policing in the city. For those not well versed with this world, ‘Bombay 3’ will provide interesting insights.

Mohamed Thaver

First person account of 26/11 attacks is will interest the readers:

With his rich and varied experiences, be it conducting a sting operation and helping rescuing women who were trafficked to taking the reader behind the scenes into how ‘encounter specialists’ operated in the city, Dixit has much that will interest the reader. Also, his description of the 26/11 terror attacks as a first person account would interest many who saw the horror unfold in the city nearly a decade back.

What I loved about Bombay 3:

What I found particularly likeable was how Dixit has recreated the world of Bombay 3, a part of south Mumbai where he has grown up and observed with the detail of a journalist’s eye.The bit about the three friends who form the central characters of the book looking at trains, debating which one is the best and making plans to go out someday are also endearing.

Through the book, Jaggu, and his two childhood friends with whom he connects eventually, at times find themselves helping each other while on other occasions, they find themselves at cross purposes, pursuing what they believe to be their duties.

The parallel storylines of the three friends and how it culminates in the end does give the book the feel of thriller.

My take on the Bombay 3:

The only thing where there was scope for the publishers to improve upon the book was to work with bits that impeded the flow of the book. This however is a small blip.

Overall, Dixit has been able to pen down his experiences in a way that readers, especially those not acquainted with the world of crime reporting and policing, should enjoy.

Mohamed Thaver

Quick Snapshot:

Book Name: Bombay 3
Author: Jitendra Dixit, West India Editor, ABP News
Reviewed By: Mohamed Thaver, Senior Journalist
Publisher: Bloomsbury India
Price: INR 279 (Kindle)| INR 366 (Paperback)
Language: English
Genre: Amazon bestseller in Crime, Thriller and Mystery
Available on Amazon

“Jitendra Dixit’s two decades experience of covering Mumbai’s underworld & acts of terror is reflected in his writing. This book completes his remarkable metamorphosis from a journalist to a captivating novelist”.

Praise from Rakesh Maria, Author & former Mumbai Police Commissioner:

Synopsis:

`Bombay-3’ is Jitendra Dixit’s first attempt at writing fiction. The novel is set in a locality of old Mumbai having ZIP code 400003. Once it was one of the most feared neighbourhoods of the city. The area has been a witness of a great amount of bloodshed & has been marred by communal riots, gangwars & terrorism.

This is a story of a Hindu boy & his two Muslim friends. The story depicts how their mutual relationship gets impacted due to events happening in the neighbourhood and the world. After growing up, they choose different paths in life. But soon they get disillusioned from their calling & realise that illusions had dominated their life choices. However, circumstances connect the trio once again for a common goal – to foil an imminent terrorist attack by a lone wolf radicalised by ISIS.

Born and raised in the lanes of Bombay 3, protagonist Jagan Kumar dreams of being a television journalist and changing the world. But once he achieves this, he realises that television journalism has lost its path, now afflicted with sensationalism, corruption and bias. As a crime reporter, he comes across various unscrupulous means that law enforcement agencies adopt to combat organised crime syndicates. He is shocked to witness interdepartmental rivalry that often jeopardises public security. Disenchanted, in conflict with his conscience and confused about his calling, he is about to quit when something happens that changes the course of his life.

At a time when Mumbai Police is undergoing an upheaval, this book seems prophetic for it delves into murky games played within the force which are getting exposed today. Mumbai’s underworld, the way it was known no longer exists. Its elimination took three decades of a violent campaign by law enforcers which often flouted the laws themselves. This is the story of their unseen struggles, sacrifices and dilemmas.

Mumbai is vast, multicoloured and ever-evolving. Nobody can claim to know it entirely. This book takes you to known-unknown aspects of the city albeit in a fiction form. It attempts to capture the essence of Mumbai’s air which shaped the city from the early 80s till the present time. Bombay 3 begins from the bylanes of old Bombay of the seventies and then takes you to Mosul in ISIS’s Iraq of 2014 and finally to the streets of Bangkok where the underworld of Mumbai has spread its tentacles. A fast-paced thriller, it answers certain questions about life in Mumbai and raises a few new ones.

About the author:

About the Author:

Jitendra Dixit was born and brought up in Bombay-3, which was once one of the most feared Pincode of Mumbai. During his childhood, he has closely experienced the fear and witnessed acts of violence caused due to gang wars and communal clashes. It is this experience led him to pursue his career in journalism and specialise in covering crime and conflicts.

Jitendra Dixit is West India Editor of television channel ABP News. Based in Mumbai, he has been reporting on crime, conflict and politics for more than 20 years. He has earlier been associated with Aaj Tak and Star News Channels.

As a crime journalist, Jitendra has reported widely on the Mumbai underworld. He covered the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks from ground zero for Star News and has filed several ground reports on the Kashmir conflict. He was one of India’s representatives for a brainstorming conference organised by the FBI at New York City in 2011 to combat organised crime syndicates. He has also assisted in investigations on Mumbai’s mafia gangs conducted by Rand Corporation, USA. In 2015, he won the RedInk Award for his documentary on the Kashmir elections.

His previous book was on politics named 35 Days: How Politics in Maharashtra Changed Forever (HarperCollins, 2020).

Follow Jitendra Dixit on: Twitter | Facebook | LinkedIn | Instagram | Koo
Click for more information: Jitendra Dixit

Get all his books here: Amazon

Book Review by:

Mohamed Thaver

©DiaryOfAnInsaneWriter & Mumbai Author’s Club. DiaryOfAnInsaneWriter brings this book review to you in association with the Mumbai Author’s Club. This article is a property of DiaryOfAnInsaneWriter & Mumbai Author’s Club. Any unauthorized use or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Mumbai Author’s Club, Jitendra Dixit and DiaryOfAnInsaneWriter. With the right and specific direction to the original content.

Disclaimer: This is NOT a sponsored post. Mohamed Thaver has written this post only after being completely convinced about the book, Bombay 3 written by Jitendra Dixit.

This blog post is part of the blog challenge ‘Blogaberry Dazzle’ hosted by Cindy D’Silva and Noor Anand Chawla and sponsored by Queen’s Brigade