Chapter 4: Political influence & business expansion

Slowly and gradually, as the rivalry grew its roots, it gave birth to two groups practicing lawlessness.

While one group had all the loaders, drivers, contractors, truckers from Bihar; the other had all the Bengali hooligans. Even the buyers of the illegal metals were the people from their own caste and creed

In no time, rivalry took the shape of blood-shedding. Each group was looking for chances to foray into another’s territory to attack and get complete control of the mafia reins.

Raj Yadav, being less powerful of the two groups, started losing control. He witnessed his illegal businesses winding up. It was either the other party creating ruckus or the police sealing and arresting his men.

On one of his worst nights, as Raj Yadav lay under the bed of stars, staring into infinity, he ached to get the reins back. He could not accept defeat and restlessness seeped in. He knew, it was now or never, and Yadav didn’t want to leave a scope for never.

That night, a plan was hatched.

He decided to take a step back.

Raj Yadav was certain, to operate in peace and without interference from the cops, he had to banish the other group of haters. For this, he chose to take the support from local leaders.

He became an active member of the then-ruling party. Political murders, ballet box thefts, fraudulent activities, riots, etc were the activities where he got involved and supported the party.

Having taken those activities up, and performed to satisfaction, he formed quite an impression. Becoming a go-to person for the revered party, he achieved what he desired.

The support of the influential and the brawny helped him better his business. Illegal loading was easy now, fewer attacks, business sorted. He had almost regained control.

Now was the time to streamline the business and run it in a more organised manner.

Raj Yadav knew just what needed to be done. He hired two musclemen, the goon brothers in the Basti No. 8.

And set to expand his business in absolute power.

 

Also Read –

Chapter 1: Gangs & their ADDA

Chapter 2: The rise of Raj Yadav

Chapter 3: The advent of rivalries

Chapter 3: The advent of rivalries

The Burnpur town of the Asansol city has the IISCO steel plant that covers a massive area – quite expansive. Connected by the Grand Trunk Road, there goes a rutted Burnpur Road, and along this road lies the revered steel plant. Back in the days, on this well-travelled Burnpur Road sat the biggest theatre of the area – Chitra Cinema – a to-go spot for the employees of SAIL and the residents of the New Town.

New Town, eponymous of its birth, was named so because it was built newly. It happened to be located in the lane beside the cinema hall and housed the residential quarters of the SAIL plant employees. While the adjacent road led to the human abodes, there was another miry lane leading towards oofy collieries. And right in the middle of these two poles was the Basti No 8, a small rugged area, home to Raj Yadav.

As he was getting active in the game and writing the prologue to chronicles of crime, residing in the vicinity of SAIL, IISCO and collieries offered him opportunities to explore. Yadav began his stealing spree in the dimness of the nights.

During the utter darkness, so much that it would take several minutes for his eyes to catch a hazy gleam that drifted in and out the iron and steel plants, he began his business. Yadav got involved in the illegal iron and steel larceny that was pulled off by the illegal contractors and unruly security officers in tandem.

The empty trucks in the quiet of the night, entered the plants, where they were loaded with the scrap – scrap that had high market value, scrap that was worth huge monies, scrap that was a great means of daily wages for the people involved.

Slowly and gradually Raj Yadav used his brain and brawn to become the front-runner of the team that loaded scrap in the trucks – thus, chancing upon a good opportunity money-wise as well as a break to know the process inside and out. Eventually, he became a contractor and started supplying the labour who loaded trucks with these illegal metals.

However, soon enough he realised that in order to make it big, he needs to do something more, something that gave him the power he was hungry for. He initiated his own trucks, his own labour and arranged for buyers who would buy metal scrap from him.

The catch here was, not everyone could buy the scrap. It needed specialised buyers, a special market, and the stop for this was Asia’s largest wholesale scrap iron market in Howrah’s Ghusuri. It was an infamous market where you could sell illegal iron, steel and other metals illegally obtained, such as from railways. The speciality of this market was, it conveniently consumed all the precious scrap which couldn’t be sold elsewhere and digested it without a trace.

Living up to its reputation of the biggest grey market in the area, this market dealt with buying and selling illegal scrap which was then disposed of at great prices after melting and reshaping.

Raj understood the game, how to obtain, how to sell, how to supply and laid roots to his own business with his own people. Recognised and rewarded the corrupt security officers, got them to join his team and went along with his scavenging business.

In no time, he became prominent, which didn’t go down the throats of people already operating.

And thus began the rivalry with the ones already in business.

 

Also Read –

Chapter 1: Gangs & their ADDA

Chapter 2: The rise of Raj Yadav

 

Chapter 2: The rise of Raj Yadav

Son of an immigrant from Uttar Pradesh – Raj Yadav took no baby steps towards gaining clout. Back in the day, he was someone to be wary of – one of the intimidating goons of the town who started off as a pilferer and swindler of defunct machinery from iron and steel units.

Things were near-perfect. His father, who was a contract labourer at the IISCO, got him insight into the steel plant. Slowly and gradually, Yadav had the entire illegal market – dealing with the sale and purchase of these scraps – under his purview. The CISF security deputed at the steel and iron plants were hand-in-glove with the mafia, and so were some of the police personnel from the famed Birapur police station.

Birapur Police Station is based out of the Burnpur area – the captive township of SAIL, and has jurisdiction over parts of Asansol Municipal Corporation. It is known for officials with a strong appetite of gormandizing pesos and won’t be wrong to call it a preferred choice of job posting for the haughty circle officers.

Quite naturally, the deep-pocketed native Cosa Nostra used to stuff their pockets with enough moolah to keep mum and let the operation run smoothly.

Thus began a rampant smuggler Raj Yadav’s journey into the world of mafia – a mere crook became a Mafioso.

Backed by the patronage of the political parties, hundreds of youth helped him loot, transport, process and smuggle the scraps to different units across Asansol Durgapur industrial zone. The mafia, for years, are being provided shelter by political leaders and therefore the goons had been avoiding arrest.

Lord Acton, the 19th-century British historian said, “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”

And that is what happened.

 

Also Read: Chapter 1 – Gangs & their ADDA

Chapter 1: Gangs & their ADDA

Things take an ugly shape when the desire to gain power settles in. The avarice for wealth and dominance births, and sows seeds for an enthralling story.
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A narrative that will be remembered and recited for years to come.
A recounting that must not be laughed off.
A recipe with ingredients like puissant leaders, voracious workers and a coal rich belt.

This story is about a time when the largest industrial hub of West Bengal ‘ADDA’ was doused in the brains and the brawns of a prominent political party who governed it.

ADDA, known as the Asansol Durgapur Development Authority, a part of Vardhaman district of West Bengal is touched by the seams of Jharkhand. Being a coal-rich belt, the advent of collieries was obvious, and so was the migration of people from nearby areas.

To think about it, migration – is it merely a term for relocation?
Or is it an expression that speaks loudly of human aspiration for safety, power and a better future?

As people started realising how ADDA was a treasury with vast income-generating ability, the ‘convivial’ communities laid their roots here. In no time, polarisation happened and ADDA turned into a hotbed of hatred.

Soon enough, ADDA became the adda for the coal mafia. Illegal coal mining became a practice they carried out in and around Asansol. While mafia were the puppets, puppeteers were the shifty leaders from the paty. This nexus had everyone’s role defined – from police to miners, from local goons to mafia, to their chiefs.

As people were learning to live with fire down below, the topography of the surreal landscape was about the see the establishment of copper, iron and steel factories too. The contemplation quickly turned into a beneficial economic and political reality, and Silpanchal was born.

Innate need for personal space in the COVID times

These are tough times. The spread of the COVID, social distancing, working from home, all seem to be getting a wee bit overwhelming. Practicing social isolation around our loved ones might as well make us crave for personal space. When a family member comes asking for something, or wanting a small talk, or invades our personal space and workspace – it makes us want to lock ourselves up in a room.

Our innate need to have personal space doesn’t go away, even when we are with our loved ones. Maybe because it helps us realign ourselves and gain focus.

But how to satisfy the need to have personal space during these times?

Here’s how:

Fix a working spot: How would it feel if your mother or wife come up to you in office asking what would you like to eat? Or if your husband visits you asking for help in buying groceries? Won’t seem very professional, right? Help them understand, working from home isn’t equal to staying at home. Clear boundaries between work and life must be set. Once you are at your home-desk (the work spot you’ve fixed), they should know, you are at work. This would curb the chances of them invading your workspace.

Take timely breaks: Give yourself some time off-technology. Meditate or exercise amid work. Say, 10 push-ups every hour. Now that work from home regime has ripped us off our workout regime, this is how you can stabilise your headspace. And you may also treat yourself to quick naps on lighter workdays. 😉

Text talk: Communicate with family via texts, if there’s something pressing, and you cannot leave your workspace. It helps you get your work done without giving them the signs that you are available for a chit-chat session.

The need to have some personal space is not just from family, but from work and colleagues too.

Log out on time: Make sure ‘work from home/remote work’ doesn’t become a ’24×7 available for work’. End your shift as your work hours complete. Then, take some time offscreen, go for walks, talk to family, play board games, and not think about work. Now that we are working from home and have additional things to deal with, it is all the more important to have fixed working hours. Setting boundaries with our working hours and being comfortable with incompletions is important. There’s no way we will get everything done every day.

So, press time out, eat well, stay hydrated and allow yourself some peace of mind.

Just Kidding in the times of Covid-19

The new Covid-19 is not only costing livelihood but the precious lives too.

It’s sadness and depression in the air that is heavy with additional household responsibilities that work from home has bestowed upon us. Staying sane in this unfortunate situation is taking a toll on our mental health, isn’t it?

Staying strong and not losing our battles to this phase of sadness is important.

So, no more jokes apart – please joke around. Just kidding shouldn’t be just a phrase, please kid around. The world needs fun, the world needs peace, that’s what will help us stay afloat. That will help us hold the Fort.

Here’s this nice old song to make you feel high as a kite.

 

 

Working from home – an ordeal

Not only has the novel coronavirus restricted the moments, it has given us the dreaded work from home. It may sound fun, but trust me, it is inexplicably torturous.

You do not just have to do the usual office work, but also have to do the household chores.

Even if you could afford the services of maids and cooks, with this lockdown, they too are working at home, just not ‘for you’.
So, now you are on your own. Dealing with work, food, cleaning, groceries…by yourself.

And somehow you tend to work more when you are at home, just to prove that you are working from home and not staying at home.
What annoys the most is the fact that you have to make your own coffee. Wash the mugs and other utensils very frequently. I have even considered purchasing disposable plates and cups. But I miss my office coffee machine the most. How obedient it was, making me a hot cup of coffee every hour, sometimes twice in an hour.

Amid this already messy situation, I decided to take up one challenging task – defrosting the refrigerator. After 100 years. A penguin walked out, stared at me and said, “you decided to defrost it Now? In the times of lockdown? Where and how will I go in these times?”

I felt bad for it, but then, I felt worse for myself. Because in the end, I’d have to clean that defrosted water.

As if working from home was any less of an ordeal.

Take more risks, they said. It’ll be fun, they said.

Ranbir Kapoor in Rocket Singh, Salesman of the Year said, “Risk toh spiderman ko bhi lena padta hai, mai toh fir bhi salesman hun.”

I feel it. And these days, I’m often heard repeating it to myself.
After all, all successful ones take risks.

The challenge is, that’s not how I have been raised – I have been raised to make things safe and stable, I’m not built for risk taking. I hate risks. I just want to sit in a budget cafe and write and not do anything even remotely stressful.

But can you ever get something without putting yourself out there?
By putting yourself out there, you can get anxiety, stress. By not putting yourself out there, the situation doesn’t change, and the anxiety worsens.

It’s hilarious. It’s painful.

Taking risk sucks. Taking challenge sucks too, sometimes.
Things can go wrong, and they sometimes will.
You feel, you might fail, but you could end up winning too.

Remember, it’s risk-taking and not gambling. Risk taking has to be calculated. Be prepared for the setbacks, and if those seem okay, then proceed.

Execution is in your hands, not the result. If the risk you have taken doesn’t seem worthwhile, revert to your previous state quickly or come up with an alternative. Don’t wait for things to worsen.

Take more calculated risks, I say. Not sure about the fun part, though. 😉

Are you a foodie?

 

A foodie or just someone who likes to hog? Someone who likes to explore different restaurants or an #InstagramFoodie?

Before calling yourself a foodie, stop! understand!

Just because you like to eat doesn’t make you a foodie. A foodie isn’t someone who tells that a particular restaurant is awesome, a foodie is someone who knows where what’s worth noshing on.

Dictionary meaning of ‘foodie’:

A person with a particular interest in food; a gourmet; a person who enjoys food for pleasure

What ‘foodie’ doesn’t mean: Food Hog

A food hog is a person who hogs and constantly eats food

Food hogs pursue eating as a hobby, foodies don’t. However, this term is recklessly thrown around of late. Even someone with a digital camera who visits restaurants only for #FoodForTheDay photos, call themselves foodiies these days. Foodies know the cooking styles, ingredients, famous preparation methods along with the origin of the food they eat.

A foodie has a list of his favourite dishes that is longer than his bucket list.

Next time, call yourself a foodie only if you can make a recommendation backed with some relevant information. Okay?

Did you forget someone’s birthday?

Birthdays are a 24-hour event where the spotlight is on you – some like the limelight, some don’t, but no one can escape it. But what all of us like is the spotlight from people close to us. So, when they forget your birthday, you experience multiple emotions at a time. How can someone forget an event of such significance? How dare they?

Then you realise, it is just another day for them, same as yesterday, no different than tomorrow. However, you cannot help but think about these things:

1. But I remembered theirs?
2. I spent days choosing their present, and they just ‘missed’ my birthday. Couldn’t even afford a wish?
3. We’ve been talking for so many hours now and not a sign of a wish.
4. It’s not like there’s so much on their mind. *rolls eyes while checking social media*
5. Should I remind them?
6. Oh, maybe they are doing it on purpose.
7. I’ll wait for one more hour and then I’ll remind them.
8. Why should I remind them? They are better off busy.
9. Should I unfriend them?
10. Okay, fine! I’ll forget their birthday too.

How do I know all these thoughts cross a person’s mind when someone misses their birthday? Because, these crossed my mind.
If you are one of those who keep missing the birthdays of people close to you, make sure you don’t miss it again and put them through this self-disrupting mental chaos.