I'm learning about Mumbai organized crime history

[Recursion]

This stuff makes the NYC/Sicily Mafia look like playschool.

[malaise]

1. Check out the gambling on cricket

match-fixing, etc.

[Recursion]

4. True

That's actually a good aspect to take my story in.

[malaise]

5. The vast majority of bookies involved in cricket gambling across the globe

are from India.

The Indian Supreme Court just forced the BCCI President to step down because his son in law's team in the IPL was heavily involved in match-fixing.

[Laelth]

2. Met a woman from Mumbai yesterday.

She moved to the states some 15 years ago. We didn't talk about organized crime, per se, but she did mention that she was shocked when her father (who wouldn't let her spend the night with a friend who lived down the street) said it was fine if she wanted to up and move to the United States.

-Laelth

[Recursion]

3. Funny, yeah?

There we go...

[Laelth]

6. From what I could gather ...

Mumbai is a huge, sprawling, beautiful, multi-cultural, religiously diverse, tolerant, and dangerous city.



-Laelth

[Codeine]

7. The corruption in Mumbai is staggering.

Nothing - even the most petty of activities - happens without bribery, and organized crime has a hand in every business or major undertaking. One of the most fascinating places on Earth to read about, however.

[mopinko]

8. india is amazing

went there a few years ago w hubby on business. they insisted that we have a driver and a guide the whole time. the only thing we did off the beaten track was that we found a little beer store that sold the premium kingfishers. we got out an negotiated that, and came back the next day. pretty much it.

i have a friend that is a buddhist, tho, who goes there every now and again, and visits the temples because they are beautiful. she is 10 years older than me, and i am 60. she stays in hostels. she walks and even has been known to take the train.
but she is pretty clearly an american, and this probably affords some safety, and hanging in the temples and sacred places might help.

but yeah, they were clearly terrified of the idea that we would even walk a street and get some local food.
we wanted to take a train ride. they nearly had a stroke.

it was an amazing experience, but i have never referred to it as fun.

[Divernan]

9. Corruption of the police and court system is horrendous, w/multiple levels of bribery.

I'm reading a non-fiction book, "Beyond the Beautiful Forevers - Life, Death and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity" - a rigorous inquiry into the lives of the most impoverished slum dwellers in Mumbai by a journalist who spent three years studying and interacting with the lowest members of society there, the garbage pickers. A stunning indictment of judicial corruption and economic inequality. Depending on which side wins a bidding war to pay the highest bribes to police, witnesses, judges, even medical records of victims are rewritten to support whatever level of charges are finally bought and paid for. Horrifying.

[el_bryanto]

10. What sources are you using - seems like an interesting subject. nt

[Recursion]

12. Sources? I live in Mumbai. I'm asking dudes up and down Joshi Marg.

It's what it is.

[el_bryanto]

13. Ah - well living in Tallahassee FL I'm guessing that particular source isn't open to me

You should write an article or a book.

Bryant

[mopinko]

11. caught a couple of the bbc stories about the elections.

sounds a lot like here- a hindu candidate running on his piety despite a record of violence.
same damn religious hypocrisy.
already thought religion was a pox when i went there. but when you see marble temples built with the rupees of the poorest of the poor, it just turned my stomach against religion for good.