Sufi – The Invisible Man of The Underworld (English, Paperback, Aabid Surti)

1950s, Bombay: Two dirt-poor teenagers grew up on the bleak streets of Dongri, a muslim ghetto notorious for incubating underworld criminals like Karim Lala, Haji Mastan and Dawood Ibrahim. Thanks to a kindly mentor, one of the teenagers went on to become the national-award winning author & painter Aabid Surti. The other, guided by a corrupt police officer, took to a life of easy crime, and went on to become one the most wanted smugglers of ‘60s. He was nicknamed ‘the Sufi’ because though he made millions off his schemes, he had a rule that he didn’t smoke, drink or kill anyone. Both young men fell in love at the same time and watched their first love affair end dramatically. Both, coincidentally, went on to marry women with the same first name and settled down in the same prosperous suburb of the city a few blocks from each other.

Thirty years later, the two met for the first time.

As they retraced their magical parallel journeys, one can only wonder whether our lives are truly shaped by our circumstances or by our choices.

The fast-paced thriller also gives clues to the unknown mastermind behind the 1960s gold smuggling racket – the son of a former Indian politician, who played a significant role in the Sufi’s rise and fall. This Kindle version ends with the only published interview of the ‘Sufi’ – revealing his real identity and plans ahead.

Originally published in Gujarati language in 1986, the book became a cult classic in India and was translated into Kannada, Marathi, Hindi and English. Efforts are underway to produce a big-budget Hindi-language feature film based on the book.