BookMarks #100: Peaky Blinders: The Real Story

Title: Peaky Blinders - The Story of Birmingham’s most notorious gangs

Author: Carl Chinn

Published: 2019

Genre: Non-fiction, History

BookMarks

Peaky Blinders – gangsters/ruffians/hooligans from Birmingham who blinded their opponents using razor blades stitched inside the peaks of their flat caps. Or this is what the mythology has been built upon, especially with the hit TV show of the same name.

This book states its goal as giving the real story of these gangs. Over its 200 odd pages, it keeps reiterating that the show is a fictional depiction and the real “peaky blinders” were not so sophisticated. Yes, they were notorious, there were many incidents of violence committed by them especially against policemen, they controlled a fair chunk of the illegal betting market. And some could have used the signature cap as a weapon, but it is most likely to be a myth! The author, himself a descendant of an illegal bookmaker has tried to give the history of the rise and the later fall of these anti-social elements. Class divisions and poverty were the major reasons for the rise of these gangs. Better policing and involvement of the communities through youth sports and clubs channelizing their energies certainly contributed to the decline.

However, the book is a too long for the subject it covers. Given the repetitious content and lots of unnecessary details, it could easily have been a third of its size without losing any essence. This book seems more like an attempt to cash in on the success of the TV series!

Previously on BookMarks: 51 Accidental Inventions That Changed the World

P.S. This is the 100th blogpost in the #BookMarks series! Certainly been a long ride!

The Republic Day Parade

26th January - Republic Day. Celebrated across India as the day when the Constitution of India came to force. The highlight of the day is the Republic Day Parade broadcast live from Rajpath, New Delhi. And it is also something which I make it a point to watch. This year decided to capture some notes and thoughts while watching the nearly three hour long telecast of the Parade.

Republic Day is probably one of the very few occasions when the TRPs of DD-National reach the sky, even in the homes with cable TV. And with good reason too, as the parade, a showcase of India's military might and cultural heritage, is also a visual treat. Or as the Doordarshan anchors keep on refraining - a विहंगम दृश्य। A phrase which has been going on from time immemorial!

The telecast has patriotic music running in the background throughout. One of the more popular songs is the AR Rahman version of Vande Mataram, nowadays played more frequently than Bankim Chandra's version, our National Song! "Saare Jahaan se Accha Hindustan Hamara" is played almost throughout the telecast, either as background or by many of the marching bands. Don't think there has been a greater irony than the fact that its author Iqbal is also the man who conceptualized Pakistan! Opinions do change with time! Or the fact that the song was originally composed in Urdu - a language which many extremists would deem anti-national these days!

Before the Parade, the dignitaries pay tributes at the Amar Jawan Jyoti at the India Gate. The Amar Jawan Jyoti was added in 1971 as a tribute to the unknown soldier who died fighting for the country. While the India Gate was built by the British to commemorate the soldiers who died during the First World War. And has names of those soldiers inscribed on it. The British may have left, but many of their symbols remain, including the sense of pomp and ceremony. 

The President's Bodyguards - India's most elite force is still a cavalry regiment, in this day and time! After all, somethings never change! Also the Presidential Chair has Ashok Chakra embossed (noticed it for the first time today). And coming to the Chief Guests - why call ten Heads of State at one go? And if you are calling them, do they all become Chief Guests or Guests of Honour (Important Question)?

The most sombre part of the ceremony is the gallantry awards being given posthumously to the family members. Pride and sadness all mixed together.

And now for the actual parade, a set of important questions and observations:

• Are the missiles and other equipment on display the real thing or just models? And if it is the real thing, wouldn't they be better utilized for bolstering our defenses?
• The marching contingents and their bands, all moving in unison, present a splendid sight, a truly विहंगम दृश्य.
• We have a camel mounted regiment, which also has its own camel mounted band. Wonder which regiment would want to march just behind them given that the camels would hog all the limelight as well as dirty the roads!
• And then come the tableaus depicting our cultural heritage. I liked the Madhya Pradesh tableau, which had a kid taking a selfie in front of Sanchi Stupa - a true blend of the ancient and the modern.
• Also, quite a few tableaus depicted Buddhist imagery. Probably a nod to the ASEAN countries who were the Chief Guests for today's Parade. Also Buddhism is Indian tourism's biggest selling point.
• The Bravery Award winners come riding in open-top jeeps. I liked it more when they were brought on elephants!
• And finally the highlight of the show, the daredevil motorcycle riders! And this year this was an all-women contingent of bikers !

In all, a great show. But also a reminder of what India can truly become if we try to make it as the one promised in our Civics text-books!

P.S. The Twitter thread of my live-tweeting!

Satyamev Jayate

Satyamev Jayate - Truth  Alone Triumphs

This was the new show going to be aired on a lazy summer Sunday morning. The show had an air of mystery about it. Touted as a reality show, with a big name anchor, being simulcast also on DD-National. Promos gave the feel of a travel show. But overall the content was a rather well-kept mystery. All in all enough to have drawn one's attention to the show.

So Sunday morning, there was me and my wife plonked in front of the TV. A few minutes into the show and the picture became clear. This was more of a talk show with focus on the social issues facing India (a good idea in itself) with "female foeticide" being the issue discussed in this episode. A few more minutes down the line, it became too depressing to watch for us. And we switched channels, watched some meaningless stuff and went on with the Sunday activities.

But the story doesn't end here. Sometime later in the evening, while doing more channel surfing, we caught up with the repeat telecast on Star Pravah (the marathi channel). There was a different segment going on. We watched it, talked about it and then moved on to other things.

Makes us sound like people who think it is the others problems. But herein lies the impact of this show. We found ourselves talking on the subject of "female foeticide" quite a few times during the day. Discussed the film "Matrubhoomi" which had also covered this harsh reality about a village without women. Satyamev Jayate and female foeticide were the key discussion points on facebook and twitter all day. So yes, the impact has been there.

Now that the issue is out in the open, and people are talking about it, what is the next step? After all, we do like to outrage over a lot of things. And a declining gender ratio wasn't any new topic. There was a text poll conducted to ask Rajasthan Government to set up a fast-track court to tackle "female foeticide". I texted "Y" to the number (5782711). But I am cynical about how the thing works out. I don't think there is anyone out there, who would vote a "No". Many will vote a "Yes", and most won't care. But the question remains, can a SMS campaign make a government setup a fast-track court?

And as for the individual effort, I texted the "Y". Thought about the subject, talked about it, and am absolutely sure, I wouldn't be interested in knowing the gender of the future kid. But is that all that one can think about at an indivdual level.

The show certainly raised questions. And uncomfortable ones at that. And public awareness on an unconfortable issue was also raised. The desire to have a boy child and the murder of the girl child. But what about the solution. I don't know the solution but it certainly won't be through an SMS campaign or internet outrage.

P.S. A twisted thought - Female foeticide will most certainly reduce the population in a few years with less and less females. Maybe an indirect population control method.

Always

Sherlock Holmes to Bon Jovi via Severus Snape.

3 characters totally unrelated.
1st one - A Fictional detective (though there are many convinced he does exist)
2nd one - one of the biggest pop stars on this planet
3rd one - the most enigmatic fictional character ever created (IMO)

Now how did I get connect this trio?

I was watching Sherlock (the BBC series). Its a modernized take on the Arthur Conan Doyle creation set in the 21st century. (In my opinion a simply Bloody Brilliant one). Now while watching the series realized that Benedict Cumberbatch (the actor portraying Holmes) sounded pretty familiar. In fact he sounded like Alan Rickman's portrayal of Severus Snape in the Harry Potter movies. 

Did some Google research on the subject. Landed up on a set of videos where Benedict Cumberbatch was actually mimicking Alan Rickman. Also found that I wasn't the only one who found the voices similar. Check this combo video)

Related videos sent me into the Harry Potter World. Lots of fan made videos on Severus Snape. A few on Snape's love for Lily Evans which were a compilation of scenes from across the Potter movies. The background track playing was Bon Jovi's Always. A catchy sound track with lyrics which seemed to have been written for this story. (Funny how I had this song in my music collection for years but never listened to it). 

And since then this has become my favorite number.

P.S. Found this interesting line as well: "Dear Romeo, this is how you die for your love, Regards, Severus".

Travel Time

It was a short trip. 3 day official holiday combined with 3 days of Casual Leave (Aside, I love the term "Casual" Leave). And I went to a flying trip home for Diwali. Did not expect much to happen in this short period but yet it was full of interesting little nuggets.

• People love to queue up. The announcement for boarding was made and immediately almost fifty people were standing in the line at the entrance. Everybody had a booked seat, the flight was not going anywhere without them but people still chose to stand in the line carrying their luggage rather than sit in the waiting area for the lines to clear up.
• An early finish to the journey can also be frustrating at times. I was watching a movie and the flight landed 10 minutes prior to the scheduled arrival. Thus missed the climax. Thankfully it was a predictable story and nothing great to watch but still.
• Diwali is the festival of lights. God knows why some believe in making it the festival of sound.
• It was the occasion of another major festival in Bihar. The Assembly Elections. And for the first time in my life I was at right place to cast my vote. Unfortunately the name was missing. But I did participate in the voting process. Helped my grandmother cast her vote. So no ink mark on my finger but EVM used. And thus happened my first ever participation in the great Indian democratic process.
• Travelling in and around Patna, I saw for myself what everyone has been talking about. There are signs of development, nothing very substantial but definite signs. One can have hope.
• A visit to a site for an apartment under construction. Immediate thoughts went to the movie Khosla Ka Ghosla. 
• Rural life is still at least a couple of decades behind the urban life. No power at times, No cable, No internet, No mobile signal, Thinner newspaper (no supplements). Life seems to step back quite a few years. Due to the easy pace time literally crawls.
• TV watch - Saw a person lose 96.8 Lakh rupees on KBC. When you have no clue about the correct answer, when everyone is advising against playing for the jackpot, then why try? The person took a double chance, got it wrong both times. And why did he play? Not because he knew the answer but because he had a "one minute talk with Lord Ganesha", who advised him to play. Blind Faith? Somehow it was fitting that he lost.
• Reading a book while waiting at the airport. Notice another co-traveller reading the same book. Enough evidence that the book is a success?
• Return trip - New observation - Wigs are also now part of uniform for the air hostesses. Learning - When in doubt about some random observation about the world, put it on Facebook.
• Booked a pre-paid taxi from the airport counter. Found out that the taxi drivers have started a new money making scheme. Claiming that there was a shortage of taxis, they were trying to put more than one commuter in the same taxi. Simple Supply-Demand?

It was a total of 6 days, fun filled, slightly dull for some time, but lots of happenings.