Demystifying Haji Mastan

MUMBAI: Contrary to general belief, Haji Mastan Mirza was never an underworld don or even a goon for that matter. He was a smuggler and a shrewd man who rubbed shoulders with the high and mighty of his era. Be it Karim Lala or Vardabhai, Dilip Kumar or Shashi Kapoor, he had friends from the world of politics. To an extent, he was a simple man at home, with bare minimum needs and facilities. Though he possessed a huge mansion in a posh locality off Peddar Road, opposite Sophia College, he virtually lived his life in a small room built on the terrace of his bungalow. He worshipped the sea and had a clear view of the ocean from his terrace abode.

But once out of his home, Haji Mastan was a man of style. Always clad in pure white designer wear, a pack of imported cigarettes in hand, Mastan used to travel in a chauffeur driven Mercedes-Benz, a status symbol in those days.

He made millions through smuggling gold, silver and electronic goods and was once arrested and detained under the Conservation of Foreign Exchange and Prevention of Smuggling Activities (COFEPOSA) Act during Emergency. I saw him for the first time sitting on a wooden bench outside the office of a senior Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) official at Construction House, Fort in 1980. He was attending a procedural hearing along with fellow smuggler Yusuf Patel and two others.

A few months later, I had another encounter with Mastan. I was waiting for the signal to turn green just opposite the Santa Cruz police station when my car was hit from behind. My driver got down and had a verbal duel with the other driver. When I came out of the vehicle, I saw in awe Haji Mastan pleading with my driver to let go of the accident; he was willing to pay for the damage caused to the vehicle.

We shook hands and became acquainted-a ‘friendship’ that lasted his lifetime. We met several times at his small room and I learnt a lot about the business of smuggling and syndicates that ran it from Dubai.
His room used to be full of Tamil newspapers, specially flown in from Chennai as that was the only language that Mastan knew to read.

After all the cases against him were disposed off, Haji Mastan never indulged in smuggling again. He floated a political party and devoted time in holding periodic meetings with the poor and the needy in the minority community-dominated localities of south Mumbai and held public rallies at Mastan Talao near Nagpada police station. He also joined hands with anti-drug abuse activists like Dr Yusuf Merchant and implored the youth to stay away from killer drugs.

In the meantime, he courted a few Bollywood starlets and even tied the knot with one. He gifted her a bungalow situated near Dev Anand’s house at Juhu. He was a lonely man and had few but staunch friends. No wonder that when don Vardabhai died in Chennai, Mastan chartered an Indian Airlines’ plane and brought his friend’s body to Mumbai for last rites as was wished by Vardabhai.