News
INDIA CURRENTS
'Homebound': Letters From a Migrant Indian Girl
A story of family, survival, and relentless hope, the novel captures the resilience and fortitude of those millions of migrant workers, who trudged hundreds of kilometres home, and those hundreds, whom the long walk killed.
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February 15, 2022
PLATFORM MAGAZINE
Puja Changoiwala on Homebound
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At the novel’s core are the 450 million internal migrants in India — humans who form the bulwark of our economy, while living in Dickensian tenements, mostly working as daily-wage labourers without safety gear, written contracts, job security, paid leaves, health care benefits, social security & fair wages.
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November 25, 2021
WOMENS'S WEB
‘One Had Used Leaves To Fill The Holes In Their Tattered Slippers, While One Had ‘Mended’ His Torn Shoes With Safety Pins’
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'Homebound' explores the hope & resilience of migrant workers who trudged hundreds of kilometres during Covid lockdown in India, and those hundreds whom the long walk killed. An excerpt.
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December 2, 2021
BUSINESS STANDARD
Crime and Reformation
[Gangster on the Run] does not have a preachy, motivational tone nor is this a long, circuitous journey to drive home the age-old maxim, “crime never pays”. The author deserves credit for presenting like a racy thriller a real-life account of former gangster Rahul Jadhav alias Bhiku — his crimes, struggles and the ultimate transformation...
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November 13, 2020
THE NEWS MINUTE
The early years of Rahul Jadhav
A boy, who lost his innocence to the Mumbai mafia; a painter, who lost his art to the 9 mm pistol; a dreamer, who lost his ambition to cheap whisky; a romantic, who lost his love to dimly lit bars and brothels; and a son, who lost his ideals to hard cash – this is the story of Rahul Jadhav
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October 13, 2020
REDIFF
When a terrorist and a hitman meet in jail
"As soon as he entered his barrack, Rahul noticed a group of seven inmates seated on their mattresses under the television set. They must be the terrorists, Rahul thought to himself."
A fascinating excerpt from Gangster On The Run.
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October 1, 2020
THE TRIBUNE
From dark alleys of crime to ultra-marathoner
At the very outset, the author makes it clear that ‘this is a work of non-fiction’, yet each page reads like a thriller that delves deep into the core of Mumbai’s underworld. Detailed and well-researched, the book narrates a tale of hope.
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September 27, 2020
YOUR STORY
Journalist-author Puja Changoiwala's new book explores the life and transformation of gangster Rahul Jadhav
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"We sat by the sea, talking for six hours, discussing his crimes, his inner demons, and his external motivations. That quarter of a day told me that the man was walking around with a book in his belly."
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October 9, 2020
HINDUSTAN TIMES
Excerpt: Gangster on the Run
The story of hitman and extortionist Rahul Jadhav, Gangster on the Run reveals his descent into crime, his alcoholism and drug addiction. This excerpt focuses on an incident that’s both violent and funny and was the beginning of a reign of terror in the Mumbai suburb of Dombivli
September 18, 2020
THE ASIAN AGE
A gangster's first heartbreak
"Dina turned around and hugged him. Her brown, sunken cheeks wet with tears, she was trembling. She wasn’t shivering, no. She was trembling, as if it were freezing, as if she couldn’t breathe. Within seconds, she broke the embrace, climbed onto the well’s side-rail, and jumped."
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September 18, 2020
THE STATESMAN
True Crime​
Changoiwala, who worked for the Hindustan Times in Mumbai, takes the reader along in the mad story chase, giving a good idea of the physical acrobatics as well as the mental calisthenics that enable a crime reporter to get ahead of the pack when a story makes the front pages of a newspaper
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May 17, 2017
DAILY O
Behind the lives of the other Indian serial killers
"Mohan's modus operandi was simple - find an 'impressionable-looking' woman, befriend her, propose marriage to her, convince her to elope with him, take her to a lodge, have sex with her, and then get her to swallow cyanide-laced pills before fleeing with her jewellery. "
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April 4, 2017
THE QUINT
Murders Most Foul: Inside Mumbai Killer Vijay Palande’s Mind
The new book The Front Page Murders by journalist Puja Changoiwala delves deep into the murders planned and executed by Palande over years, his links with the Mumbai film industry and underworld, his arrest and the media coverage of the entire episode.
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November 22, 2016
HINDUSTAN TIMES
Book excerpt: How serial killer Vijay Palande planned the Tikku murder
"I Anuj Tikku son of A.K.Tikku is not happy with my life. So I am taking my own life because this life has given more Just sadness and depression and Failours. Nobody should responsible For my deth because going twords moksha. I am frecceing my soul from my body. This world is all fake."
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July 20, 2017
THE TIMES
OF INDIA
Shelf Esteem: Interview
with Puja Changoiwala
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"I am a guilty,
guilty, hoarder."
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2017
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