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You just close your eyes in Chambal
And it's just
So serene
The sound of the birds chirping
You just need to close your eyes
And feel the music
To join the gang, you'll first have to commit a murder
He who is afraid, dies
Chambal Valley
The original Wild, Wild West of India
Occupying the northern part of Madhya Pradesh
And nestled between the borders of Rajasthan and UP
This place is as brutal as it is breathtakingly beautiful
And to know why
One has to get back to the river from where it all started
I am on a boat
On the river Chambal
The river that lends the valley its name
So the story goes
After getting humiliated in the game of dice by Shakuni
Draupadi decided to curse this river
And whoever drank from it
The curse seems to have stuck
Because this unholy river
Never got its share of temples, rituals
Like other rivers in the country
Like the Ganga
What it got though
Was a fair share of
Crocodiles
Ghadiyals
Ravines
And a huge number of daakus (bandits)
So much so, that today
When you hear the word Chambal
Nobody knows about the river
But everybody knows about
Guns
Bullets
And bloodshed
Now out of the daakus
Or 'baagis' as they preferred to call themselves
One of the most feared happened to be Ramesh Singh Sikarwar
My host for this episode
With a gang of 32 bandits
Mr. Sikarwar operated in the Sheopur region of the Chambal valley
During the 70s and 80s
By the time he surrendered in 1984
His count stood at 29 robberies
Over a 100 kidnappings
And 52 murders
But just when I was thinking that my host had left behind his life of crime
And was leading a peaceful, farmer's life
My director had this to say about him
So what is this Daaku upto nowadays?
So when he surrendered
He got a lot of land
And so he is farming
He was an elected official also in his village
So basically everything's normal now?
I won't say normal
Because just a few years back
He was involved, allegedly
In a murder case
So he just got out of jail recently
Like a few years back
Fuck
I don't want to add to the list of dead people in Chambal man
Good luck to me
And the crew
And the crew
So, I had a fever, a severe cold
And I was on my way to meet one of the most prolific murderers this country has seen
Who, from the sound of it, still hasn't given up his old ways
The day couldn't look more upbeat
Fuck, this daaku looks badass, bro
My name is VC
Welcome, welcome
Can I also get a gun and some bullets?
Don't burden yourself with guns, let us carry them
A lot of suffering comes from wielding a gun
You have to leave your family, your village
You have to make a new world for yourself
So that you can fight injustice
So you don't worry yourself with one
Ok
Come let's go into the temple
Like most daakus, Sikarwar is extremely devoted to the Goddess Durga
And it was at her temple that my welcome had been organised
I have a cold, can I get some tea?
Sure
Chambal's special tea?
I have heard it's quite different than the usual
The water that goes into it makes it demonic
Demonic?
It makes you want to commit murder
What are you saying!
I don't want to murder someone!
After the murder inducing tea, it was time for some simple village breakfast
That looks nice
What have we here
Daal, rice, chapatis
This is what we eat everyday
Take my plate
Why did you exchange the plates?
Let me also exchange my plate with yours then
I'll take this one
But why do you exchange plates?
The reason for that is
That plate of food has come for me
I am the leader of the gang
And one might think that by killing me they would destroy the whole gang
So if someone has put poison in the food
Poison
Then by exchanging the plates at least I'll survive
The gang member who'll die in my place, can always be replaced
But if you cut the tree, there won't be any branches
While we were having breakfast, the local police decided to show up
But unlike the past, they weren't laying a trap for Mr. Sikarwar
Instead, they were interested in the film crew from Mumbai
When and why did you become a Baagi (bandit)?
I became a bandit in 1976
I had to become one because of my uncle
What did he do to you?
It was about the family property
He wouldn't share it with anyone else from the family
He also cheated my father
He cheated your father?
Yeah
And this led me to become a Baagi
Actually, injustice is the main reason behind someone becoming a Baagi
So you had to pick up a gun?
Yes
This was a constant amongst all the daakus of Chambal
The lack of alternatives to the police as a justice apparatus
Made the situation so bleak
That people like Sikarwar felt they had no option
But to play judge, jury and executioner
The first murder that I committed was of this man called Gulab Dhakkad
And the second?
After that, it became difficult to keep a count
But it must be 40-45 murders
To join the gang, you'll have to first commit a murder
Hmmm
Without a murder, one won't be allowed to join the gang
He might be working for the police
To destroy the gang
The police might have offered him lakhs of Rupees
Or an assurance of a job in the police force for his son
And an undercover policeman won't commit a murder
Yes, exactly, a policeman won't be a murderer
You were your gang's Gabbar
Yes
Who was your Samba?
The Samba to my Gabbar was Prabhu, who is sitting next to you
So you would sit on a hill?
Yes
And what would you usually do there?
He would give me orders to shoot
He just had to take a name
For me to kill a person
He who is afraid, dies (Sholay dialogue)
Loaded on fat rotis and ghee-heavy daal
It was time to meet the rest of the gang
That had gathered at Mr. Sikarwar's house
And boy, did I get an introduction
This is Bansi Khushwaha
From Morena
This is Kalyan Singh Tomar
This is Aakraman Singh Khushwaha
He is his son
And his grandson
These two are brothers
They killed some people from the Teliya community
They are also called Rathores
The Rathore brothers had taken over their land
So these two killed them
Their son was a child at the time
He became a part of our gang
We got him married in the jungle
So you used to stay with these people in the ravines?
Yes
So what food did you make there?
Let's go to the jungle, we will show you
We'll tell you where we used to hide, what we used to eat
You should see for yourself
So this means you'll train me?
Yeah, we'll train you
And show you that place
What if one day life forces you to become a daaku?
Yeah
Let's go to the jungle
Let's go
So it was decided
To truly experience how these outlaws operated back in the day
And what they ate on the run
I'd have lunch with them at their old hideout
As if I had any say in the matter
You mostly do what the daakus say in these parts
Guys, pick up all of this stuff and load up the tractors
Within an hour, tractors were arranged for the journey
And loaded with raw grains, vessels and a lot of people
I realised things move fast when you have seasoned bandits barking the orders
Move fast!
It's loaded?
Yes, everyone get on the tractors
After a customary shoutout to the Gods
Jai Bhawani, Jai Bhawani
We were on our way
Just as I was getting a little comfortable with these outlaws and enjoying the drive
I was reminded how ruthless they were to anyone who crossed their paths
Or worse, ratted them out
Once, when had a jungle camp in this very same area
A local cattle herder turned informer against us
He told the police about our location
And brought the police to our camp
The police opened fire
I wasn't at the camp
And one of our gang members died
So in the evening, I went to their village and found out who gave us away
I found out that the cattle herders had ratted us out
That night our gang killed 27 of them
The entire region was terrified
We shook up the whole system
No one saw it coming
My clear warning to all would-be informers was
That next time it wouldn't be just 27, it would be 2700
After that, no one dared to inform against us
Stone cold murders may have been a-okay with these hardened criminals
But alcohol and women clearly were not
I once met Paan Singh Tomar in a jungle
He was with 7-8 of his gang members
They were drinking rum
I got very angry looking at them drinking
Even though he was older than me
I told him that being a baagi, he shouldn't be drinking
If you wanted to drink, then you should have stayed back home
He told me that alcohol acts as a medicine for daakus
I told him, "No, it's your death"
I stayed there for around 10-20 minutes and then left
Seeing the alcohol there made me very angry
When you lived in the jungle
Did you ever feel you also needed women around
Because it's a natural need
What you're saying is correct
But baagis and babajis (saints)
These people need to have control over their desires
Were there any daakus who strayed from this path?
Those who stray, end up dead
Once, one of our men in our gang
Captured a girl from a village nearby
They misbehaved with her
And brought her to our camp
I was praying at the time
And when I saw that there was a girl in the camp
I got very angry
And I asked Prabhu Singh to find out who had brought her
When he told me who the two men involved were
I told him to shoot him right there
He shot both of them, and took the girl back home
I mean, this was turning out to be more than a lunch date
I was also getting invaluable lessong in morality from a murderous bandit
The unexpected rewards of life on the road
Finally, the roads disappeared and I was told
We would be completing the rest of our journey on foot
I was also soon updated about my status in the travelling party
Sikarwar ji, can I help you there?
Yes, of course, carry this
We make the people who we kidnap carry our supplies
Kidnapped?
Yeah, we have kidnapped you
You have kidnapped me?
Yes
Now follow us into the jungle
Hey!
Move it
Walk straight
I was about to descend into a thick forest
With some of the most vicious bandits this country had ever seen
On the pretext of lunch
I had no network, no safety equipment
And no way to tell my well-wishers where to look for my body
If I go missing
So I thought it was only fair to ask where we were heading
What is this place?
That's a village called Murawan
That is Tictoli
But we have to go in there, in the valley
It's quite deep
It is in there that we will be having lunch today
Our march through the jungle made me realise
Why this place must have worked as the ideal hideout
It was remote, rough, and known to the daakus like the backs of their hands
This was their turf, their home
Unlike the police, who only came visiting when the sh*t hit the fan
After what seemed like a couple of hours, we finally reached the place
Do I hear the sound of running water?
There is a stream up ahead
This is where we used to halt
This is our home
When daakus stay in the jungle, places like this become home
A sentry is posted on top of the hill
Right now?
Yes, now
If he sees police coming, he will fire a round
And we will know immediately
He will fire, and come down quickly
And we will make a quick getaway
The police will not be able to catch us
For baagis, this place is like home
Come, let's show you around
Come!
The hideout was swarming with villagers cooking enough food to feed an army
It was just like the old days
When bandit camps would serve hundreds on special occasions
Mr. Sikarwar decided to run me through the lunch menu himself
These wheat rolls here are called 'baatis'
We will dunk these in ghee (clarified butter)
They will come out nice and crispy
It's hard for baagis to find even common vegetables in the jungle
Daal-baati is something that is nutritious and easy to make here in the wilderness
What's next?
This is the daal being cooked
You pair the baatis with this daal
Why is it so red?
That's because there is a lot of chilli in it
Daakus eat a lot of chilli
Why?
So that we can remain angry
And aggressive
This was simple stuff
Derived from the lack of options the daakus had on the run
Changing locations thrice a day and relying solely on the local villagers for supplies
Kind of makes you appreciate the simple things in life
But this didn't mean the daakus skimped on dessert
What is this?
This hard dumpling is what we will use to make 'choorma ke ladoo'
We add sugar to this
And a lot of dry fruits like cashews, almonds etc.
You don't get this in the market, do you?
No
The ones that you get in the market are made in vegetable oil
They make you fall sick, have acidity and eventually die
The trek through the jungle had worsened my condition
And all this talk of food wasn't helping
I could hardly wait for lunch
Sikarwar ji
Yes?
I am exhausted after all that hiking
You are hungry
I know what you are going through
You might just find me lying around here like a dead leaf
Let's feed you
Son, get the food
Have the hot daal and your cold will disappear
These are the baatis
Oh, the baatis have arrived
I am so hungry that I might just eat this by itself
So Sikarwar ji, when did you surrender?
I surrendered on 27th October 1984
So why did you surrender?
Did you feel like you had had enough?
It had been a decade since I started living in the wild
And my family and friends requested me to come back
The Chief Minister at the time, Arjun Singh, also met me
He assured me that I would get everything that I request
Land
Arm licenses
Jobs for our children
So just surrender
Sikarwar had put down 18 conditions to the govt before surrendering
All of which were eventually met
Talk about having your cake and eating it too
Just before I could ask Mr. Sikarwar if he felt any remorse for his crimes
One of his gang members saw a few monkeys up in the trees
And obviously, decided to use his loaded gun to scare them off
One second, please
Note to PETA: it was just a warning shot, and the monkeys escaped unharmed
Can't say the same about my eardrums, though
No more, no more
No more, thank you
The monkey just bolted as soon as the shot went off
Sikarwar ji, it's been so many years
Almost 32 years since you surrendered
Didn't you feel any remorse for your murders?
That doesn't happen
Because the people who we killed
Were the enemies of the common folk also
But when an innocent man dies then it feels bad
Have you ever killed an innocent man?
There was one man
Who was that
He was from a nearby district called Sheopuri
My gang members were thirsty
And it was night time
This guy was sleeping next to the tubewell and his rifle was lying on a charpoy
I asked him for some water
He started swearing at me
He asked me who I was
I told him I just wanted some water from his well
Yeah, it's a God given thing
We would just have some water and be on our way
But he angrily refused
I snatched away his rifle
And told him to watch his tone
But he kept swearing
I told him that we are baagis
He wasn't impressed
I told him if he doesn't lower his voice, I'll shoot him
He started provoking me
Said if I am my mother's son, then I'd be able to shoot him
That very instant, I shot him
But after killing him, I felt sad
Because he wasn't an enemy
When a man like this dies, then there is remorse
Sikarwar and gang believe that even though most outfits like theirs
Might have either surrendered or been exterminated by police
A new breed of even more dangerous and legal bandits have taken over present day Chambal
Who are the modern day daakus?
There are two kinds
One who wear all white
And the other who wear all khaki
Both of them are dacoits
The ones who wear white are the politicians
They are scamming the country of billions of Rupees
And going to jails like any bandit would
The other kind wears government provided khakis
And is blatantly looting people on the roads
By fining motorcycles, trucks, buses
Whatever they can lay their hands on
The government can't do anything to them
They have a license to loot
No one can stop them
The ladoos are fantastic
They have the feels
You liked the ladoos?
They have the feels
That's how city folks appreciate food
It was starting to get dark
And even the daakus couldn't have assured us safety from what lurked here in the night
But before we could wrap up
Prabhu Singh decided to showcase his acting abilities
And broke into an act that the gang used to employ
To stop buses and kidnap their passengers
When I used to go for kidnappings
I would disguise myself as a crippled mad man
Bus drivers would take pity on me and give me a seat
As soon as I would get in the bus
I would take out my revolver, press it against the driver's temple and say
'I, Ramesh Singh Sikarwar, will blow your brains out'
The driver would start shaking with fear
We would then take the bus two kilometers inside the jungle
After kidnapping some people,
We would let the rest run away
Performance done, it was time to get out of the jungle
And come back up to the surface
Jai Bhawani!
Thanks a lot for coming
Show us around Mumbai some time
Sure
You can come whenever you want
We will ensure that you have as good a time there
As we had here
Hugging and saying goodbye to bandits
Who between them have killed more people than a typical natural disaster
Is always awkward
But dining with them made me see first hand
The Robin Hood complex that inflicted these daakus
They saw themselves as messiahs of the poor
And felt little or no remorse for their crimes
This is what makes Chambal such a scary place
Here, violence is not something that's looked down upon
But is almost a way of life
The next day, I was to break bread with someone
Whose job was to use this same violence against the daakus
An encounter specialist
Whose kill count actually stood at more than double that of Mr. Sikarwar's
All of this was getting a bit too surreal for a sick man to process
So I decided to do what I do best
Pass the fuck out!
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