Mumbai Don Divas

Bangalore-based journalist and international studies Ph.D., Sudha Ramachandran has filed an amazing story with the Asia Times on the return of gangland style violence to Mumbai's underworld, which is said to be "younger, deadlier, and more ambitious and tech savvy." They're also evidently more progressive on gender roles:

The new dons' molls seem to share little with "Mona darling", the quintessential vamp in Hindu movies of the 1970s and '80s, who did little beyond dance for the don and pour his whiskey. Now they are the dons' partners in crime, actively involved in the business of extortion and trafficking. A new generation of gangsters is making its mark in the underworld.

Intelligence officials say the new dons are keen to make their presence felt and want to carve a name for themselves. They are seeking to wrest control over turf from their older associates. This will mean an increase in intra-gang warfare and bloodletting in the coming years.