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Meow Meow: The Incredible True Story of Baby Patankar
"Call her a police informant, a slumlord, a successful businesswoman, a caring grandmother-but do not call Shashikala 'Baby' Patankar a drug dealer. On 9 March 2015, a constable in the Mumbai Police force, Dharmaraj Kalokhe, was arrested by the local police for possession of a white powder believed to be the synthetic drug Mephedrone. His partner, Shashikala 'Baby' Patankar, was the informant. Later she was arrested by the police, too. In the days that followed, the Maharashtra Police declared her a criminal and the media labelled her 'drug queen', but Baby always considered herself an innocent. Unearthing new facts about the case, this book is a blow-by-blow account of Baby's capture and the investigation that followed. It is also the story of Mephedrone - better known as Meow Meow - which, when it entered the schools, colleges and pubs of Mumbai, changed the rules of the game and the enforcement of narcotics laws in the city. Fast and pacy, Meow Meow is the tale of one of Mumbai's most baffling crime and the intriguing life that Baby Patankar led."
- GenresNonfiction
328 pages, Paperback
Published May 30, 2023
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67 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
May 25, 2023
With all the trappings of an exciting true crime tale, this had plenty of potential, and was a gripping read for the first 50-odd pages. After the initial buildup though, the narrative gets very convoluted, jam-packed as it is with several players. I don't blame the writer, because this story is complicated and rendered more messy because of India’s too-many-cooks bureaucratic approach to any public matter. In this case, there were so many key people involved that it got hard to keep the names and their stories straight in my head after a point of time. The pace of the book also suffered because of this, with the flow of the story getting disjointed and quite dull, despite its thrilling subject matter. Even though a non-fiction book typically doesn't need to follow the rhythms of storytelling, the true-crime nature of the subject demanded that treatment, which the writer failed to provide. Because of this, what should have been an easy read took me weeks to complete, just like the court cases this book devotes its many pages to.
July 10, 2023
"To err is human, to purr is feline." .......
Crime reporter Srinath Rao’s debut non-fiction book is real-life crime saga. While the first half of Meow Meow is compelling, most of the latter half is bogged down by details of inter-departmental police investigation yet, narrates a meticulously reconstructed account of this crime saga. The writing balances facts, humour and deep insights to expose the entire ecosystem within which meow meow and Baby Patankar flourished.The style of writing is so precise, making it a page-turner to be savoured slowly for its brilliance. More importantly, it humanises the dreaded drug queen Baby Patankar.The book’s cast is fascinating; white-collar drug users, street-level enforcers, cunning cops, naive youngsters; every character major or minor is fleshed out with a great deal of detail. But the most impressive aspect of this book is Rao’s relentless grip on the subject,just about everything is explained in well researched manner. This is a book that will almost certainly be adapted into a monstrously entertaining film or series in the years ahead.
Crime reporter Srinath Rao’s debut non-fiction book is real-life crime saga. While the first half of Meow Meow is compelling, most of the latter half is bogged down by details of inter-departmental police investigation yet, narrates a meticulously reconstructed account of this crime saga. The writing balances facts, humour and deep insights to expose the entire ecosystem within which meow meow and Baby Patankar flourished.The style of writing is so precise, making it a page-turner to be savoured slowly for its brilliance. More importantly, it humanises the dreaded drug queen Baby Patankar.The book’s cast is fascinating; white-collar drug users, street-level enforcers, cunning cops, naive youngsters; every character major or minor is fleshed out with a great deal of detail. But the most impressive aspect of this book is Rao’s relentless grip on the subject,just about everything is explained in well researched manner. This is a book that will almost certainly be adapted into a monstrously entertaining film or series in the years ahead.
March 8, 2024
I'm a huge fan of both scholarly histories and thrilling crime fiction. This read lives in the haze somewhere between those two genres, so I hoped that it would scratch both itches at once. Instead, much like the washerman's dog, I found it satisfied neither and left me vaguely unfulfilled.
The character of Baby Patankar should be the star of the show. After all, it was her face splashed all over the papers when the story of Meow Meow first broke. And she does start out seeming to carry all the qualities of a classic anti-hero. But while we hear repeatedly from others about how wily and powerful she is, when we actually see her, she is often cowering at home or another hiding place wondering how to get herself out of whatever fix she put herself in.
The saving grace may just be the beautifully colorful character studies of the other people the author meets along the way. Drug sellers, users, drivers, even chawl denizens all become vibrantly delicious spots of flavor in an otherwise long saga of waiting for the police to arrest someone else.
The character of Baby Patankar should be the star of the show. After all, it was her face splashed all over the papers when the story of Meow Meow first broke. And she does start out seeming to carry all the qualities of a classic anti-hero. But while we hear repeatedly from others about how wily and powerful she is, when we actually see her, she is often cowering at home or another hiding place wondering how to get herself out of whatever fix she put herself in.
The saving grace may just be the beautifully colorful character studies of the other people the author meets along the way. Drug sellers, users, drivers, even chawl denizens all become vibrantly delicious spots of flavor in an otherwise long saga of waiting for the police to arrest someone else.
December 3, 2025
Rating - 4.25 stars
NPS - 10 (Promoter)
Cocaine was the Lindt chocolate bar of drugs.
Meow meow was Melody toffee, cheap and easy to find.
If you are from Mumbai, you’ve seen Meow Meow in the newspapers from 2010s.
Meow Meow was a new entrant in the Mumbai party scene, commonly known as mephedrone or M-Cat, which is a cheap cousin of cocaine. Unlike its rich cousin, mephedrone was a legal drug that was available for half the price, in the streets of Mumbai.
This is the story of the supplier of this drug, Baby Patankar and her associates, and the aftermath of all the things that occurred as soon as the party drug was made illegal.
The author has done a great job content wise, as he covered the story for several years as a journalist in the Indian Express.
My only complaint is that the writing is clunky and it could have been well edited by the editor/publishing house.
If you are ok with mediocre writing - but good true crime content with drug cartels, this is the book for you.
NPS - 10 (Promoter)
Cocaine was the Lindt chocolate bar of drugs.
Meow meow was Melody toffee, cheap and easy to find.
If you are from Mumbai, you’ve seen Meow Meow in the newspapers from 2010s.
Meow Meow was a new entrant in the Mumbai party scene, commonly known as mephedrone or M-Cat, which is a cheap cousin of cocaine. Unlike its rich cousin, mephedrone was a legal drug that was available for half the price, in the streets of Mumbai.
This is the story of the supplier of this drug, Baby Patankar and her associates, and the aftermath of all the things that occurred as soon as the party drug was made illegal.
The author has done a great job content wise, as he covered the story for several years as a journalist in the Indian Express.
My only complaint is that the writing is clunky and it could have been well edited by the editor/publishing house.
If you are ok with mediocre writing - but good true crime content with drug cartels, this is the book for you.
December 13, 2024
This starts of well, the history of Worli, Dharavi, the super rich Mumbaikars to Slumbaikars.
The rise of Baby, her love affair with Police constable Dharma. The matriarch running a durg cartel supposedly. The inter department rivalry.
In the last few chapters,as more and more characters are introduced there seems to be confusion,author clearly does not want to ruffle feathers with incompetent and corrupt Mumbai cops and it suffers, it should have focused on Baby, the drug users and the drug.
The rise of Baby, her love affair with Police constable Dharma. The matriarch running a durg cartel supposedly. The inter department rivalry.
In the last few chapters,as more and more characters are introduced there seems to be confusion,author clearly does not want to ruffle feathers with incompetent and corrupt Mumbai cops and it suffers, it should have focused on Baby, the drug users and the drug.
December 23, 2024
Gripping in the first half but swiftly dwindles from there. That said, this would make for a fascinating web series!
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews