Jenabai Daruwali | |
|---|---|
| Born | Zainab Daruwesh Gandhi Dongri, India |
| Other names | Jenabai Chavalwaali; "Maasi" |
| Occupation | Bootlegger, underworld mediator |
| Known for | Mumbai's first female "mafia queen" |
Jenabai (born Zainab Daruwesh Gandhi, c. 1920s – died post‑1993) was a Mumbai's first female "mafia queen". She rose from origins in the Dongri chawls to become a bootlegging entrepreneur and mediator among crime dons including Haji Mastan, Karim Lala, Varadarajan Mudaliar, and Dawood Ibrahim.[1]
Early life[edit | edit source]
Born in the 1920s in a Muslim Memon family in Mumbai’s Dongri area, Jenabai (then Zainab) was one of six siblings. Her formative years were shaped by poverty and the upheaval of the Partition of India. A Memon by birth, she took to smuggling ration and later liquor after her husband migrated to Pakistan, leaving her alone in Mumbai with their five children.[2] This trade evolved into smuggling ration during India's post-independence shortages.[3]
Bootlegging rise[edit | edit source]
Transitioning from grain smuggling to illicit liquor production, she earned the nickname “Daruwali” (liquor‑lady). By the 1960s and 1970s, she was a dominant bootlegger in areas like Nagpada and Mohammed Ali Road.[4]
Mediator and underworld influence[edit | edit source]
Jenabai is credited with brokering a peace treaty among rival factions under the patronage of Haji Mastan. Her relationships with figures like Dawood Ibrahim and Karim Lala made her a powerful intermediary. She was affectionately referred to as "Maasi" or "Apa" (aunt) by underworld members.[5]
Later life and legacy[edit | edit source]
By the 1980s, her influence declined as drug gangs and violence restructured Mumbai's criminal landscape. Following the 1993 Bombay bombings, she reportedly fell ill and died a few years later.[6]
Her legacy lives on in Indian popular culture and journalism. S. Hussain Zaidi profiles her in Mafia Queens of Mumbai, and Indian news outlets have acknowledged her as a significant, gender-defying figure in the underworld.[7]
In popular culture[edit | edit source]
A fictionalized version of Jenabai inspired the 2016 Zee TV series Amma, starring Shabana Azmi as a female underworld figure.[8]
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ "Gangubai Kathiawadi & 10 Other Mafia Queens Who Once Ruled Mumbai". ScoopWhoop. Retrieved 26 July 2025.
- ↑ "Feature: The 'Ma Bakers' of Mumbai". Dawn. Retrieved 26 July 2025.
- ↑ "Underworld Mafia Queen Jenabai Daruwali: Who Managed Dawood, Haji Mastan & Varadarajan". Jansatta. Retrieved 26 July 2025.
- ↑ Zaidi, Hussain; Jane Borges (2011). Mafia Queens of Mumbai. HarperCollins. ISBN 9788172235147.
- ↑ "Crazy Things You Didn't Know About Bombay's Feared Mafia Queens". ED Times. 27 February 2022. Retrieved 26 July 2025.
- ↑ "Mumbai's Most Notorious Lady Don Jenabai Daruwali". Shreshth Maharashtra. Retrieved 26 July 2025.
- ↑ Zaidi, S. Hussain; Jane Borges (2011). Mafia Queens of Mumbai. Tranquebar Press. ISBN 978-93-80283-77-7.
- ↑ "Amma (TV series)". Wikipedia.
Further reading[edit | edit source]
- Hussain Zaidi & Jane Borges, Mafia Queens of Mumbai. HarperCollins India, 2011.