Colombia Bothai Mafia | Pa Raghavan

Last year, my mother and I visited Arvind Eye Hospital in Madurai for a routine check-up. While we were waiting in the lobby, I noticed a book stall in one of the corners. I found a few interesting books, one of which was Colombia Bothai Mafia (Colombian Narcotics Mafia) by Pa Raghavan. I gave it to Kannan, and was finally able to get it back recently.

Pablo Escobar, a Colombian, was renowned as the ‘King of Narcotics’, specializing in Cocaine. He was widely recognized as the wealthiest criminal in the world, with an estimated net worth of $30 billion at the time of his assassination.

This book contains 31 articles written in a light-hearted language, which chronicle the life of Escobar from his childhood to his death. Narcotics provided him with a great deal of money, of course, although it was cursed money. Nonetheless, Escobar used it to build his immense wealth. He was a pioneer in finding new and ingenious ways to climb to the top.

The article astoundingly explains Escobar’s thought process in constructing his narcotics empire, delving into Pa Raghavan’s exploration of the macroeconomic and political environment of Colombia and the world.

The way he corrupted the entire Colombian government, his questionable business practices, and his attempts to ensure the free flow of goods are all fascinating to read about. America and Europe are the largest markets, not only for legitimate industries but also for cocaine. He utilized the power of money and intimidation to further his operations.

The Colombian Government’s collaborations with the United States are outlined in multiple chapters. It was amusing to read about Escobar’s private prison sentence.

The downfall of the narcotics kingpin was revealed over the last five chapters, with all the thrilling suspense of a novel. Will the Colombian forces be able to meet their objective and put a stop to the narcotics trade? To find out, you’ll have to read the book!

The author has made tremendous efforts to communicate the facts in a light-hearted manner. He follows a narrative structure which will be intriguing to those who are not accustomed to reading often. This is, of course, also a signature style of his writing!

This is a must-have on Tamil libraries’ non-fiction shelves.

Colombia Bothai Mafia/கொலம்பிய போதை மாஃபியா
Author: Pa Raghavan
Publisher: Mathi Nilayam, Chennai. 2nd Edition 2013
Borrow NLB
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Pa. Raghavan, a well known Tamil writer, winner of the prestigious ‘Bharathiya Basha Parishad Award’ in 2004. His best known and most appreciated work is Yathi, a Novel, which shows the world of Indian Sanyasis (Monks). His non fictions like Dollar Desam (Political History of America) and Nilamellam Raththam (History of the Israel – Palestine Conflict) are considered to be the milestones in Tamil non-fiction writing.

-Wiki

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