‘Giant Killer’ George Fernandes passes away unnoticingly!
A rare jewel in the present day politics in the form of Socialist and Trade Union leader
George Fernandes is no more. His demise after a prolonged attack of Alzheimer’s disease and
having remained literally a vegetable for years together is unthinkable of a fearless public figure
known for volatile and candid remarks in public.
Born in a joint catholic family of six children at Mangaluru in Karnataka, George as a lad of 16
years landed in Bengaluru to become the priest of a church. However within three years of his
stint as a Christian missionary he underwent enough experience to realize the paradoxical
situation on what was being preached and practiced.
He quit his priesthood and reached the then Bombay not knowing what to do! Initially he had no
one to stay in the country’s business capital and did petty jobs for livelihood sleeping in bus and
railway stations.
While loitering in this fashion he also got an opportunity to work as a proof reader in a local daily
newspaper. Thanks to his multi talents characteristic he rose to become a journalist and also
evinced enthusiasm in literature as well.
This interest further boosted him to launch ‘The Otherside’ monthly magazine which was
published in hardcopy format until a few years ago with lot of woes in the process. However the
idea had to be given up paving for an online edition.
His new found interest led him to become an avid reader fond of Ram Manohar Lohiya’s
writings and gradually transforming the former Christian Father into a hardcore Socialist. In spite
of his erratic and never ending hectic schedule and way of life, he found enough time to read
many Kannada novels published during those times and also penned his own commentary over
the same.
George not just knew Konkani, his mother tongue, Kannada, language spoken in the area
where he grew in and English, in which he had his schooling. He over a period of time
developed supremacy in speaking powerfully in Tulu, Marathi, Hindi, Tamil, Urdu, Malayalam
and Latin as well!
Perhaps it’s practically impossible to find any other person in Indian politics imbibing the
mannerism of George Sab as he was lovingly called by his associates and admirers. He always
used to wear Khadi kurta and pajama clothes without ironing them and also washed them
personally.
The slippers he wore were ordinary leather one’s while his spectacles had thick glasses and
never combed his hair to look trim. But all these features had nothing to do with his oratory skills
as people turned in millions across the country to listen to this labor and political leader.
It looks his contact with P D’mello took him to active public life by getting elected to the then
Bombay Muncipality. That was just a humble beginning and he became talk of the nation when
he trounced Sadashiv Kanoji Patil otherwise referred as the uncrowned king of Bombay.
SK Patil apart from being the Bombay Congress chief was also one of the main persons funding
the party and one of the key members along with S Nijalingappa, Atulya Ghosh and many
others who had constituted a Syndicate of their own to control the party before it split in 1969.
Sadoba Patil as he was locally well known was representing the Bombay South Lok Sabha
constituency from 1952 itself and for three times before being humbled by a relatively unknown
Mangalurean, a combined opposition candidate representing the Samyukta Socialist Party
(SSP) in the 1967 general elections.
The firebrand trade union leader not then only 37 bagged 48.5 percent of votes polled thus
unseating the king and gaining the title of ‘Giant Killer’ for his remaining part of life. Then
onwards there was no looking back for him in the national politics.
He rose to become the tall leader of the Socialist movement during the early 70s and literally
became a nightmare to the Indira Gandhi government during the era of Emergency which he
relentlessly fought by being underground.
Baroda Dynamite case has turned out to be an important chapter in the annals of Democracy
with which his name has been entangled. He was continuously elected to the Parliament during
the general elections held for the 4, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 and 14 th Lok Sabha.
In between his animosity with Nitish Kumar,Janata Dal United supremo ensured his defeat in
the 2008 general elections from the same state of Bihar wherein he had won with a margin of
more than more three lakhs and that too still being in jail, from Mujaffarnagar constituency! But
he was nominated to the Rajya Sabha during 2009 from the same Nitish Kumar led JDU party.
The last phase of his life became vulnerable when he became a victim of Alzheimer’s disease.
As a result he lost public contact and couldn’t recognize anyone who went to visit him. Later
stage no one even his own siblings were also permitted to meet him.
-Manohar Yadavatti
A rare jewel in the present day politics in the form of Socialist and Trade Union leader
George Fernandes is no more. His demise after a prolonged attack of Alzheimer’s disease and
having remained literally a vegetable for years together is unthinkable of a fearless public figure
known for volatile and candid remarks in public.
Born in a joint catholic family of six children at Mangaluru in Karnataka, George as a lad of 16
years landed in Bengaluru to become the priest of a church. However within three years of his
stint as a Christian missionary he underwent enough experience to realize the paradoxical
situation on what was being preached and practiced.
He quit his priesthood and reached the then Bombay not knowing what to do! Initially he had no
one to stay in the country’s business capital and did petty jobs for livelihood sleeping in bus and
railway stations.
While loitering in this fashion he also got an opportunity to work as a proof reader in a local daily
newspaper. Thanks to his multi talents characteristic he rose to become a journalist and also
evinced enthusiasm in literature as well.
This interest further boosted him to launch ‘The Otherside’ monthly magazine which was
published in hardcopy format until a few years ago with lot of woes in the process. However the
idea had to be given up paving for an online edition.
His new found interest led him to become an avid reader fond of Ram Manohar Lohiya’s
writings and gradually transforming the former Christian Father into a hardcore Socialist. In spite
of his erratic and never ending hectic schedule and way of life, he found enough time to read
many Kannada novels published during those times and also penned his own commentary over
the same.
George not just knew Konkani, his mother tongue, Kannada, language spoken in the area
where he grew in and English, in which he had his schooling. He over a period of time
developed supremacy in speaking powerfully in Tulu, Marathi, Hindi, Tamil, Urdu, Malayalam
and Latin as well!
Perhaps it’s practically impossible to find any other person in Indian politics imbibing the
mannerism of George Sab as he was lovingly called by his associates and admirers. He always
used to wear Khadi kurta and pajama clothes without ironing them and also washed them
personally.
The slippers he wore were ordinary leather one’s while his spectacles had thick glasses and
never combed his hair to look trim. But all these features had nothing to do with his oratory skills
as people turned in millions across the country to listen to this labor and political leader.
It looks his contact with P D’mello took him to active public life by getting elected to the then
Bombay Muncipality. That was just a humble beginning and he became talk of the nation when
he trounced Sadashiv Kanoji Patil otherwise referred as the uncrowned king of Bombay.
SK Patil apart from being the Bombay Congress chief was also one of the main persons funding
the party and one of the key members along with S Nijalingappa, Atulya Ghosh and many
others who had constituted a Syndicate of their own to control the party before it split in 1969.
Sadoba Patil as he was locally well known was representing the Bombay South Lok Sabha
constituency from 1952 itself and for three times before being humbled by a relatively unknown
Mangalurean, a combined opposition candidate representing the Samyukta Socialist Party
(SSP) in the 1967 general elections.
The firebrand trade union leader not then only 37 bagged 48.5 percent of votes polled thus
unseating the king and gaining the title of ‘Giant Killer’ for his remaining part of life. Then
onwards there was no looking back for him in the national politics.
He rose to become the tall leader of the Socialist movement during the early 70s and literally
became a nightmare to the Indira Gandhi government during the era of Emergency which he
relentlessly fought by being underground.
Baroda Dynamite case has turned out to be an important chapter in the annals of Democracy
with which his name has been entangled. He was continuously elected to the Parliament during
the general elections held for the 4, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 and 14 th Lok Sabha.
In between his animosity with Nitish Kumar,Janata Dal United supremo ensured his defeat in
the 2008 general elections from the same state of Bihar wherein he had won with a margin of
more than more three lakhs and that too still being in jail, from Mujaffarnagar constituency! But
he was nominated to the Rajya Sabha during 2009 from the same Nitish Kumar led JDU party.
The last phase of his life became vulnerable when he became a victim of Alzheimer’s disease.
As a result he lost public contact and couldn’t recognize anyone who went to visit him. Later
stage no one even his own siblings were also permitted to meet him.
-Manohar Yadavatti
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