George – the dragon slayer of the poor
“Cherian, do you have a house in Delhi?” George asked in sometime in 2008, in one of our evening meetings. “Yes, I have a small flat” ..I quipped. “Do you know that I have no house over this earth?”, he painfully told me. “But what about your flat in hauz Khauz”, I quipped. He used to stay there when he was not a member of parliament. “That is my union’s” … just as my car.”… all given by the union, not mine” … George stoically said.
I was wondering here is a man accused of multi-core defense scandal , wondering where he will spend his old age. His dreaded Alzheimer was kicking in his brains and he was no longer the fire brand parliamentarian any more. Now when, I sit down in his wife Leila Kabir Fernandes house in upmarket Panchsheel park, waiting for his embambed body to arrive here, I am forced to recall this painful ancedot.. The panchsheel house is what his wife inherited from her father Humayun Kabir, the Education Minister in Pandit Nehru’s cabinet.
George Fernades born in Mangalore in 1940’s is unquestionably the most misunderstood person in Indian politics and also for those who lived through the emergency era of 1975-77, a hero. I saw George as a student in Trivandrum way back in 1977, when he came to the city to speak at putharikandam maidanam. He was our hero, the nation’s hero who threatened the despotic emergency regime and evaded arrest for an year and campaing against emergency and also bursting bombs as a protest in non- inhabited areas . His arrest in Kolkatta became international news and he become the sole symbol of resistance against emergency much to the discomfort of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. Ms Gandhi’s socialist confident from the Western world, Michel foot, Willy Brant , Burno Kreisky et all called her to ensure their socialist hero’s life and well being in jail. Leilaji was in exile in USA and travelling to Europe mobilize resistance against emergency internationally then. She had escaped from India with the help of German socialists and was living with her toddler son with her brother in USA those days.
George remained the voice of the poor from his trade union days in Mangalore port , Bombay port and was credited with making oxford dictionary adding one word in it.the bandh..as his call for Bandh in Mumbai in 50 and 60s were total and a new experience in the financial capital of the country. He was then called the uncrowned king of Bombay. He rose to fame in national politics when he defeated the Bombay Maratha strongman SK Patil in 1967 Lok sabha lections. “ He has money and power and I have you with me” that was his campaign theme in 1967 elections and voters put in national politics. The defeat of SK Patil in elections made smooth way for Ms Indira Gandhi to be chose as successor of Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri.
Ms Gandhi and George had a love hate relationship. As a first time MP, George got invite from ms Gandhi the prime minister for a dinner through the socialist ambassadors. “I was surprised many of the socialist ambassadors told me about the pending invite. I told one if she cooks, I will go”, pat came the reply “done”(she will cook).. I made sure I was away from Delhi on all weeks for few months—” George once narrated.
George like all socialists was the champion of all difficult and so called “lost causes”..be it be Tibetan refugees, Burmeese rebels and even LTTE and all those stood for human right causes. Burmese rebels used to stay in his outhouse and always served “Kausa” soup whenever there was a happy occasion at his official residence at 3 Krishna Menon Marg.
As for his last face of politics for which he faced many a so called “investigative journalism”,,,he who have bene the darling of the media from 70s, turned to be its bitter critic, Neither Thehelka , nor the casket ever stuck to him as he was never anywhere what the some mercenaries in media wanted us to believe. In six hours of thehelka tapes they could never get one shot of him even though they got inside his official residence. No one wanted to believe that the casket buying file never lands up in a defence minster’s desk, as it was below Rs 5 crores… And Thehelka commission chairman both Justice Venkatswamy and Justice Phukan realized it and cleared and hence the report was kept under wraps and not allowed to be submitted. Kushwant famously quipped in his column those days:’ Once can trust your purse with George, may be not one’s grand mom”….That was George for you.
And finally , his so called being taken by his wife and son to their custody……who can ever oppose a son coming back to look after his father who is diagnosed with dreaded Alzheimer’s. That too when he was in a pathetic physical and mental state. I have been updating myself in the last 10 years in his life with Leilaji’s watch. Two male nurses were on his side 24 hours and hence he lived a decade as his brain washed away all that heroic memories of Indian political life. Leilaji’s care ensured he never ever had a bed sore.. In 2010 when I visited him he was still walking and gave be a blank look. He language assimilation and understanding reduced from Hindi to English and then Konkani. At one stage only Konkani music could make him normal. “Once his grandson told him to get well, so that they they can play with him” George whose speaking power had gone… could only weep profusely looking at the grand son.
George was alive for a decade thanks to Leilaji — who was more of his socialist companion than a wife..as they were separated over 20 years. Gorge remained her lover all his life ,,as the name Leila used to bring a lost lover’s facial expressions. She told me once I was his : conscience “ during initial years and when we had an issues between ourselves, I asked for a divorce..He sent me two bangles of his dead mother and said it is for you to keep. “ A man who never ever gave me a iota of gold sent me two bangles when I asked for divorce and I get two bangles. Left the issue there”.. George like all socialists was also an highly emotional man who always stood with the poor for their upliftment. His house always was an open house till the defense minister’s intelligence agencies convinced him to have a gate just before the parliament attack. He was always selfless to the extent of leaving all money matters to his colleagues and not handling it himself.
A life dedicated to the people and their welfare, that is Gorge Fernandes. A fire brand socialist, who lived with contradictions of Indian politics, but stood his ground till the end.
