Vijay Sanghvi

Marvel Turned into Marble

By Vijay Sanghvi
George Fernandese, roaring lion of Indian politics till the first half decade of this century was immobilized in bed inside his home in New Delhi. The fully air conditioned room had a look of a hospital room with his wife Leila Kabir attending to nursing him. But he was not even aware. His deeply sunk eyes were open and looking at the ceiling but without seeing anything. Retina images were not transported to the brain that was left with no memories. Without memories, there is not mind. The American Biologist Dr. Bruce Lipton says five sensory organs of beings take eleven lakh messages a second to unconscious mind. But here the human marvel was converted into a marble by the advanced stage of the most dreaded ailment Alzameir. He is third victim of incurable disease among members of the political affairs committee of the Vajpayee government. The former Prime Minister …
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K. Vikram Rao

जब जार्ज, अटल, बहुगुणा चूके

By K. Vikram Rao
उस पखवाड़े (2 फरवरी 1996) को कष्ष्णानदी के तट पर विजयवाड़ा नगर के प्रांगण से सिंहगर्जना होने वाली थी। नारे लगने वाले थेः ‘कांगे्रस को हटाओ: मौकेबाजों को हराओ।’ अर्थात तेलुगु बिड्डा (सन्तान) नरसिंह राव का बिस्तर गोल करो और धोखेबाज (दामाद) चन्द्रबाबू नायुडू को सत्ता से हकालो। मगर वह सिंह ही अब चिरनिद्रा में सो गया। नन्दमूरि तारक रामाराव ने कष्ष्णा नदी तट चुना था क्यांेकि सम्राट षालिवाहन से लेकर आंध्र केसरी टी. प्रकाषम् तक के इतिहास का यह पानी तरल साक्षी रहा। विजयवाड़ा इसलिए कि आंध्र की यह राजनीतिक राजधानी है, हैदराबाद तो भौगोलिक है। रामाराव ने लोकसभा उपचुनाव (1991) में नरसिंह राव का समर्थन किया था क्यांेकि सम्राट पुलकेषिन द्वितीय से कई सदियों बाद ही कोई दक्षिण भारत का नायक राष्ट्रनायक बना है। तेलुगु गोप्मतनमु (गौरव) के हित में रामाराव के समर्थन के कारण नरसिंह राव नान्द्याल संसदीय क्षेत्र से जितने मतों से विजयी हुए वह भारतीय …
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Thampan Thomas

George Fernanes and Me

By Thampan Thomas
It was on 17th January 2008 I met George Fernandes in the Government Guest house at Bangalore where I had breakfast with him and thereafter had a friendly chatting in spite of his ill health before going to the Abhinandan Sammelan organized by his friends in the Town Hall when he turned 77 years. I was a speaker in the public function organized by his friends along with Shri. L. K. Advani, former Deputy Prime Minister, Former Chief Justice of Supreme Court Justice M.N. Venkitachaliah and others. This meeting was inaugurated by Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader of the Tibetan people. George Fernandes after the breakfast could not walk and he leaned to my shoulders and with my help got down from the 1st floor of the guest house and entered in to the car along with me in the same seat and went to the meeting. He showed his …
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Vijay Sanghvi

Memories

By Vijay Sanghvi
George took the blow of the police lathi on his palm in attempt to save my back from receiving the third blow. At the same time he also shouted at the policeman, “Aare bhai, he is a paperwala and not my supporter.” The incident is of 1963 at what was then known as Parel Circle in Mumbai and George Fernandese, as the Socialist Labour Union leader was leading the sit down demonstrations in support of striking Mill workers. I had moved closer to him to get two words more than what other paperwala, as journalists were known or were called then, had got. My paper was to come out at noon next day. Others had got their copy for their next morning editions. George came over to me at the KEM hospital after his wounds were attended to before his arrest and removal to the police custody and gently asked, …
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K. Vikram Rao

जार्ज एक याद

By K. Vikram Rao
3 जून 2015 जार्ज की 85वें जन्मदिवस पर आज (3 जून 2015) बागी लोहियावादी जार्ज मैथ्यू फर्नाण्डिस पच्चासी के हो गये हैं। पर उन्हें पता नहीं है। स्मृति लोप के कारण। जिस युवा समाजवादी द्वारा बन्द के एक ऐलान पर सदागतिमान, करोड की आबादीवाली मुम्बई सुन्न पड़ जाती थी। जिस मजदूर पुरोधा के एक संकेत पर देष में रेल का चक्का जाम हो जाता था। जिस सत्तर वर्षीय पलटन मंत्री ने विष्व की उच्चतम रणभूमि कारगिल की अठारह बार यात्रा कर मियां परवेज मुर्षरफ को पटकनी दी थी। सरकारें बनाने-उलटने का दंभ भरनेवाले कार्पोरेट बांकों को उनके सम्मेलन में ही जिस उद्योग मंत्री ने तानाषाह (इमर्जंेसी में) के सामने हड़बड़ाते हुये चूहे की संज्ञा दी, आज वही पुरूष सुधबुध खोये, दक्षिण दिल्ली के पंचषील पार्क मेे क्लांत जीवन बसर कर रहा है। आस पडोसवाले पता भी नही बता पाते। लेकिन जार्ज के देषभर में फैले मित्र याद करते हैं, नम …
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