India
Associates across the country remember fierce trade unionist, the leader who did not toe the line of caste-based politics, and was rooted to ground
Updated : Jan 30, 2019, 05:30 AM IST
When George Fernandes moved to Mumbai from Mangalore in Karnataka in the fading decade of 1940s, the only Marathi he could speak was: "Majhya sathi kaahi kaam aahe ka?" (Do you have any work for me?).
However, Fernandes, soon took to militant trade unionism, earning the moniker of 'bandh samrat' (king of shutdowns), mastered Marathi as one of the 15 languages that he could speak, and earned his spurs in 1967 by defeating SK Patil, the powerful Congressman called the "uncrowned king of Mumbai."
His associates proudly say that apart from the Shiv Sena, Fernandes was immortalised as the union leader 'Decasta' in the popular Marathi movie, 'Sinhasan' — he was then the only force capable of bringing Mumbai to a grinding halt.
Perhaps the only leader to be addressed by his first name, the boy from Mangalore who had quit a Catholic seminary, later shifted his political base to distant Bihar like his mentor, the formidable Lohia-ite, Madhu Limaye. He, however, left an indelible mark on Mumbai's social life and polity, where he had begun by sleeping on pavements and doing odd jobs. Three Socialist party corporators — Fernandes, Mrinal Gore and Shobhnath Singh, ensured in 1961 that the civic body adopted Marathi, the lingua fraca of the masses, instead of English as the official language.
"George's biggest contribution is unionising the unorganised sector of hawkers, hotel staff and taxi drivers, who were scattered across Mumbai. This was different than conventional trade unionism, where leaders could hold meetings at factory gates," said Ranga Rachure, former Maharashtra president, Janata Dal (United).
Rachure said Fernandes had once taken a taxi driver to a bank to seek a loan. "The manager did not offer the driver a chair to sit. George, who drank tea at roadside stalls with his workers even after becoming a union minister, was so upset that he catalysed the foundation of the New India Co-operative Bank (1968) for the financial inclusion of these sections," he said.
Uttam Gade, general secretary, Hind Mazdoor Kisan Sabha, said his leader, who had taken on the might of the Shiv Sena, forcing it to retreat at times, was perhaps the only politician to address the Sena chief as "Bal" instead of 'Balasaheb'. Fernandes also fought smugglers and the dreaded Mumbai underworld.
According to a former Fernandes aide, after the Janata Party regime collapsed in 1980, Fernandes came to Mumbai to attend to his BEST workers union. "We were at the Wadala depot and hungry. George asked us to have snacks in the canteen and patiently waited in the car. Later, he took us to his room near Gowalia tank and made tea on a kerosene-fired stove. He wore the trappings of power lightly," he added.
Much before social media was conceived, Mahabal Shetty, general secretary, Municipal Mazdoor Union, recalled how Fernandes, an understudy of the legendary unionist Placid D'Mello, had defeated Patil from South Mumbai, using a slogan that struck a chord with voters: "You can defeat Sa Ka Patil."
"George was fighting the Lok Sabha bypolls from Banka in Bihar. In those days, the law and order situation was very bad. George was to travel in a jeep for around 75 km at 2 am with just his driver. I asked if I should accompany him for security. He refused and told me that the day he would need security, he would quit public life," said Sunil Chitnis, executive president of Shiv Sena's municipal workers' union, and former Fernandes aide. Chitnis was nine when he heard the charismatic Fernandes speak in Pune and shifted to Mumbai in his youth to work with his idol.
Rachure, his voice choking with emotion, noted that Fernandes was an aberration in an era where politicians needed support bases in castes and regions. "He did not create narrow constituencies, which may have eclipsed him gradually," he said.
Born on June 3, 1930 in Mangalore, Karnataka to John Joseph Fernandes and Alice Martha
Has four brothers Michael, Aloysious, Paul & Richard. Married to Leila Kabir, daughter of then Union Minister Humayun Kabir, in 1971. The couple has one son, Sean Fernandes. They divorced in 1980. Since then he had been with Jaya Jaitley
He completed his Secondary School Leaving Certificate (SSLC) at St Aloysius College, Mangalore
—Compiled by DNA-Research N Archives