IFKCA holds Condolence Meet for Union Minister George Fernandes
Udupi: A condolence Meet was organized by IFKCA (International Federation of Karnataka Christian Associations) for the departed soul of former Union, Railway and Defence Minister Late George Fernandes at the St Francis Xavier Church Hall, Udyawar on January 31.
The Condolence Meet was attended by prominent personalities and close friends of George Fernandes and media representatives.
Steevan Colaco (Secretary IFKCA) welcomed the gathering. The dignitaries namely Fr Stany B Lobo (Chancellor, Udupi Diocese), L R Dias (President, Railway Travelers Association), Veronica Cornelio (Social Worker), Louis Lobo (President IFKA, Udupi District), Dr P V Bhandary (Senior Psychiatrist ) were were also present.
Speaking on the occasion Fr Stany Lobo said, “George Fernandes worked for the workers and their rights. He fought for them and united them so that they could live a better life having better wages. Secondly, his major achievement was the formation of the Konkan Railway (Bombay to Mangalore) which was his dream project. Facing numerous obstacles and challenges, he made sure he completed it when he was the Railway Minister. Today lakhs of people are reaping the benefits of the Konkan Railway and we should all be grateful for him. Also during the emergency, while he was in the Jail in Bihar, he won the elections with the highest votes. Whatever responsibilities that were given to him in different ministries, he fulfilled them all to perfection. I’m proud to say that he belongs to our community and had always extended his support to us. On behalf of Konkan Railway and Konkan Karawali People, I offer my prayers. May his departed soul rest in peace”.
Louis Lobo addressing the audience said that he had the opportunity to meet George Fernandes at his residence. “I was shocked to see that being a Union Minister he was washing his own clothes. Only after completing washing he came and settled for a talk. I have not seen such a simple person in my life. His simple life is an example for all of us. I would compare him to Vajpayee both had moreover same qualities and both had the same sickness. He never changed his values in life nor the party. Until his last breath, he stayed as a socialist. I offer my prayers, may his soul rest in peace”.
Veronica Cornelio also spoke on the occasion and said that she admired his challenging quality and never say no attitude. His work for workers is praiseworthy and memorable. Initially, he fought for the rights of taxi and truck drivers of Mangalore and when he left to Bombay those workers paid for his ticket fare. He was such a simple leader. If he had reached the stage of being the Union Minister it is because of his concern for the common man and their problems. He worked for the people and never lived or amassed wealth for himself.
His close associate L R Dias explained in detail about George Fernandes’s qualities. He said that George was born in Bejai, Mangalore, studies in St Aloysius College and was a very bright student. His father had sent him to Seminary to become a priest but George could not continue there as his life was not meant to become a priest. When he returned from the Bangalore seminary his father, unfortunately, did not let him enter the house. He then went and slept in the central Maidan. However, a friend from Ammembal located him and took him to his house. In Ammembal he started his mission. He worked there and fought for the rights of workers and rickshaw drivers. Finally, he went to Mumbai and there too he continued his mission as Union Leader of the Taxi Drivers and Mill workers. After many years, he joined politics and became a member of the Janata Party. Rest is history, as Union Minister he worked for the people and lived for the people. His dream project the Konkan Railway was the most challenging. Though he requested the VP Singh government, the parliament did not pass his request. He was determined to construct the Railway Line from Bombay to Mangalore as it was not easy to travel directly to Mumbai during that time. To complete his dream project he formed a Corporation called Konkan Railway Corporation and requested for loans from the public. Luckily people contributed generously, especially Mangaloreans and after many struggles and problems the Konkan Railway was formed and inaugurated from Mumbai to Trivandrum.
Finally addressing the audience Dr P V Bhandary said that George Fernandes was his most favoured politician. “I was interested in politics since my childhood. My Father also supported me, I have never met him in my life but have read about him widely. One of the qualities of George Fernandes was his command over 10 languages. He could fluently speak ten languages such as Konkani, Kannada, Tulu, Marathi, Hindi, English, Tamil, Urdu, Malayalam and Latin. He was also elected for Loka Sabha nine times. Just imagine a man from our Karavali had gone to Mumbai, become a leader and then Union Minister just because he was a dedicated man to the cause. He stood for the elections as an independent candidate as he did not want to align with any political party for fear of corruption. During his work as Defence Minister he did several surgical strikes but like the current leaders he never opened his mouth but worked silently. He went to Jail for the sake of workers in Mumbai and later during Emergency. Today I saw one pic of George Fernandes with Ramakrishna and Vajpayee. Ramakrishna was also my favourite leader. All three leaders were of same quality, had always worried about the common man and worked for them and unfortunately because of the worries of the common people and always thinking about their problems all three of them died of similar sickness. Another example of George Fernandes was, he was a socialist to the core. He fought against the Multi-Nationals whereas current regimes accord a warm welcome with red carpets to all Multi-National brands to our country. He was also very keen in writing since very young and was editor of many periodicals and had written a few books as well. He was a multi-faceted personality. Unfortunately, he fell sick early but he was a great leader, a challenging leader who worked wonders without having funds but had only vision and values. Today one who throws money is the leader. More money, more power…The best way to offer Shradanjali I would say would be to live in his footsteps, to follow his values and select leaders who fight for the people of this great nation. I salute him and pray for his soul and thank for this great opportunity to attend this condolence meeting.
After the speeches of prominent personalities, the lamp of the portrait of George Fernandes was lit by R L Dias, Dr P V Bhandary garlanded the photo and all the leaders present offered floral tributes to the portrait of departed George Fernandes.
Neri Cornelio delivered the vote of thanks and Steevan Colaco conducted the condolence Meet.
Also present on the occasion were Walter Cyril Pinto (President, Catholic Sabha Udupi), Prashant Jattanna (Former IFKA President), Jitendra (President, Palimaru Panchayat), Melwin D’Souza (Lawyer, Shirva).
