He may have been slightly out of place in today’s age, and its politics, but in his time as a socialist and a leader with a maverick outlook, George Fernandes left a huge impact on the national scene. He fitted into the Cabinets of different persuasions of the 1970s and the 1990s and left an indelible mark. Not only his self-laundered, crumpled kurta-pyjama that he virtually wore all day but also his attitude made him stand out from the pack. Time may have ravaged him physically but not before he had led a full and interesting life.
The armed forces will remember a defence minister who understood the needs of soldiers on the front lines, with empathy enough to do unusual deals for their war preparedness, even as he took fearless rides in fighter jets thought of as “widowmakers” of the skies. He was a civilian who impressed the brass too.
As industry minister in the post-Emergency Janata government, Fernandes will be remembered for throwing Coca-Cola out of India, though its substitute 77 Cola wasn’t quite a marketing success. The same kind of moves in today’s environment may have been met with sharp reactions. Of course, the iconic moment of his arrest in handcuffs, with which he put up a defiant fist after being on the run during the Emergency, made him a kind of national hero who stood up in the face of repression of leaders who had opposed Indira Gandhi’s rule. The man who did not quite make it to the priesthood and changed tack to become a giantkiller in politics will be fondly recalled for his iconoclastic ways.
