The Life and Times of George Fernandes: Many Peaks of a Political Life

by Rahul Ramagundam

Since the time he left his coastal town of Mangalore and came to Bombay (now, Mumbai), more than seven decades ago, George Fernandes's was a life lived with passion, but more importantly, of struggle against all odds. From those early years of fighting for the rights of dock and municipal workers of Bombay to this last decade as a bed-ridden, afflicted with Alzheimer's, but keenly watchful of his own slow bodily degeneration, his fights were
always persistent and single-handed.

Chronicling the story of George, who rose from the streets of Bombay to straddle the power corridor, The Life and Times of George Many Peaks of a Political Life opens a window to the life of George Fernandes and traces the course of the Socialist Party in India from its inception in 1930s to its dissolution into the Janata Party in the late nineteen-seventies. With nineteen-eighty as the dividing line, the book explores India's post-independence politics. It focuses particularly on a trail of opposition parties that worked to displace the long-ruling Congress Party from its preeminent position.

Thought provoking, comprehensive and absolutely unputdownable, this first definitive biography of George Fernandes is a tour de force.

Genres: Biography, History, Politics, Nonfiction

624 pages, Hardcover

Published October 15, 2022

Reviews

[Anushka · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an immersive read and for someone mildly familiar with Fernandes, this book provides great insight into his life and politics. I have always been curious about Fernandes and his politics because of my inability to fit him in an ideological box. He was always a bit of an enigma -- a Mangalorean in Bihar; a socialist allying with the BJP. Ramagundam's meticulous research and lucid writing makes this biography a pleasurable read. Contextualizing Fernandes's personal and political life gives a nuances picture of a complex man. Ramagundam treads the fine line between the personal and the political with elegance.

[sugandh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Growing up in Bihar of the 2000s I always wondered how did George Fernandes become such a big figure in Bihar. This book not just sufficiently answers this but also gives an opportunity to pride in the fact that there was a time when politics in Bihar was little more than caste.
Rahul Ramagundam's views are brilliantly unbiased - poignantly capturing the ideology, intention and outcomes but refraining from hard judgement
I am also mildly amused by the fact that George does not find mention even in the footnotes when Sankarshan Thakur describes the political landscape of the 80s and 90s. Maybe it is all about perspectives in a story

[Shyamal Kumar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quite comprehensive and nicely written book.

[Revanth Ukkalam · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a delicious political biography! Truly a model for this genre in India.