George Mathew Fernandes was born on 3rd June 1930 in Mangalore, Karnataka. Throughout his political career, he was actively involved with several political parties like Janata Dal, Janata Party, Samyukta Socialist Party etc.
George Fernandes was initially set to become a priest. He was sent to Bangalore in 1946 to get proper training. He was the eldest of the six siblings. He went to Church School and also attended St. Aloysius College where he completed his secondary schooling.
However, in 1949 he moved to Mumbai where he joined Socialist Trade Union Movement. He organized many rallies and strikes in Mumbai during the 1950s. George Fernandes was proficient in several languages and contributed a lot in the field of Journalism.
He worked as an editor of Konkani Yuvak, a Konkani monthly and Raithavani Weekly, a Kannada weekly the same year. He also worked for The Dockman weekly which was published in English. He also wrote several books like 'What Ails the Socialist', 'Dignity for All: Essays in Socialism and Democracy', and many others.
In 1967 Parliamentary Elections, he defeated S.K Patil of Congress Party. He organized the infamous 1974 Railway Strike which enhanced his popularity further. He openly criticized former Prime Minister of India Ms. Indira Gandhi for imposing an emergency in the country.
George Fernandes took many bold decisions in his tenure for different ministries. He ordered IBM and Coca-Cola to leave India due to certain investment violations.
When he became the Railway Minister, he green lit the Konkan Railway Project. George Fernandes faced the toughest challenges in the career when he became the defense minister of India in 1998.
It was during his tenure when Kargil War broke out. He handled the desperate situation calmly. George Fernandes was a major force behind the infamous Pokhran Nuclear Test which India successfully conducted.
George Fernandes won as many as 9 Lok Sabha Elections in his lifetime. He was awarded Padma Vibhushan posthumously in 2020. He breathed his last on 29th January 2019.
