Manohar Parrikar, was born on 13 December, 1955. This year will be his 66th birthday anniversary, many people will remember him most as this year is Goa's 60th Liberation day.
He served as the country's defence minister during the first term of the Narendra Modi government. He died on 17 March, 2019 after a long battle with pancreatic cancer. A man of his words who lived very short but commendable life will be remembered for his tremendous work always.
Let us see five unknown facts of his life.
Manohar Parrikar was an entrepreneur too. He worked in his father’s store in Mapusa. Parrikar hold a BTech in metallurgical engineering from IIT-Bombay in 1978.
After completing his formal education he started his own joint venture at Tivim industrial estate. He owned two nondescript hydraulic engineering units, employing over 20 people. In 1981 it worked in the field of manufacturing hydraulic and pneumatic cylinder.
After 1988 he became active in Politics and had to give up many responsibilities from his business. Later on He also started Westfield Hydraulics & Pneumatics in partnership with his sons Utpal and Abhijat. The two factories supplied hydraulic equipment for larger industrial set-ups.
ANI
Medha Parrikar is Goa's former Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar’s wife. She was a businesswoman. Same as her husband, she also died of cancer in 2000, just months before Parrikar took oath as CM.
She was suffering from cancer since the 1990s and after a long battle with cancer, she passed away in the year 2000. At the time of death, she was just 42 years old.
Very few people knew that Parrikar was a single parent and had to look after his children alone after the death of his wife. Some of his close friends described in some interviews, how Manohar Parrikar used to take out time during his children's exams despite his bust schedule as a Chief Minister.
Parrikar a simple man
Parrikar was among very few politicians or ministers and especially Chief Ministers who barely were worried about their security. He used to travel in his scooty, drive his car himself to travel anywhere. He used to take very little security and there are also instances when he has traveled or reached his office without security.
He always liked to live a simplistic life that he used to walk wearing Kolhapuri chappals. There are also instances in which some Goans shared with media that their Chief Minister has given them lift on his scooty and dropped them till their desired location.
Manohar Parrikar First IIT graduate to become CM
Parrikar studied at Loyola High School in Margao. He was the first IIT graduate who became the Chief Minister of a state. A 1978 graduate in metallurgical engineering from IIT Bombay. His batchmates were the Co-founder of Infosys Nandan Nilekani and former Congress minister Jairam Ramesh.
On the Alumni Day, in IIT, Mr. Parrikar said, “Institutions like IITs, where research can be converted into a commercial application for national defence, have an important role to play. From my side, I will try to see that IITs are pulled into defence research as well.”
ANI
Parrikar presented Budget in a Goa Assembly with a tube in his nose.
In his last public appearance, he was seen with a tube in his nose and reading out a budget for state assembly. He received a lot of appreciation for his deadly attitude and dedication towards the work. He returned after months of hospital stay and recuperation from surgery but still gave a very enthusiastic speech.
"Present circumstances have prevented me from delivering a detailed Budget speech, but there is a josh that is too high, very high and I am in hosh. Fully in hosh."
