The Life and Times of George Fernandes

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About the Book GEORGE FERNANDES (1930-2019)-a firebrand trade union leader, socialist politician and an incredibly powerful orator-was best known for leading the All India Railwaymen's Federation (AIRF) in May 1974 and calling upon its approximately 1.7 million employees to strike, which brought India to a halt for twenty days. Often described as a rebel, he pursued every cause he took up with passionate devotion, heedless of the many ups and downs in his life. From the early years of fighting for the rights of dock and municipal workers of Bombay (now Mumbai) through the Emergency (which he resisted by going underground), to his last private decade as a bedridden Alzheimer's patient, his fights were always persistent and single-handed. George could call Bombay to be shut down and rose from its streets to become India's Defence Minister.

The Life and Times of George Fernandes chronicles the story of George, who rose from the streets of Bombay to stride the corridors of power. In this extraordinary biography, Rahul Ramagundam opens window to George's political evolution and traces the course of the Socialist Party in India from its inception in the 1930s to its dissolution into the Janata Party in the late 1970s. In the process, this book explores the trail of India's opposition parties that worked to displace the long-ruling Congress Party from its preeminent position.

Comprehensive, evocative and fascinating, this first definitive biography of George Fernandes is an unputdownable tour de force.

About the Author RAHUL RAMAGUNDAM was born into a family of freedom fighters in Bihar. His first influences were his grandparents from both sides. He was educated in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and then undivided Andhra Pradesh, and received his doctoral degree in Modern Indian History at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU). While at JNU, he was simultaneously associated with a grassroots movement in the united Madhya Pradesh for several years. Presently, he teaches at a Delhi-based university and wages a fierce everyday struggle to read, research and write.

**Contents and Sample Pages**