It was sometime in '98 or was it '99? My memory says it was in '98. I was the LO to the then Raksha Mantri, George Fernandez who visited Kochi for two days. We were going towards the Naval base after picking him up from the airport. As we were passing by the Medical Trust Hospital, he recalled his hero, the socialist Manohar Lohia's words, "Religion is long term politics".
Suddenly, it had become very clear to me as to why 'religious hot spots' were always a smoking cauldron kept alive by the political parties to suit their personal interests and many-a-time for achieving narrow political ends. This has been a bane of Indian politics!
We'd reached the VIP suite, overlooking the Ernakulam channel where he was to stay during that sojourn. He was enamoured by the sights and inquired about my personal particulars, over a cup of tea. As I was leaving, I'd informed him that the dhobhi was available to press his clothes that he would wear for the subsequent serials.
It was then that he had taken me into the bedroom, opened up his rather small overnighter, retrieved a pair of his trademark, kurta and pyjamas and placed them under the pillow and said with a wink, that it was the only manner in which he ensured that his clothes looked neat and tidy.
One of his engagements, while at Kochi, was to interact with the dockyard workers at the NSRY(Naval Ship Repair Yard) over a cup of tea. He looked very much at ease there and had played up to the gallery in his extempore speech to them.
When he was with us men, in uniform, I'd noticed him to be reserved and a man of few words.
I'd observed him to be equally at ease with the Christian clergy whom we'd gone to meet at their seminary on the Marine Drive!
Having said that I must say that I was impressed by his open admiration for the late Marshal of the Air Force Arjan Singh!
RIP Mr. George Fernandez.
Tailpiece.
Had got up at 6, gone about our chores and were ready well in time. On perusing the What’sApp messages, saw Subbu – my course mate in the IN – making a frantic appeal to all of us to have his wife, Gowree in our prayers. Her heart had failed – it wasn’t pumping due to constricted arteries - Oxygen had to be pumped into her as complications had risen where her internal organs like the lungs and the kidneys had begun to function erratically. Had sent a terse reply and then, spoken to him and got the details. She was better.
Suddenly, it had become very clear to me as to why 'religious hot spots' were always a smoking cauldron kept alive by the political parties to suit their personal interests and many-a-time for achieving narrow political ends. This has been a bane of Indian politics!
We'd reached the VIP suite, overlooking the Ernakulam channel where he was to stay during that sojourn. He was enamoured by the sights and inquired about my personal particulars, over a cup of tea. As I was leaving, I'd informed him that the dhobhi was available to press his clothes that he would wear for the subsequent serials.
It was then that he had taken me into the bedroom, opened up his rather small overnighter, retrieved a pair of his trademark, kurta and pyjamas and placed them under the pillow and said with a wink, that it was the only manner in which he ensured that his clothes looked neat and tidy.
One of his engagements, while at Kochi, was to interact with the dockyard workers at the NSRY(Naval Ship Repair Yard) over a cup of tea. He looked very much at ease there and had played up to the gallery in his extempore speech to them.
When he was with us men, in uniform, I'd noticed him to be reserved and a man of few words.
I'd observed him to be equally at ease with the Christian clergy whom we'd gone to meet at their seminary on the Marine Drive!
Having said that I must say that I was impressed by his open admiration for the late Marshal of the Air Force Arjan Singh!
RIP Mr. George Fernandez.
Tailpiece.
Had got up at 6, gone about our chores and were ready well in time. On perusing the What’sApp messages, saw Subbu – my course mate in the IN – making a frantic appeal to all of us to have his wife, Gowree in our prayers. Her heart had failed – it wasn’t pumping due to constricted arteries - Oxygen had to be pumped into her as complications had risen where her internal organs like the lungs and the kidneys had begun to function erratically. Had sent a terse reply and then, spoken to him and got the details. She was better.
Rema, meanwhile, had called up around a half past 8 to say
that she her bus was traversing through the Thrissur bus stand. She’d started
from Palakkad around 7 and would reach Pidavoor by a half past 3. Achu had gone
off to his office at Perundurai and had reached there by a half past 8 while
Padmakumar had left for his office.
Otherwise, a quiet day!
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