MANGALURU: A biography of veteran socialist leader and former defence minister George Fernandes, authored by Rahul Ramagundam, will be released on Friday.
The biography, ‘Life and times of George Fernandes,’ will be released by the bishop, diocese of Mangalore, Peter Paul Saldanha, at St Aloysius College.
Fr Praveen Martis, principal of St Aloysius College, told reporters on Tuesday, that author Ramagundam spent 12 years researching for the biography.
Ramagundam is a historian and a professor at Jamia Millia Islamia University. It has taken him almost 12 years to complete the book. For this book, Ramagundam accessed a wide variety of archives and sources.
One of the primary archives he consulted is Fernandes’ personal papers, which chronicle his decades-long political life. He also interviewed hundreds of people, that include Fernandes’ colleagues and rivals and family, and friends, who have provided a varied texture to the portrait of this complicated personality. His earlier books include a study of khadi as a political metaphor, and histories of adivasi land rights movements, as well as the politics of inclusion.
Author Rahul Ramagundam, Michael Fernandes, brother of George Fernandes and Fr Melwyn Joseph Pinto, rector, St Aloysius College Mangaluru, will be guests of honour.
