George Fernandes: The Rebel Who Shook India

The Militant Trade Union Leader. The Dauntless Political Rebel. The Passionate Socialist Dreamer.

George Fernandes (1930–2019) was a man who fought relentlessly for the oppressed and challenged the establishment at every turn. A firebrand trade union leader, a fierce socialist, and an electrifying orator, he brought India to a standstill in 1974 when he led the historic railway strike, mobilizing 1.7 million workers against the government. From organizing Bombay’s dock and municipal workers to going underground during the Emergency, from battling political giants to rising as India’s Defence Minister, Fernandes lived a life marked by fearless defiance and unwavering conviction.

In The Life and Times of George Fernandes, Rahul Ramagundam masterfully unravels the story of a man who refused to bow down. This riveting biography not only traces George’s tumultuous journey—from the streets of Bombay to the corridors of power—but also paints a larger canvas of India’s political evolution, chronicling the rise and fall of socialist movements and opposition parties that challenged the hegemony of the Congress.

Told with intensity and depth, this is the definitive biography of a relentless fighter—a man who lived and died on his own terms.