Cruising along the Konkan Railway – A tribute to George Fernandes
George Fernandes’s passing took me back the memory lane. Like a true news junkie, after hearing about his passing, I gobbled up everything that has been written about him over the internet and covered by the media over the years. Amidst all that juicy tabloid headlines about Jaya Jaitley vs Leila Kabir standoff after George’s Alzheimer’s affliction, to the tehelka controversy and varied opinions about the life and career of the firebrand union leader from Mangalore, here was an article by E Sreedharan, the main architect behind the Konkan railway (better known for his contribution towards the Delhi Metro) about George Fernandes that touched a chord in me. I felt like I owed him a tribute. It took me twenty-five years back in my memory lane. It was the year 1993. I had boarded a rickety State transport (ST) bus from Mumbai to Ratnagiri, in Konkan for a college project. In those days it would take ab...