Panaji:
Manohar Parrikar was an epitome of humility and simplicity. An ‘aam aadmi’ in the true sense, Parrikar was a man who wore half-sleeved shirts for any occasion, even his son’s wedding.
The four-time chief minister of Goa, who also served as the defence minister for three years, wore sandals wherever he went, even to the Parliament.
Parrikar was often seen riding scooter to work and was hailed for his grounded and humble nature. However, before his love for scooter, he often used to travel by local train.
Economic Times quoted Bakul Desai, a Hyderabad-based businessman who studied with Parrikar at IIT Powai, telling narrating an interesting incident from the late 1970s.
The two were forced to travel ticketless as they could not wake up the man behind the ticket counter at 4 am. At Dadar, a ticket examiner fined Parrikar Rs 10.40. Furious over this, Parrikar continued to travel without ticket for the whole semester, as he thought it was unfair.
One day, he realised that his free trips had cost the government Rs 11.20. so he bought stamps of the same worth from a post office and tore them up. “Now, the Government of India and I are square,” he said.
Parrikar was a leader who enjoyed acceptance from all sections of the BJP and beyond. He played a key role in making the BJP a force to reckon with in Goa, which remained for long a Congress bastion, with regional outfits having pockets of influence.
Despite his falling health, Parrikar had presented two state budgets in 2018 and 2019 and had attended public functions, including the inauguration of an iconic bridge across River Mandovi.
A known fighter, an ailing Parrikar's decision to go for a ride and inspect two upcoming bridges in the state with a feeder tube protruding from one nostril was defining image and sought to suggest has sought to suggest he is still in-charge of the state.
