On the
19th of August 2018, Jaime Fernandes, known to Goans as Professor James Fernandes, completed his
life’s journey. He was a man who lived his life with dignity and honour and
who, having accomplished his mission, signed off like a candle in the wind. He
died as he had lived, a man of great simplicity, a man of even greater
intellect and above all, a true believer in the divine and an ardent follower
of the principles of truth and non-violence, a devoted Christian and a real
Gandhian to the core.
Born on the 20th of March 1933, he participated in the
non-violent movement of the freedom struggle launched by the National Congress
(Goa) in 1954. He was arrested in March 1955 and served four and a half years
of a twelve year sentence before he was released in an amnesty.. He inspired a
whole generation to read and learn lessons from the world of great literature
as well as used literature in quest of freedom for his motherland. He breathed
the very air that freedom, and by extension, literature conjured in its wake,
leaving behind a stream of thought that was as pristine as it was sublime.
His long journey as a freedom-fighter as well as a professor of
English was as arduous as it was amazing. He appreciated kindness from
whichever source it came and nationality had no bearing. He authored the book
‘In Quest of Freedom’ which has been described as ‘a testimony to the idealism
that moved a generation of Goans, with a striking capacity of the author to see
the good points even in the Portuguese police’. His disdain for the
pseudo-nationalism that pervades the nation today was very obvious.
I have often felt inspired by the words of Pandit Jawaharlal
Nehru, “Men of law lay down constitutions, but history is really made by great
minds, large hearts and stout arms”. These words of India’s first Prime
Minister would fit in very well in the context of the life of Prof. James, who
himself was a great admirer of Nehru and his epic ‘Discovery of India’.
Professor James was a deeply spiritual man. His faith in Jesus
Christ was genuine and one which was nurtured by imbibing the real meaning of
His teachings. His Christian faith was an all-encompassing one with humanity
and humaneness at its core. His belief in the tender and loving protection of
Mother Mary was what strengthened him as a family man.
A
humanist to the core, Professor James Fernandes left his footprints on the
sands of time. A great intellectual, an outstanding teacher, a dedicated family
man and a most compassionate human being is how one would encompass the
wonderful personality of this true follower of Christ.
