Goa Liberation Revolutionary Late Mohan Ranade was imprisoned for nearly 14 yrs in Portuguese jails.
After his release, he reached Mumbai Airport on 1st February 1969 from Lisbon, large number of people gathered for warm and thunderous reception to the Hero.
He penned down his feelings as under –
When I reached to the door to alight the plane, someone climbed the steps and enquired Ranade!
“Yes, that is me” I said. He moved back, turned to the door, raised his hand and I could hear a thunder of slogans “Mohan Ranade ki Jai”.
I was overwhelmed by the warm affection my compatriots were showering on me.
“Bharat Mata ki Jai” were the words that I pronounced at the top of my voice in reply to their Greetings.
My slogan was echoed by all of them and the whole atmosphere was filled with the sacred words “Bharat Mata ki Jai”.
This was the same slogan that thousands of Satyagrah is coming from every nook and corner of this vast country of ours had given, on the 15th August 1955, on the Goa Border and marched into Goa facing the volley of machinegun bullets fired by the Portuguese.
The Slogan, that day, was a BATTLE CRY.
Today, a BATTLE was no doubt WON but NOT THE WAR OF TOTAL EMANCIPATION.
Mohandada, in his Preface to book Struggle Unfinished, had expressed –
my Memoirs were published in Marathi in 1969 as “Satiche Van”, the Hindi Edition was published in 1972 with the title ” Sarforoshi ki Tamanna” .
This book, Struggle Unfinished is not a mere translation of Marathi book but it is much beyond that !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
this was the year 1988, 19years after the release from Jail and settling in Goa.
He did not added new chapters to cover the period after his release in January 1969.
This book gives an account of Goa Liberation Struggle, Goan people, Portuguese political set up and struggle for liberation by other Portuguese colonies.
Time span covered is 1949 to 1969.
We want to know how the Revolutionary was born that is his life prior to 1949 and how he reinvented himself in liberated Goa from 1969!
We want to know what is this Struggle Unfinished!
Dr. Gopal Singh, then Governor of Goa, expressed as under –
” I have known Shri Mohan Ranade after I came to Goa in 1984. A great Freedom Fighter. I also found him to be a person with deep interest and dedication in doing social work for the betterment of the poor and downtrodden.
He started HOME for WOMEN and CHILD WELFARE in the slum area of Chimbel in 1986.
He dedicated himself to Socio economic and Educational activities for the poor and downtrodden.”
Earlier part of his Life he adored the Great Revolutionary Veer Sawarkar. He said, “we used to spend our pocket money or gifted money to buy books narrating the heroic feats of the Revolutionary or used to buy knives and daggers to finish the mighty Rule of British”.
Childishness it was, no doubt, but there was a Great Meaning in that Childishness too!
After his Return to Liberated Goa and once he started his ‘struggle unfinished’ for the Poor and Downtrodden he seems to be attracted by teachings of Swami Vivekanand.
We want to publish a book which will cover Mohandada’s life from Dec 1930 to June 2019.
We request all to contribute information about The Great Revolutionary and dedicated social worker.