Mohan Ranade, who Fought for Goa’s Liberation, Dies at 90

A veteran freedom fighter Mohan Ranade, who led the Goa liberation movement in 1950′, passed away on Tuesday in Pune. He was 90 and single.

Afraid of his growing influence, then Portuguese government had put Mohan Ranade behind bar for 14 years in Lisbon. Interestingly, his ideological opponent senior DMK leader Anna Durai had successfully tried for his release.

Anna Durai, then Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, met Pope Paul VI during his visit to the Vatican City in 1969. He had requested the Pope to put pressure on the Portuguese authorities to release Mohan Ranade. Astonished by his passion and insistence, the Pope played a catalyst Mohan Ranade’s release.

A lawyer by training Mohan Ranade was born in 1929 in Maharashtra’s Sangli. He decided to dedicate his life to liberate Goa from the clutches of the Portuguese after taking inspiration from freedom fighters like Swatantryaveer Vinayak Damodar Savarkar and his brother Ganesh Damodar Savarkar.

Mohan Ranade entered Goa under disguise as a teacher in 1950 and founded an organisation called Azad Gomantak Dal to raise an armed revolt against the Portuguese rule. He was injured during an attack on a police station at Beti and was consequently arrested in 1955.

The Portuguese government sentenced him to 26 years of imprisonment and sent him to Fort of Caxias jail at Lisbon in Portugal. He was kept in solitary confinement for six years. After the liberation of Goa in 1961, the Portuguese government did not release him despite several efforts. The then Jan Sangh leader Atal Bihari Vajpayee had raised the issue of Mohan Ranade’s release in the Parliament.

In Maharashtra, famous musician and Mohan Ranade’s colleague from Azad Gomantak Dal Sudhir Phadke had formed ‘Mohan Ranade Vimichan Samiti’ to push for the efforts.

Mohan Ranade chose to live in Pune after returning to India. He engaged himself in social work and ran a voluntary organisation to provide educational support to the needy students from tribal, nomadic and backward communities.

Mohan Ranade’s care taker Shirish Date informed that he suffered from esophageal cancer since past few years. He had to be hospitalised due to depleted hemoglobin levels and difficulty in breathing.

Mohan Ranade had penned two books – ‘Struggle Unfinished’ in English and ‘Satiche Vaan’ in Marathi – based on his experience during the Goa liberation movement. He was honoured with the Goa’s highest civilian award as well as Padmashri by the Union government.

Paying a tribute to Mohan Ranade, Minister of State for Defence Shripad Naik said, “Rest in Peace Shri. Mohan Ranade, who had a major role in the liberation of Goa from Portuguese Rule. We will never forget him. May God give him eternal peace.”

. “Today due to his non-stop action for Goa’s freedom struggle, we live in freedom. He had faced the wrath of Portuguese, with a smile on his face,” said the senior BJP leader from Goa.

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Source: IT

Image Courtesy: Goa365

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