Mumbai: After Mid-Day report, a son on a mission reaches out

Rajendra Karundia met 100-year-old freedom fighter GG Parikh after reading mid-day’s report about the latter’s life. Pic/Anurag Ahire

Almost a month after mid-day published an article about 100-year-old freedom fighter GG Parikh, a Marine Drive resident sought our help and met Parikh at his school earlier this week.

This newspaper, in its January 7 edition, reported how Parikh, who now runs a non-profit called the Yusuf Meherally Center in Tardeo, was first arrested at the age of 18 in 1942. He was also arrested during the Emergency, and was served a notice by the Mumbai Police last year.

Late last month, this newspaper was contacted by Rajendra Karundia, whose father, Pashupatinath, was also a freedom fighter. Through an email, Karundia said that he was trying to find out more about his father, who passed away in 1994, and wanted to meet Parikh. mid-day put the duo in touch, and the two men met at the Yusuf Meherally Center's school on Thursday.

"It was humbling to be in his presence," Karundia told mid-day after the meeting. "I told him all that I knew about my father. Unfortunately, he did not know him and their paths never crossed, but he has promised to help me in whatever way he can. I am gathering all available records I can find and will be meeting him again in a week's time."

He adds that his father never talked about his time in prison or his role in the freedom struggle. "He just didn't like to talk about it. Whatever I know about that phase of his life, I know from others." Karundia adds, "From what I have gathered, he planned to blow up a bridge in Bhiwandi and was arrested in 1941 with explosives in his car. He was first sent to the Thane jail and later to Nashik. He was released in late 1942."