Vishwanath Lawande

Vishwanath Narayan Lawande was born on 20 April 1923 at Goa Velha, Tiswadi taluka, to Narayan Pandurang Lawande. He had completed his BSc and LLB degrees. He pursued his BSc in Kolhapur. While here, he interacted with Achyut Patwardhan and Mohan Ranade. He also met Ram Manohar Lohia, who greatly influenced him. In 1946, he joined the Banaras Hindu University to pursue chemical engineering. However, he left to participate in the Goa liberation movement. == Role in freedom movement ==

While studying at Kolhapur, Lawande was part of the Kolhapur Students' Union and was detained in police custody for 20 days for participating in the Quit India Movement. He organised the Rashtra Seva Dal in Kolhapur and even led it as its head for a few months. After the colleges were closed, he returned to Goa and organised the Seva Dal in Margao in November 1942. He and Narayan Palekar then formed a small group in Goa Velha that sang patriotic songs and powadas. In December 1960, Lawande was part of a delegation that met with then Home Minister of India Pandit Pant in New Delhi, urging the Indian government to take action for the freedom of Goa. Others in the delegation were Eclito D’Souza, Irene Heredia, George Vaz, Lambert Mascarenhas, Aruna Asaf Ali and Bertha Braganza. Between 1954 and 1961, he enrolled 400 AGD workers. Together, they conducted armed raids at Ravan military centre and at police stations in Honda, Keri, Chandel, Aldona, Betim, Kodal and Hankhon. They bombed mines at Pirla, Shirgaon, Sonshi and Pali, along with the Calem bridge and Caranzol railway station. They also ambushed patrol jeeps, resulting in a situation of terror. Lawande set up 13 centres of the AGD along the border of Portuguese Goa, along with a clandestine radio centre, the Azad Goa Radio. Till the Liberation of Goa, he organised meetings and protest marches in Belgaum and Bombay. == Post-Liberation of Goa ==

After the Liberation of Goa, Lawande contested elections in the 1963 Goa, Daman and Diu Legislative Assembly election from the St. Andre Assembly constituency, representing the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) as its chief ministerial candidate. He was defeated by Teotonio Pereira. Lawande then contested elections from the South Goa Lok Sabha constituency as an independent candidate in the 1967 elections to the Lok Sabha but did not win. Lawande later practiced law and organised protests of drivers, workers, farmers and teachers. He was a member of the first Consultative Committee of the Lieutenant Governor of Goa, Daman and Diu. Lawande wrote books in Marathi, Mayem-Swatantrya Ladhyachya Aghadivarit Gaon and Vyartha Na He Balidan. He also wrote his memoirs, Na Ghetle te Vrat Andhatene, a phrase taken from a poem by Vinayak Damodar Savarkar. == Personal life ==

Lawande had a daughter. == Death ==

Lawande died on 15 September 1998 of malarial fever at the Goa Medical College. == Awards and accolades ==

In 1962, Lawande was awarded a scroll of honour by the administration of Dadra and Nagar Haveli. He was later awarded the Tamrapatra by the Government of India but he refused it. == Works ==

• Mayem-Swatantrya Ladhyachya Aghadivarit Gaon • Vyartha Na He Balidan • Na Ghetle te Vrat Andhatene (autobiography) == See also ==