Nagpur: Former scribe, teacher and Dalit activist
Gemini Kadu breathed his last at a private hospital on Saturday. Kadu had met with an accident on March 5 when his two-wheeler collided with a cab on Wardha Road. He was admitted to the trauma centre at GMCH and was later shifted to a private hospital in Dhantoli where he breathed his last at 1.30pm on Saturday. Kadu had been in comma and was on a ventilator for the past eleven days.
Remembering Kadu as a teacher who has left behind a strong imprint, close family friend and former teacher Usha Mishra said, “Both Gemini and his wife Shail were thinkers and philosophers who worked to improve the plight of the socially marginalized section.”
Not just in the state, Kadu travelled to other cities also to fight for the Dalit cause. “He quit his job as a scribe and joined Mandal movement and also started his own movement to create awareness among Dalits,” says his associate Pramod Munghate, a professor of Marathi literature.
Speaking about his strong personality and oratory, Munghate says, “He was a good speaker and left a mark especially on the minds of the youth for whom he was a friend philosopher and guide.”
Remembering her last meeting with him on December 25, 2017 at Deekshabhoomi, where Kadu had led many OBCs to embrace Buddhism, social activist Roopa Kulkarni said, “He had joined the anti-dowry movement started by me.”
Lauding his fight for social justice Kulkarni adds, “He was very outspoken and fearless and made a place for himself among those who have studied and carried forward the Ambedkar thought.”
Gemini Kadu is survived by his dramatist and social activist wife Shail and a son — Sangharsh. His body was taken for post mortem on Saturday evening and the funeral will take place on Sunday morning.
