Krishna Mense, a prominent Goa liberation activist, Gandhian, writer, and trade union leader, passed away in Belagavi on Monday at the age of 97.
Mense had been hospitalized for age-related health issues a week earlier, according to family sources. He is survived by his sons, Anand Mense (a retired geology professor) and advocate Sanjay Mense, daughters Lata Pawshe and Neeta Patil, and grandchildren.
A participant in India’s freedom movement, Mense declined the pension and other benefits typically given to freedom fighters. He was an active member and leader of the Communist Party of India (CPI) and served as the president of the Indian Aluminium Company Labour Union in Belagavi for many years.
Mense was also a key figure in the anti-superstition movement, which was active in both Maharashtra and Karnataka.
Siddanagouda Patil, a writer and long-time associate, remembered Mense as a leading figure in Karnataka’s labor and Communist movements. Mense played an instrumental role in spreading the CPI’s influence in the state after its unification.
While Congress leaders did not participate, Mense worked with the Socialist Party, led by Ram Manohar Lohia, in the Goa liberation struggle against the Portuguese regime. He supported activists entering Goa through various routes from Belagavi and Karwar.
G.V. Kulkarni, a local coordinator, noted that Mense had translated Sri Basaveshwara’s Vachanas into Marathi and authored several books on Marxism, labor rights, communal harmony, and the labor movement.
Trade union bodies like AIIEA and IEU have paid their tributes. “Our banners will be dipped in honor of the departed leader,” Kulkarni said.
