The Hind Mazdoor Kisan Panchayat welcomed their saathi with a loud round of sloganeering, reminiscent of ``the good old days''. But Fernandes wasn't interested. He hadn't yet gotten over what he saw in Orissa. Brushing aside pleasantries, he went straight on to talk about the ``worst disaster since Independence''.

For the members of the Taximen's Union, BEST union and the rickshawallas it was just a story. ``This is supposed to be a homecoming,'' said Phenany. ``The last time Fernandes addressed union workers was way back in 1997. We thought it was time for another get together.''

Accordingly, it all started with General Secretary of the BEST Union,Narayan Phenany speaking in glowing terms of the ``struggle'' and Fernandes' role in it. It was followed by a floral felicitation.

To the growing dismay of Fernandes, the line of admirers with garlands in their hands kept coming. The pleasant smile turned to a scowl as Fernandes accepted the felicitations half-heartedly. Later, he took a minute during his speech to explain how he hated garlands and how people never understood.

Then, matter-of-factedly, Fernandes told them about what Kargil and Orissa were all about. He paused for dramatic affect, letting the horrors of what he had seen sink into the audience. Then he continued.

``The one image that I carry with me all the while is of corpses floating and the carcass of animals in Orissa,'' he said. ``At Jagatsinghpur district, the worst affected by the calamity, municipal workers from Mumbai are pulling out the dead from the debris. The work they and other organisations are doing is tremendous.''

The audience was confused. They applaudedintermittently, each time when Fernandes mentioned how the municipal workers from Mumbai were doing a great job.

But the 30 minute address was finally ``worth the wait'' when Fernandes moved away from death and devastation to remember Ram Manohar Lohia, the leader all union workers swear by.

``He made his point in the end,'' explained Gopal Kadam, president of Samta Party (Mumbai). ``See Lohia, who was our Godfather, had said one thing very clearly. He had asked the nation to form a front to keep the Congress from power. That has finally been achieved.''

``But our issues haven't changed a lot,'' added Balasaheb Subbarao Enttattinaear, a BEST driver. ``Today George saab spoke of big things, not the problems of unions like ours where he started from. He is a minister now, that should explain it.''