There were many wonders to behold in the national capital. Sitaram Yechury, the firebrand SFI leader from JNU who had just made his way to the Central Committee of CPI(M), was one such wonder. What began as a fanboy’s admiration led to a four-decade-long comradeship. During these years, we watched him graduate from a fiery student leader to a party ideologue to a parliamentary superstar and one of the architects of two of India’s prominent coalition governments.
By the early 1990s, it was evident that it would be the duo of Sitaram and Prakash Karat who would carry forward the baton of EMS Namboodiripad, BT Ranadive, M Basavapunnaiah, Jyoti Basu and Harkishan Singh Surjeet. Eventually, they became a storied duo: Sitaram with his political and parliamentary skills and Prakash with his theoretical and organisational rigour.
Sitaram could hold forth for hours on caste or class, and effortlessly switch to deep discussions on history or economics. But more importantly, Sitaram could speak the common tongue. Communist leaders are sometimes blamed for their gravitas and what is known as the stiff upper lip. With his sense of humor and disarming smile, Sitaram was the antithesis of this. In fact, his deftness with languages — English, Hindi, Telugu, Bengali, Urdu, Tamil and even a bit of Malayalam, he made a rapport with people around him.
The Communist Party of India (Marxist) Sitaram Yechury who passed away on Thursday in AIIMS Delhi, won’t have a funeral. His family has donated his body to AIIMS for teaching and research purposes.
A statement from AIIMS read: “CPI(M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury, aged 72, passed away at 3:05 pm today. The family has donated his body to AIIMS, New Delhi for teaching and research purposes.”
The two-term Rajya Sabha MP was undergoing treatment at the hospital for an acute respiratory infection. He was admitted to the hospital on August 19.
The CPI(M) also informed about the passing away of the veteran politician on its X handle. “It is with profound grief that we announce the passing away of CPIM General Secretary, our beloved Comrade Sitaram Yechury, at 3.03 pm today, 12th September, at the AIIMS, New Delhi. He was suffering from a respiratory tract infection which developed complications,” the post read. The party also said that details of public viewing and homage will be informed later. Political leaders from across the political spectrum remembered Yechury.
When he retired from Rajya Sabha, Ghulam Nabi Azad referred to Sitaram as a national treasure. He may be gone from this world, but that treasure called Sitaram remains with us, inspiring generations with his life and legacy.
In the recent past, Yechury is the second person whose body has been donated for medical purposes. In August, former West Bengal chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya’s body was also donated by his family for medical teaching.
