“HE saw a revolutionary in every person, for him every person can contribute and be a part of revolutionary change in one way or the other” these words of Sitaram Yechury, CPI(M) general secretary, perfectly describe the personality of Comrade Suneet Chopra. Sunny, as he was called by his friends, always full of energy and optimism, left this world on April 4.

A memorial meeting was organised on April 10 in New Delhi, to celebrate the life of Suneet Chopra who devoted all his life to the cause of revolution. But Suneet's multi-faceted talent was not limited to movement alone. He also contributed a lot to the field of art, academic writings and ideology.

The memorial meeting was presided over by A Vijayaraghavan, president of the All India Agricultural Workers Union. Prakash Karat and Brinda Karat, CPI(M) Polit Bureau members addressing the memorial meeting recalled their association with Comrade Suneet Chopra. A small biography of Suneet Chopra was read by his nephew Kanishka. Comrade Suneet was born in 1941, in a mercantile family in Lahore. He was joint secretary of AIAWU from 1991 and was relieved recently in the 10th national conference in 2023. Comrade Suneet’s introduction to the communist movement began in his student days in London. Soon after completing his education there, he joined the liberation movement in Palestine. Later he joined the Centre for Studies in Regional Development (CSRD) JNU and got involved in student politics. He was one of the persons who drafted the JNUSU constitution.

Branching out from the student movement, he joined the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) during its inception and was elected as the founding treasurer of DYFI in 1980. He was also elected to the Central Committee of Communist Party of India (Marxist) in 1995. He was a well-known and much sought-after art critic, who wrote regular columns in national dailies and magazines. He was also the general secretary of the All India Indo-Korean Friendship Association. A multi-faceted person, he was an artist, wrote extensively on issues, wrote poems and short stories.

Prabhat Patnaik, Gulzar Singh Goria, general secretary of Bhartiya Khet Mazdoor Union, G Devarajan, general secretary of Forward Bloc, Tapan Sen, CITU general secretary, Hannan Mollah, vice president and Vijoo Krishnan, general secretary of AIKS, Mariam Dhawale, general secretary, AIDWA, Adarsh M Saji joint secretary, SFI addressed the meeting. Artists, Arpana Kaur and Dolly Narang also shared their experiences at the memorial meet. Poet Asad Zaidi recited a poem titled 'Ek Minute Ka Maun' and Anaya sang a revolutionary song. B Venkat, general secretary of the All India Agricultural Workers Union, addressed the memorial meeting.