I LAST spoke to Comrade Sitaram Yechury on August 22, requesting him to record a video message for Comrade Buddhadeb Bhattacharya's condolence meeting.

He had just come out of the ICU but agreed instantly, even asking about the length of the video he should record. His wife, Seema, and I agreed that he should not strain himself and that he should speak as much as his health permitted.

Later that afternoon, when I walked into Netaji Indoor Stadium and handed over Sitaram’s message to be broadcast to thousands of our comrades and supporters, I had no idea that this would be our last record of him. In a very poignant moment, Seema clicked the last photograph of him in his hospital bed, jotting down the points he would soon record for Comrade Buddhadeb Bhattacharya.

Sitaram Yechury left us too soon. The Party needed him, India's Left movement needed him, Bengal needed him, and India needed him.

Paying tribute to a man of Sitaram Yechury's stature is difficult. He was a Marxist-Leninist, an ideologue, an economist, a historian, an activist, and, most importantly, a unique pragmatist. He was deeply committed to the idea of India's ‘diversity’ and worked relentlessly to keep the country unified in its diversity. Recognising the importance of preserving ‘Unity in Diversity,’ his approach was to unite the diverse forces.

Sitaram Yechury was a true embodiment of the SFI slogan, ‘Study & Struggle’. Back in the 1970s, as the editor of Students' Struggle, he first demonstrated his skill in documenting the history of Communists. At a time when the RSS was aggressively attempting to appropriate Bhagat Singh into the Hindutva fold, Sitaram fought back and published a series of articles proving that Bhagat Singh was a revolutionary, an atheist, and a Communist. As a true flag bearer of legendary communist leaders, he took up the responsibility of carrying forward the golden tradition of our freedom struggle.

Thus began a lifetime of scholarly and activist work to bring the glorious history of Indian Communists into the mainstream consciousness. I am proud to recall how Sitaram and I made relentless efforts in parliament to put on record the significant role of Communists in the national movement, as recorded in the annals of the Cellular Jail in the Andamans.

Sitaram entered the Communist movement under the tutelage of legendary Communists like M Basavapunnaiah, EMS Namboodiripad, Harkishan Singh Surjeet, and Jyoti Basu. As a result, he inherited the ideological commitment of these stalwarts, their clarity of thought, and their ability to bring people together. He was a brilliant debater and an enviable pragmatist. In fact, Sitaram's most enduring legacy will be his remarkable skill in integrating high-quality scholarship into the rough and tumble of politics.

On a lighter note, let me recount an anecdote from Calcutta in 1987, when former prime minister V P Singh had just rebelled against the Congress and formed the Jan Morcha. Several Opposition parties came together at Netaji Indoor Stadium. Besides political leaders like V P Singh, H N Bahuguna, Jyoti Basu, and Sitaram, eminent educationist Debiprasad Chattopadhyay and a highly-respected JNU professor were also present. I was a DYFI leader volunteering at the meeting when Sitaram called out to me and said, “Arre, tere liye mujhe gaali suna diya” (because of you, I was reprimanded). Much to our chagrin, the two eminent professors had been exchanging exasperated notes about how both of us had abandoned a potential PhD and a career in academia for politics!

That being said, Sitaram was nothing short of a valuable scholar and academician. He had the rare talent and opportunity to theorise on the significant upheavals of the late 20th century, particularly the fall of the Soviet Union, the demolition of the Babri Masjid, and the advent of neoliberalism in India.

At this critical juncture in history, Sitaram, as a young Polit Bureau member, showed great finesse in framing major historical trends and fundamental economic shifts within a Marxist-Leninist paradigm while effectively disseminating these narratives to the masses.

Though Sitaram may not have pursued a PhD, his meticulous writings – through Party resolutions, articles, and public debates – establish him as a scholar-politician. He was truly a ‘Theorist and Wordsmith’.

In the turbulent 1980s and 1990s, when India was grappling with sectarian movements in states like Assam and Punjab, when the BJP was stoking the flames of communalism, and when the Congress was besieged by corruption and internal crises, Sitaram rose tall under the guidance of senior leaders, and played a key role in forming the coalition governments of the United Front and later UPA-I.

At the same time, Sitaram emerged as a staunch crusader against communalism and a powerful voice for diversity and minority rights.

During the NDA years under A B Vajpayee, Sitaram played a crucial role in exposing the layers of Hindutva embedded in Vajpayee's BJP. Unlike today's aggressive Hindutva, BJP leaders of that era often camouflaged their communalism in various ways, and it was Sitaram who relentlessly exposed their hidden agenda.

As a Rajya Sabha MP during UPA-I, Sitaram focused on strengthening the welfare state. He actively networked with civil society activists, NGOs, the National Advisory Council, and the Planning Commission to ensure they contributed to enlightened policymaking. His efforts helped in the creation of landmark policies such as MGNREGA, the right to food, and the right to education. Sitaram was not only a fierce fighter against the scourge of communalism, but he also worked tirelessly to build a welfare state and protect the rights of workers and peasants.

No doubt, the period from 2014 to 2024 marked the most challenging phase for the Left-democratic movement in India, for the Party, and for Sitaram as its general secretary.

Withstanding the relentless onslaught by the Modi regime on Communists, and even those perceived to be ‘Communist,’ required extraordinary courage, intelligence, patience, and resilience. Despite significant electoral setbacks, Comrade Sitaram kept the Left movement in India alive, vibrant, visible, strong, and stylish.

He will always be remembered as a ‘Child of His Time’ – ideologically sound, politically committed, socially accepted, and culturally refined, with a charismatic personality.