Comrade V V Dakshinamoorthi

CPI(M) Kerala state secretariat member and former chief editor of Deshabhimani, Comrade V V Dakshinamoorthi passed away on August 30. 82 year old Dakshinamoorthi was under treatment at Kozhikode District Co-operative Hospital in Calicut for lung cancer. 
Comrade Dakshinamoorthi, an eminent parliamentarian and an excellent orator has been in the forefront of teachers’ movement in its founding years. He spearheaded the communist movement’s attempts to impart Marxian education to the cadre and taught Marxist philosophy to various generations.
He served as Deshabhimani’s Kozhikode unit manager for a long span of 19 years before assuming the charge of chief editor in 2005 and remained in this position till this year. He won from Perambra assembly constituency in 1965, 1967 and 1980 and served as assembly whip in 1980-1982.
Born in 1934 at Panakkatt near Perambra in Kozhikode district, he became a member of the Communist Party at a tender age of 16. Popularly known as Moorthi Mash (master) he quit from the teaching profession in 1950. Kerala Socialist Youth Federation elected him as the first president. Comrade Dakshinamoorthi also served as the secretary of CPI(M)’s Kozhikode district committee. In 1968, Moorthi had participated in Raj Bhavan march led by Communist stalwart A K Gopalan. During the Emergency period, Dakshinamoorthi was imprisoned for 16 months along with other CPI(M) leaders. He also served as the syndicate member of Calicut University.  He was in the forefront in organising toddy tappers, teachers, plantation workers and temple employees.
He is survived by wife T M Nalini, children, Mini, R Ajayakumar  and R Prasad.
CPI(M) state secretariat had expressed its deep condolences over the demise of the leader.
Chief Minister Pinarayi in a condolence message said that Comrade Dakshinamoorthi’s demise is a big loss to the public sphere in general and to the Communist movement in particular. He had wide knowledge of scientific socialism and his whole life was spent in organising teachers and workers. He was an eminent teacher of Marxian philosophy, Pinaryi said.
In a message, CPI(M) state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan said that Comrade Dakshinamoorthi was an eminent orator and a good translator. He translated the speeches of all prominent leaders of CPI(M).

Comrade Samir Deb Sarkar
 
COMRADE Samir Deb Sarkar, CPI(M) Tripura state committee member,  secretary of Khowai district committee and government chief whip in the Tripura legislative assembly passed away on August 28 t at G B Pant Hospital, Agartala. He was suffering from cancer and cardiac problem for several years. Comrade Deb Sarkar was 67 and a bachelor.
 
Comrade Samir Deb Sarkar was born in a zamindar (landlord) family of Singhichara in Khowai district on December 12, 1949. In 1968, while studying at M B B College, Agartala he came in contact with students’ movement under the banner of S F (Students’ Federation). He continued his attachment with Left and democratic movement in Khowai sub division even after completion of academics, passing B Com with distinction. Comrade Deb Sarkar attained Party membership in 1976.
 
In the first panchayat election held in secret ballot in the state in 1979, Comrade Samir Deb Sarkar was elected pradhan of Singichara village. In 1983, he contested in the assembly general election from Khowai constituency and won with a massive mandate.  Since 1983, except for one term in 1988-93, Comrade Samir Deb Sarkar represented this constituency in the state assembly till he breathed his last. He was very innovative in making various pro-people projects and an able guide in implementing the development projects involving both tribal and non-tribal communities. Also, he tirelessly contributed to the development of progressive cultural movement in the state. Ignoring requests from fellow comrades who were very much concerned at his deteriorating health condition, he would rush to attend various Party programmes, even a few days before his passing away.  He was an endeared ‘Samir-da’ for all sections of the masses.
 
Comrade Samir Deb Sarkar worked as secretary of CPI(M) undivided Khowai sub divisional committee for long years and successfully discharged his responsibility for strengthening the Party organisation and propagating Marxist-Leninist ideology among the toiling masses. He became secretary of the first Khowai district committee in 2015. Comrade Samir Deb Sarkar was elected to the Party state committee in 1986.
 
Expressing deep condolence for the family members of the departed leader, Tripura state secretariat of CPI(M), in a statement attributed Comrade Samir Deb Sarkar as one of the front ranking leaders of the people’s movement. He was a vanguard fighter for protecting tribal-nontribal amity and friendship against all sorts of provocations. While Comrade Samir Deb Sarkar inherited an extra-ordinary skill in legislative work, he showed his ability in combining the movements inside and outside the assembly for the cause of the toiling masses.
 
The demise of Comrade Samir Deb Sarkar, the statement said, caused an immense loss to the Party as well as to the mass movement. Party state secretariat respectfully remembers the huge contribution that was made by Comrade Samir Deb Sarkar for strengthening the Party organisation and for welfare of the people.  The state secretariat has called upon the Party rank and file to sincerely take lessons from his life and legacy, the statement concluded.
 
Chief minister Manik Sarkar, various mass organisations, dignitaries, political parties etc in separate statements paid homage to Comrade Samir Deb Sarkar.

The mortal remains of Comrade Samir Deb Sarkar were first brought to his long-time workplace – Tripura legislative assembly, where speaker, deputy speaker, MLAs  and assembly officials paid floral tributes to him. Thereafter, his body was taken to the CPI(M) state committee office. Here Polit Bureau member Manik Sarkar, state secretary Bijan Dhar, Central Committee members, Party state secretariat members, state committee members, Daily Desher Katha workers and many Party workers, supporters and fans of Comrade Deb Sarkar paid homage to the departed leader. His body was taken to Khowai, his native town where thousands of grief-stricken people thronged to take a last glimpse of their beloved leader. They took part in the funeral upto the burning ghat where his body was consigned to flames. Bijan Dhar all along accompanied his funeral.