A life devoted to communism: The childhood of Sitaram Yechury
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These were the words of Kalpakam, Sitaram Yechury’s mother, about him in an interview with Malayala Manorama once: "It’s not that he became a communist, but that he never had the life he could have had—that’s what makes me sad. He could have achieved anything—a good job, a great salary, a car, even a huge house. He could have been a doctor, an IAS or an IFS officer... Why did he choose not to pursue any of these?" I always tell him, "Come home, at least occasionally, and eat the food I’ve prepared."
Despite being born into immense wealth, the young Sitaram gave up all the privileges and glory of his family to walk the path of communism. His mother had always dreamed of him becoming a doctor; she never once imagined her son would become a politician.
Sitaram Yechury, affectionately called Babu by everyone, was a calm and detached figure, even in the face of violence. Kalpakam’s father, Justice Kanda Bhima Shankara Ram, was a judge in the Andhra High Court, and young Babu always held a place of honour beside him. Every time Justice Ram left for court or returned, Babu would sit proudly in the car's front seat, receiving the salutes of police officers with quiet pride.
Justice Ram often shared his affection for the grandson with fellow judges, saying, "My car will run without petrol, but it won’t run if Babu isn’t in the front seat."
"We never had to teach him discipline; he was naturally disciplined, even with his food. My father introduced him to all the epic tales at a young age. During his school years, he excelled not only in his studies but also in sports. He became quite a well-known tennis player during his college days, eventually becoming the captain of the university tennis team and becoming an intercollegiate champion.
My husband's family taught him the Vedas and their hymns. I still vividly remember him walking as a ‘panchashikhan,’ with one-inch long hair tied at five places on his head, just four days after his Upanayana. He mastered those teachings so well. As a mischievous school kid, he often came to me with English poems, asking if he could recite them like the Gayathri mantras. Each time, I would quickly stop him from doing so’’.
In fact, Yechury began learning economics, his favourite subject, while still in his mother’s womb. Kalpakam was four months pregnant when she appeared for her final year BA Economics exams at Stella Maris College in Chennai. As she continued with my studies, his grandmother cared for him as he grew.
Later, whenever he listened to Yechury delivering powerful speeches, his father, Somayajulu Yechury, would tell Kapakam, "Babu must have recited the Gayathri so many times this morning."
As Yechury fully immersed himself in politics and party work, Kalpakam sat at home, waiting for her son. Realising that their son would not pursue a life of wealth, the parents bought him a new home. Whenever they saw him in worn-out clothes, they made sure to get him a new set of kurta.
"Both my family and my husband's were inclined toward the Congress, which was natural during the independence movement," Kalpakam said. "But we never objected to him becoming a communist." In the party, Babu always had a tough time and had to travel constantly. But he was content with that, and his happiness became my happiness, too’’, she added.
In September 2021, Kalpakam, the mother of Sitaram Yechury, passed away. Now, three years later, in yet another September, her son, too, is leaving this world.