Vishakapatnam: On the first death anniversary of Communist Party of India (Marxist) stalwart Sitaram Yechury, tributes poured in across continents, with events in London and Visakhapatnam celebrating his lifelong commitment to secular, democratic, and pro-people politics.

In London, the Students’ Federation of India (SFI), United Kingdom, announced the launch of the First Annual Sitaram Yechury Lecture, a platform to critically examine democracy, education, and social justice in a changing world. The inaugural lecture, scheduled for September 12, 2025, will be delivered virtually via Zoom on the theme “India and the World: The Right-Wing Assault Against Education.”

Noted academics Dr Bhabani Shankar Nayak, Professor of Business Management at London Metropolitan University, and Dr Rahul Rao, Reader in International Political Thought at the University of St Andrews, will address the session. The organisers said the lecture series, named after Yechury, seeks to highlight his role as a public intellectual and defender of secular, democratic values.

“The idea is to foster dialogue on how right-wing ideologies undermine education by curbing critical thinking and replacing it with propaganda-driven narratives,” SFI UK said in a statement. A commemorative gathering is also scheduled on September 13 at St. James’s Park in London.

New District Office:

Back in India, the CPI(M) paid its homage to Yechury with the inauguration of the Sitaram Yechury Bhavan at Pitapuram Colony in Maddilapalem, Visakhapatnam. CPI(M) National General Secretary MA Baby, inaugurating the new district office on Thursday, recalled his four-decade-long association with Yechury, beginning with their entry into national politics during the SFI convention in Patna in 1979.

“Yechury carried forward the ideology and path shown by veteran Communist leaders like Jyothi Basu and Harkishan Singh Surjeet,” Baby said, urging that the Communist movement must continue to defend workers’ rights and fight caste oppression.

CPI(M) Andhra Pradesh state secretary V Srinivasa Rao added that the new office was conceived as a platform to fight against the suppression of the poor. He noted that construction began on October 7, 2024, and was completed ahead of Yechury’s first death anniversary as promised.

Together, the events in London and Visakhapatnam underscored how Yechury’s legacy continues to inspire students, activists, and party cadres alike—both in India and abroad.