The general secretary of the CPI(M), who passed away recently at age 72, defied all the clichés one associates with hardcore "commies". From his appearance to his demeanour, he was like "one of us". Meaning, he didn't shove his ideology down anybody's throat, nor was he judgmental about capitalists in his group. He was evolved enough to accept diverse points of view, without compromising on his own political beliefs. With a track record as impressive as his, he could have been a pompous Marxist intellectual talking down to lesser, crassly bourgeois beings. But, there he was with a ready smile and a few warm words for anyone who came up to him. It is no wonder then that the tributes which poured in after his passing were genuinely heartfelt, even the ones from political opponents like West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who grudgingly had to admit, "... his demise will be a loss for national politics".
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