Sitaram Yechury: A brilliant student

CPI(M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury passed away at the age of 72. Despite being a brilliant student, his deep commitment to politics led him to jail

Sitaram Yechury was born on August 12, 1952, in Chennai. He spent his childhood in Hyderabad

He completed his 10th standard from All Saints High School in Hyderabad and topped the All India Senior Secondary Examination from President Estate School in Delhi

After 12th, Sitaram did his BA (Hons) in Economics from St. Stephen's College, Delhi, and secured the first position in the annual examination

He then obtained his MA degree in Economics from Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU)

After post-graduation from JNU, he enrolled for a PhD, but it remained incomplete due to his arrest during the Emergency in 1975

He entered politics in 1974 by joining the Students Federation of India (SFI) and became a member of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)) a year later

He became a member of the CPI(M) Central Committee in 1984, and his position and stature in the party continued to grow from 1978 to 1998

Sitaram Yechury was married twice, his first wife was Indrani Mazumdar while his second wife is Seema Chishti, a journalist by profession