Adieu,TK!

T.K.Ramachandran,popularly known among his comrdes,students and well wishers as T.K too is gone.His absence will obviously make it very difficult to live in this world.Why?Reasons are plenty but can be comprehended into two to three sentences. He was a true crusader.A crusader against the right wing facist forces of his own country.He didnt write too much.But when he writes, it was precise.He never wavered.He was so adamant on his stands because he was thro and thro clear about his idealogy.He was a great friend to many and they were his company at his flat.The company included acadamicians to activists.All were shown in though not given an excited welcome.He was an activist among acadamicians and an acadamicians among activists.So, he never apty fit himself into any groups.
If he hadnt quit his mediocre job in the bank in his early youth and spent time for research and acadamic work, how would have his life developed? It will be absurd to expect his in the bank managers chair with piles of files behind.At all junctions, he chose the right path-the path which not every one chose to tred.He was all alone in his route.He might have met a couple of people on his way. But they all failed in the marathon.Some were opted to stop.Somewhere exhausted and some perished.Some got disillusioned and took their lives.But TK,preferred to move on like a rolling stone.Apparently, he gathered no moss.
What would have happened to the so called KP Appan and his cooterie if TK had decided to write enormously for our weeklies?He would have deffinitely given the crown of the prince of critique. He never buttered our editors to publish his articles. Rather he often said excuses when the editors approached him for his essays.
A channel reporter had said just after his death from Kochi that he was chain smoker and that too had contributed for his sudden demise.I dont know whether that fool know him.Can you imagine a TK without wild smell of virginian cut tobacco? Never.Tobacco, beard, wrinkled dress, typical word formations,child like smiles,adorno,althusser were all the inevitable part of TK.You can spot a lion in the forest if you are lucky enough.You can see the same animal in the zoo also.But seeing the lion in the forest makes a lot of difference.
Personal memories,though not plenty are vivid to this writer.His comrades are the true heir apparents to write the personal note on him.Let them do it.Let us light up the lamp of his memory to not compromise on the cause of our life long fight.
RED SALUTE,COMRADE!