KOCHI: The words and memories of SFI leader Abhimanyu, whose life was cut short during the campus violence in July, on Wednesday came alive on the same Maharaja’s College campus where he had endeared himself to fellow students and teachers. Well-known alumni, including litterateurs M K Sanu and Sunil P Illayidom, poet Balachandran Chullikkad and several others paid glowing tributes to the refulgent memory of the deceased youth.
The graffiti by Abhimanyu, ‘Down with communalism’ which set off the chain of events culminating in his death was on the lips of everyone present. Poems narrating Abhimanyu’s life echoed on the campus as the trek down the memory lane began.“I met Abhimanyu only once when he came to my house to invite me to a college function. What happened to him is truly unfortunate and it was the result of communalism. Politics on the campus plays an integral part in shaping the leaders of tomorrow.
However, it should be free from any sort of violence. The communal elements should be weeded out,” said M K Sanu. Recalling the ghastly incident at Thodupuzha Newman College, where faculty member T J Joseph’s hand was chopped off by religious extremists, M K Sanu said society’s collective consciousness should never lose track of such brazen deeds so as to steer clear of such abominable tendencies.
Chullikkad referred to the Left panel’s victory parade at the JNU after sweeping the polls. “The JNU students showed Abhimanyu has indeed become an icon and he will forever live in the minds of people who believe in a secular India,” he said.
Ilayidom spoke of Abhimanyu and the message he left behind and how the communalists are worming their way into the campuses. Krishnakumar, Maharaja’s principal, too was present.