THE Sitaram Yechury Foundation (SYF), set up in memory of the late charismatic Communist leader, General Secretary of the CPI(M), parliamentarian and public intellectual Comrade Sitaram Yechury, is a not-for-profit charitable public Trust with the objectives of: initiating educational and public awareness on democracy and civil rights; agenda building in society for realization of constitutional provisions, including that to constitute India into a “socialist secular democratic republic” as adumbrated in the very preamble of the Constitution of India; setting up research and study centres for better understanding of democratic movements  and institutions; setting up a digital archive on the history of the Left and progressive peoples’ movements in India and the pan Asian region; initiating public dialogue and discourse through lectures, seminars and conferences on issues relating to democracy, secularism, social justice, equity and progressive ideals; promoting creative and cultural expression in pursuit of these aims through events and digital multimedia modes and formats; conducting educational programmes, training workshops and fellowships for the youth, educators and civic leaders to enhance understanding and practice of democratic values and participatory governance; and collaborating with universities, research institutions and civic society organisations working on similar subjects and establishing networks for exchange of knowledge and resources.

The Trustees of SYF are Prabhat Patnaik (Chair), Seema Chishti (Secretary), M.A. Baby, Sashi Kumar, C.P. Chandrasekhar, N.Ram, Malini Bhattacharya, Shadan Farasat, Manini Chatterji and Parvathy Devi.  

The second Sitaram Yechury Memorial Lecture by eminent historian Romila Thapar on ‘Historiography and Early Indian History’ was held on October 25, 2026, in New Delhi under the auspices of the SYF.

A daylong event, in association with the Jyoti Basu Centre for Social Studies and Research, scheduled on Sunday, November 22, 2026, at the Eastern Zone Cultural Centre, Salt Lake, Kolkata, will address the themes of imperialism in our times and the future of our democracy.  The event comprises three broad segments:

(1) A colloquium in the morning on the broad theme of imperialism in the present age with presentations by students at the undergraduate and postgraduate level. A call had been issued by SYF in early October inviting briefs on the theme by the students. 168 entries had been received from across India by the set deadline in the last week of October. A final list was arrived at based on a merit-ranking of the briefs followed by quick online interviews of those shortlisted. These 10 finalists will make presentations based on their briefs of the theme at the colloquium on November 22. They will thereafter convert their briefs into longform essays which will be compiled by the Foundation for publication as a book.

(2) An open discussion, in the afternoon, on the theme of the future of our representative democracy by student and youth activists who have been engaged with the issue in recent weeks.

(3)  As the centerpiece of the day’s programming, a seminar, in the evening, on the theme of Imperialism. The inaugural lecture will be by the former Vice President of India, Hamid Ansari, followed by keynote addresses by renowned economist Prabhat Patnaik; the Cuban Ambassador to India, Juan Carlos Marsan Aguilera.

Through the day there will be a photographic and audio-visual exhibition on Sitaram Yechury at the gallery space of the Eastern Zone Cultural Centre, open to all the participants, attendees and the public.

SYF is in the process of building a corpus fund for its activities. For those wishing to contribute to the fund, here are the Foundation’s bank details:

SITARAM YECHURY FOUNDATION

STATE BANK OF INDIA

A/C NO: 45658538945

IFSC Code: SBIN0040236

Swift Code: SBININBB236

Branch: Santhome, Chennai -600004