D. Raja recalls humble beginnings at book release

Books gave me a certain strength to hold my head high and never feel inferior to anyone, CPI general secretary tells well-wishers

Friends and admirers of the general secretary of the Communist Party of India (CPI), D. Raja, came together for the release of his book D. Raja in the Parliament, a collection of his select speeches from his 12-year tenure in the Rajya Sabha. The book also records Mr. Raja’s journey from being a daily wage labourer’s son to becoming the first Dalit to occupy the general secretary’s post in the CPI. Speaking at the function, Mr. Raja said that his mother couldn’t afford to send lunch for him. Seeing his lanky self and knowing well that he was forced to skip lunch, the physical education teacher at his school wouldn’t let him on the ground to play. Mr Raja confessed that he had never played sports in his life. Instead, he would spend time at the school’s reading room. “I started reading books from a very early age. Books gave me a certain strength to hold my head high and never feel inferior to anyone,” he said.