Eminent Persons Sankaraiah passed away N. Sankaraiah, freedom fighter, senior most Communist leader in the country, and one of the founding members of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), dies at Chennai. In 2021, Sankaraiah was honoured with the Thagaisal Thamizhar Award. He served as the editor of the magazine “Theekathir” which is the mouthpiece of the CPI(M) in TN