LUCKNOW, Jan. 21 -- A large gathering of writers, activists, academics, intellectuals and cultural workers came together at the Kaifi Azmi Auditorium on Tuesday to commemorate noted critic and public intellectual Virendra Yadav. The memorial meeting, titled Smaran Virendra Yadav, reflected the deep personal and intellectual bond many in the city shared with him. The meeting was jointly organised by the Pragatisheel Lekhak Sangh and the Indian People's Theatre Association (IPTA) and highlighted the wide range of Yadav's engagement with society. Several prominent people, including former Hindi Sansthan head Sudhakar Adeeb, Era Srivastava, journalist Ram Dutt Tripathi, former Lucknow University vice-chancellor Prof Roop Rekha Verma, Pradeep Kapoor, Surya Mohan Kulshreshtha, Rakesh Veda, Akhilesh (editor of Tadbhav), Shivmoorti, Naveen Joshi, Prof Ramesh Dixit and Vandana Mishra. They paid tribute to Yadav's work and his steadfast commitment to progressive principles and ideology. Recalling his long association with Yadav, Kathakram organiser Shailendra Sagar described the loss as deeply personal. "We were friends for over 40 years. He introduced me to many literary figures in the city, and since we started Kathakram in 1996, he rarely missed a programme. The December Kathakram was among the last events he attended," Sagar said. Noted theatre personality Surya Mohan Kulshreshtha spoke about Yadav's uncompromising ideological stance, recalling his firm refusal to make creative compromises while working on Meghdoot. Writer Shivmoorti described Yadav as "a living reference book," citing his constant reading and habit of gifting books to fellow writers. Journalist Naveen Joshi said he often sought Yadav's advice during his tenure as a newspaper editor, while Prof Ramesh Dixit remembered him as someone who never hesitated to speak his mind, regardless of the consequences. Sudhakar Adeeb traced Yadav's intellectual journey from Jaunpur to Lucknow, shaped by friendships, debates and public engagement in spaces such as Lashkari Rakaabganj, Aminabad and the Political Science Department of Lucknow University. He noted that Yadav's presence was equally felt in the British Library, Hazratganj, the Coffee House and the Communist Party office, while his ideas travelled far beyond the city through newspapers, journals and social media. Professor Nadeem Hasnain observed, while physical spaces may be insufficient to contain his legacy, "Virendra Yadav lives on in people's hearts and in the causes he stood for."...