Ernakulam (Kerala): Senior Rashtriya Swayamsekak Sangh (RSS) leader Ranga Hari passed away at a private hospital in Kochi on Sunday morning. He was 93. He died while undergoing treatment for cancer.
Popularly known as R Hari, he was the first pracharak who headed the RSS from Kerala. He had also served as RSS Akhila Bharatiya Pramukh and wrote several books.
He started his political career as a full-time RSS worker in 1951. In 1989, he became Pranth Pracharak of RSS in Kerala and then in 1990, became Akhila Bharatiya Saha Boudhik Pramukh. After one year he became Boudhik Pramukh and served the post till 2005. At the age of 75, he quit all his official duties as per the RSS rules. After which, he was engaged on special duties of the organisation for the next two years.
When the RSS was banned after Mahatma Gandhi's assassination in 1948, Hari, who was then studying BSC, was jailed for a few months for protesting against the ban. He was a well-known writer. He knew 10 languages including Malayalam, Tamil, Hindi, Konkani, Marathi, Sanskrit, English, Gujarati, Assamese and Bengali and published about 60 books in various languages.
He was born on December 5, 1930 to Ranga Shenoy, an assistant accountant and Padmavathy. His father too was a supporter of RSS. He studied at St Albert's and Maharajas College in Kochi. He took part in RSS activities during his college days.
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Hari's mortal remains were kept at the RSS office in Ernakulam till late this morning for people to pay their last respects.
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