RSS doyen of TN Hindu Munnani founder Ramagopalan is dead

 (Eds: Recasts, adds details) <br>  Chennai, Sep 30 (PTI) Ramagopalan, veteran RSS pracharak<br>and founder organiser of Hindu Munnani and the force behind<br>popularising public celebration of Ganesh Chaturthi festival<br>in Tamil Nadu, died here on Wednesday after testing positive<br>for COVID-19.<br>     The 94 year-old leader was not keeping well for some time<br>and had been admitted to a private hospital here on September<br>26 with complaints of pneumonia and later tested positive for<br>coronavirus, the Munnani said.<br>     Tamil Nadu Governor Banwarilal Purohit, Chief Minister K<br>Palaniswami, DMK President M K Stalin and state BJP president<br>L Murugan among others condoled the death.<br>  Among the earliest batch of full time workers of the RSS<br>in Tamil Nadu, Ramagopalan took forward the Sangh's field work<br>beginning in the late 1940's alongwith late RSS stalwarts of<br>the era like "Shivaramji" and Suryanarayan Rao.<br>  Following the infamous Mandaikadu communal riots  in the<br>early 1980's in Kanyakumari district, he founded the Hindu<br>Munnani along with former MP, P Thanulinga Nadar (the first<br>state president of the outfit) which over the years evolved as<br>a key front of the RSS in the state.<br>   Ramagopalan gave the Munnani a distinctive style of work<br>that focused on bringing together people on the basis of a<br>slew of public events including the 'Thiruvilakku' pooja to<br>take forward the Sangh's ideology.<br>  He was instrumental in the public celebration of Ganesh<br>Chaturthi, which was till then an indoor affair in the state,<br>as a public festival nearly four decades ago.<br>    Ramagopalan was hailed as 'Thennatu Thilakar" (Tilak of<br>the south) by his admirers for organising the festival.<br>  "Sivalaya ottam' (A run to Shiva temples) a form of public<br>celebration of Mahashivrathri, famous in Kanyakumari was<br>extended to other parts of Tamil Nadu by him.<br>  Unlike the parent body, the RSS, the Munnani held regular<br>public meetings on important current topics.<br>     A bachelor, Ramagopalan was known for his simple yet<br>powerful public speeches in Tamil.<br>     He had surviveda couple of attempts on his life during<br>his long life.<br>  He shaped and trained a generation of RSS workers<br>including Tamil Nadu BJP's senior leader L Ganesan, who became<br>a 'pracharak' inspired by the leader.<br>     Also, former Union Minister Pon Radhakrishnan, a former<br>Munnani office-bearer in his formative years, always had<br>regarded Ramagopala as a guru.<br>  "The first test revealed he had no corona infection, but<br>he tested positive in the second test. And since the last two<br>days, the doctors attending on him tried their best to save<br>him," Kadeswara C Subramaniam, state president of Hindu<br>Munnani, said.<br>   Born on September 19, 1927 in Sirkazhi in then Tanjore<br>district, Ramagopalan, an AMIE diploma holder, quit his job in<br>the Electricity department and became a full-time RSS<br>volunteer in 1945.<br>  He was responsible for the gradual growth of RSS<br>throughout Tamil Nadu and rose to the stature of Regional<br>Campaigner (States) of the saffron movement.<br>  He survived an attack on his life at the Madurai railway<br>station in 1984 which left him with severe cuts on his neck<br>and head.<br>    He had always worn a saffron cap since then to cover the<br>deep cut marks.<br>  Murugan also recalled the attack on Ramagopalan, while<br>mourning his death.<br>  In his condolence message, Purohit said he was saddened to<br>know about the demise of Ramagopalan.<br>  "Fondly known as Veera Thuravi (brave saint), he dedicated<br>his entire life span for the welfare of the people of Tamil<br>Nadu. His demise is an irreparable loss to the people of<br>Tamil Nadu and particularly workers and followers of Hindu<br>Munnani," the Governor said.<br>  Palaniswami said the Hindu Munnani founder was involved<br>in the freedom struggle and has been a guiding force for the<br>organisation. PTI JSP SA VGN<br>VS   VS

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