Daijiworld Media Network - Udupi (SP)

Udupi, Mar 5: Senior Pracharak of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), and veteran leader of Vishwa Hindu Parishad based in Odisha, Sridhar Hanumanth Acharya (87), who was a native of this town, passed away at New Delhi on March 1. He was a bachelor, and has left behind brother, and four sisters.

Acharya was the son of a railways employee. After obtaining degrees in science and law, he decided to dedicate his life to public service and joined RSS in 1950s. After working in Maharashtra for a couple of years, he went to Odisha, where he worked for rest of life for RSS ideals.

Acharya had worked as the first organizing secretary when Bharatiya Jan Sangh was formed for the first time. When Acharya went to Odisha, the present day Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh too were parts of Odisha. Acharya toured hilly areas and strengthened RSS, which had till then no base in that state. During Emergency, he was jailed in Cuttack.

Sridhar Acharya was the coursin of P B Acharya from here, who is the governor of Nagaland at present. Although members of Sridhar Acharya's family live in Acharya Math at Tenkapete here, none of them have ever seen him, as many claim that he had visited the town about four decades back.