New Delhi, January 25: Bharatiya Jana Sangh leader late Nanaji Deshmukh, singer Bhupen Hazarika and former president Pranab Mukherjee were on Friday conferred the country’s highest civilian award Bharat Ratna. In an official statement, the government said Deshmukh and Hazarika were conferred the award posthumously. Mukherjee was president between 2012 and 2017. Pranab Mukherjee To be Conferred With Bharat Ratna Along With Nanaji Deshmukh and Dr Bhupen Hazarika.

Nanaji Deshmukh, whose full name was Chandikadas Amritrao Deshmukh was a social activist from India. He worked in the fields of education, health, and rural self-reliance. He was a leader of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh and also a member of the Rajya Sabha.

Nanaji was born on 11 October 1916 into a Marathi-speaking Deshastha Brahmin family at Kadoli, which is a small town in the Parbhani district. He had a great desire for education despite the lack of money. Due to this, he worked as a vegetable seller to raise money for his education. He was inspired by Bal Gangadhar Tilak.

He went to high school in Sikar, where the Raoraja of Sikar gave him a scholarship. He studied in Birla college (Now BITS Pilani. In the same year, he also joined the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).

Though born in Maharashtra, the fields of his activities were Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. Seeing his devotion, the then RSS Sarsanghchalak M. S. Golwalkar sent him to Gorakhpur (U.P) as "pracharak". He rose to be the Saha Prant Pracharak of the whole of Uttar Pradesh (which has now become 8 prant of RSS).

Nanaji Deshmukh's exemplary work in the rural areas of India and Chitrakoot will be remembered for years to come. "Nanaji Deshmukh's stellar contribution towards rural development showed the way for a new paradigm of empowering those living in our villages. He personifies humility, compassion and service to the downtrodden. He is a Bharat Ratna in the truest sense!" tweeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 25, 2019 09:15 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).