RSS ex-chief Sudarshan passes away

Kuppali Sitaramaiyya Sudarshan, who headed the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) for much of the period Atal Bihari Vajpayee was the prime minister, died early Saturday in Raipur after suffering a cardiac arrest, RSS officials said.

Sudarshan, 81, the first RSS chief from southern India, is survived by a brother and a sister. His last rites will be held in Nagpur on Sunday.

The eyes of Sudarshan have been donated. Sudarshan had pledged his eyes to Madhav Netra Pidhi (Eye Bank) at Raipur.

Accordingly his corneas were removed, which would be grafted in the eyes of a needy person. His body will be brought by a flight to the RSS headquarters in Nagpur and will be kept there to enable people to pay their last respects.