New Delhi: 12th Jul: Those “spiritually” in search of eyes and the ever humble mannerism; the days of yore when everything was so simple and ignorant has lost one of its last surviving member.And there are very few left of that species!!

Rustam-e-Hind Dara Singh, who never lost a fight in the ring, lost a protracted battle against death on Thursday morning. The veteran actor-wrestler breathed his last at 7.30 am at his Mumbai residence, in presence of his family and friends. He was 84.

The news of his death was announced by his son, actor Vindu Dara Singh; as per reports his last rites would be conducted at 2 pm today.

Dara Singh had suffered cardiac arrest on July 7 and was rushed Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital. He underwent dialysis and was put on ventilator, however, his condition continued to deteriorate.

To respect his wish – he wanted to breathe his last at his home - the family shifted him back to their residence yesterday evening.

Dara Singh personal physician Dr Agarwal said, “Yesterday, we brought him from hospital to home…his wish was that he be at his home between his family. He passed away at 7.30 am due to cardio-respiratory arrest, he had suffered paralysis a few years back, and he also had a very rare brain disease.”

Importantly, Dr Agarwal said that the ventilator and other support systems were removed only after his death.

‘Mahabali’ Dara Singh was the undisputed champion of champions in the wrestling ring and has won many times including the world championship in 1968. He took to acting in 1962 and is best remembered for his portrayal of Hanuman in popular TV series ‘Ramayan’.


Dara Singh was also known for his generous kind nature. Affable to the extreme, he made friends easily and never misused his power even in his heydays.

And this breed is getting rarer by the day. So, saddening day for humanity as well as for all Indians that we lost one of the shining jewels. He was also MP.
The man with the golden heart is gettuing tributes across the fraternity.

As Anupam Kher said “It’s unfortunate. He was the most amazing person. He was a man with a golden heart. He was the first real ‘hero’ of films. Even though he was so strongly built, he never used to throw his weight around people. He was so humble. As a struggling actor and as fan when I went to see him once, the mega personality of that era was kind enough to acknowledge my presence.” This actually was the real Dara Singh apart from being the devoted reel Hanuman.

So, we lost an era and the original “Hanuman”. For tributes your writer will silently watch some of the episodes of the Ramaanand sagar’s Ramayan and remembar the era when everything was so good with the Hanuman to take care of!