India, Sept. 13 -- Ranga's politics centred on the economic independence, political agency, and dignity of those who lived by their own labour, above all, the Indian farmers.

Not all political lives fit neatly into the ideological categories of their time, and N.G. Ranga was one such political personality. He moved from Oxford socialism to Gandhian nationalism, from the Congress to the Swatantra Party, and eventually back to the Congress. At first glance, these shifts can appear to be a long political journey through competing ideologies. However, when examined more closely, there was considerable continuity in his thinking. Ranga's politics centred on the economic independence, political agency, and dignity of those who lived by their o...