Sardarsinhji Ravaji Rana also known as S. R. Rana, was an Indian political activist, founding member of the Paris Indian Society and the vice-president of the Indian Home Rule Society.⁣
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He was born on in Kanthariya village in Kathiawar (now Gujarat) to a Rajput family. He joined Alfred High School, Rajkot where he was classmate of Mohandas Gandhi. ⁣
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He also studied in Fergusson college, Pune, Pune where he came in contact with Lokmanya Tilak and Surendranath Banerjee. He was influenced to join home rule movement.⁣
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After completing his studies, he went to London to study Barrister degree. There he came contact with Shyamji Krishna Varma and Bhikhaji Cama. He was instrumental in establishment of India House in London. ⁣
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In 1905, Rana became one of the founding-members of the Indian Home Rule Society, of which he was the vice president. Together with Munchershah Burjorji Godrej and Bhikaji Cama, he founded the Paris Indian Society that same year.⁣
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He got to married Sonba during his early life and had two sons, Ranjitsinh and Natwarsinh. He remarriaged a German woman in 1904.⁣
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Madan Lal Dhingra had used his pistol to assassinate Curzon Wyllie in 1909. He had helped Vinayak Damodar Savarkar to publish his banned book, The Indian War of Independence. ⁣
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He had helped Senapati Bapat to travel to study making of bombs in Moscow. He had helped Subhash Chandra Bose to address audience on German radio. He had also helped in establishment of Banaras Hindu University.⁣
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‘Santiniketan’ was a dream project of Rabindranath Tagore. Being a close friend, Rana arranged meeting of prof. Sylvain Levy and Romaine Ronald with Tagore, as a result the dream emerged as a reality.⁣
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His son Ranjitsinh died in 1914. His wife was also refused permission to enter France for a cancer operation. He returned to France in 1920. His German wife died of cancer in 1931. ⁣
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He wrapped up his business and moved back to India in 1955 when he had failing health. Later he had a stroke also. He died in 1957 at the Circuit House of Veraval (now in Gujarat).⁣
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He was awarded the Chevalier (highest French order of merit) by the French Government in 1951. ⁣