Spiritual leader Dada JP Vaswani, head of the Sadhu Vaswani Mission, died on Thursday due to old age-related ailments, a mission member said. He was 99.
"He had been admitted to a private hospital in the city for the past a few days and was discharged last night," the mission member said.
Mr Vaswami died in the mission premises this morning, she said.
The mission was planning a big celebration on his 100th birthday next month, she added.
Born on August 2, 1918 in Pakistan's Hyderabad city in a Sindhi family, Dada Vaswani, as he was popularly known, was the head of the Pune-based Sadhu Vaswani Mission, a non-profit organisation involved in social work and charity.
The organisation runs educational institutions and hospitals in the city.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had addressed the spiritual leader's 99th birthday celebrations last year through a video link. Modi had then said Vaswani's blessings will help in accomplishing goals for a new India.
In May this year, President Ram Nath Kovind had a visit to the mission to inaugurate the Sadhu Vaswani International School.
Senior BJP leader Lal Krishna Advani is a frequent visitor to the mission.
Acclaimed as a humanitarian, philosopher, educator, orator and non-sectarian spiritual leader, Dada Vaswani had captivated the hearts of millions of people worldwide. He was also into promoting vegetarianism.
His regular discourses at the mission premises attracted people from different walks of life.
Mr Vaswani has authored over 50 books in English and many more in the Sindhi language. He also edited three monthly journals, the Excelsior, the India Digest and the East and West series. He was regarded as a powerful orator, having addressed eminent forums like the World Parliament of Religions in Chicago, the Global Forum of Spiritual Leaders at Kyoto, the United Nations Millennium World Peace Summit and the House of Commons in London.
Mr Vaswani was a brilliant student, but he later gave up a career in academics to follow in the footsteps of his illustrious uncle and guru, Sadhu TL Vaswani, who had set up the charity organisation.
His mortal remains have been kept at the mission to enable people to pay their last respects.
