Multitalented sports activist-cum-painter Rastra Rai dies at age 58

London. UK-based Nepali diaspora has been shocked by the sudden passing away of community leader and sports activist Rastra Kumar Rai.

Reports and social media from the United Kingdom confirmed that 58-year-old, Rai, who served as Vice President of the NRNA UK in the term 2015-17, passed away Thursday due to cardiac arrest.

The multitalented personality, who has been widely admired for his dedication to sports and sports personalities, particularly for the development of Tae Kwan Do, was the Founder and Chief Instructor of Sagarmatha Taekwondo Dojang based in Maidstone, South East England.

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Master Rastra Kumar Rai was formally a soldier as well as a physical instructor in the British Gurkha Army. He had earned 6th Dan as a Tae Kwon Do Master.

Before he suffered cardiac arrest, the fitness enthusiast Rai returned from his regular badminton play at the Army Gym Hall in Brampton on Thursday. After he, reportedly, complained of extreme cold, an ambulance was called, but he died on his way to the hospital.

Late Rastra Rai also was a widely admired painter. Numerous of his arts and paintings have been auctioned for fundraising and charity purposes

Rastra was the son of Nepal’s legendary freedom fighter Mugadhan Rai who fought against the autocratic Rana Regime 1846-1951.

Rastra was living in Maidstone, UK with his family. He has a wife, a son, and a daughter.