By the 1970s, Ram Narayanji had become pessimistic with India’s future. He often reflected about Gandhiji’s ideals and their collective fight for India’s freedom and its current state of affairs. As attacks on civil liberty increased in India, through the national emergency in 1975 until 1977, this feeling of hopelessness only grew inside him. By then, he had taken a partial retreat from public life. Yet, he wrote a detailed, strongly worded letter to Prime Minister Indira Gandhi urging her to immediately revoke national emergency. After the 1977 General Election, Janata Party came to power at the national level and in many states of northern and western India. Ram Narayanji was offered the governorship of Rajasthan but as always he refused a position of power.
On 27 April 1981, Anjana Devi passed away at the age of 83 after a battle with cancer. Losing his life-long friend and wife in Anjana Devi caused immense pain to Ram Narayanji. He considered Anjana Devi his invisible pillar of support who raised their children enduring great sufferings in Ram Narayanji’s absence during his jail terms. In her memory, he set up Anjana Devi Smarak Trust and also wrote her biography in 1986.
Ram Narayanji remained physically until his last days as he believed in shramdaan (voluntary physical labour) despite his age. He spent two hours every day doing physical labour, especially by maintaining a garden in his house’s compound.
After a long life of 94 years, Ram Narayanji passed away in Ajmer on 4 April 1989. As his final wish, he instructed his family members through his will written in 1972 to use his savings to set up Rajasthan Trimurti Smarak Trust, an organization wished to establish in the memory of his three mentors: Arjunlal Sethi, Thakur Kesarisinh Barhath and Vijaysinh Pathik. Indeed, with his passing, a hero of the freedom movement who positively impacted the lives of countless Indians left for heavenly abode.