Ganjar Pranowo, born Ganjar Sungkowo, was born to a family in a village on the slopes of Mount Lawu, Karanganyar, to a father named S Pamudji Pramudi Wiryo (1930 – 3 January 2017) and a mother named Sri Suparni (1940 – 28 March 2015). He is the fifth of six children. Pranowo's father was a police officer who took part in counter-insurgency operations, including the crackdown of PRRI/Permesta rebels.
