It was in 1963 that the then RSS Sarsanghchalak Guruji entrusted the responsibility of raising the Vivekananad Rock memorial at Kanyakumari to Eknath Ranade ji, who was then Akhil Bharatiya Bauddhik Pramukh and had just authored a book, “Hey Hindu Rashtra, Utishtha! Jaagrat!!” dedicated to Swami Vivekananda. This charted a new course of his life and for the next 20 years, Eknathji diligently worked to spread Vivekanand’s message of nation-building.
On August 11,1963, he took over as the founder organising secretary of the Vivekananada Rock Memorial committee, and launched a campaign to acquire land for the memorial. For this he mustered up support from political leaders of all spectrum, built up a team of dedicated workers and set the ball rolling for the monumental task.
And he would say, “To put up a cement and concrete structure is not the work for which I am born, I am to erect a living and dynamic monument which will be worthy of Swami Vivekananda and which will be capable of bringing into fruition his grand vision of future India.”
Initial hiccups did not deter Eknathji one bit. In order to build consensus in favour of the construction of the memorial Eknathji camped in Delhi, collected the signatures of 323 Members of Parliament to take final consent from Prime Minister Jawahar Lal Nehru. Thereafter, he land in Kanyakumari to establish the headquarters of Vivekananda Kendra known as Vivekanandapuram.
He believed that since the memorial was a national monument, every Indian should be invited to contribute to its construction. He approached almost every State government and asked for its contribution, making a special effort to go to the north-eastern states of Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh so that they could also feel to be a part of the national endeavor. A major chunk of the contributions came from the general public as Eknathji launched a campaign of one-rupee folders throughout the country, which were used to mobilise donations of the common man.
Within the unbelievably short period of six years, the Vivekananda Rock Memorial was ready and it was dedicated to the nation in September, 1970, by then President VV Giri.
For the next 12 years Eknathji tirelessly went around setting up Vivekananda Kendras all over the country. This Yeoman”s service to spread Vivekanada”s message took a heavy toll on his health and left him frail.In 1980 he fainted and collapsed while walking. Yet he was tireless. In 1982, before breathing his last, he set up Vivekananda International Centre and left indelible footprints for the generations to follow.
Eknathji – Ek Jeevan Ek Dhyeya (Eknathji—One Life, One Mission), a biographical documentary directed by Sudarshan A is a humble tribute to the glorious life.
| Excerpts from an interview with Film Director Sudarshan A: What inspired you to make this film? How long did you take to make it? |
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