A close association of fifty years came to an end with the passing of our beloved President, A. Balakrishnan, on August 27, 2026. As I look back on these fifty years, many memories — many of them deeply personal — come flooding back.
I joined the Vivekananda Kendra in 1977, while Balakrishnan Ji had joined the first batch of workers in 1972. When I entered the organisation, it was still in its infancy — a five-year-old institution finding its feet and striving to establish a strong organisational foundation. Mananiya Eknath Ji was working tirelessly to build a dedicated team and establish a robust organisational structure. Before he could fully consolidate the organisation, he fell ill, followed by the crisis caused by the closure of the ferry service to the Rock Memorial. It was a very difficult and uncertain period. During this crucial phase, Balakrishnan Ji stood firm like a rock and helped steer the organisation through the crisis.
A Pillar of the North East
One of Balakrishnan Ji’s most enduring contributions to Vivekananda Kendra was building its work in the North East, particularly in Arunachal Pradesh. At a time when the region was difficult to access and communication was extremely challenging, he took upon himself the responsibility of nurturing the Kendra’s educational work there. Roads were poor and telephone facilities were limited. Yet, he travelled extensively, going from one school and one village to another, patiently building relationships and strengthening the work. In the initial years, he also personally handled the accounts of all seven schools, maintaining the cash book and ledger by hand. None of the simple accounting tools and software that we take for granted today existed then. But his contribution went far beyond administration. He created systems, developed institutions and, above all, nurtured people. Over the years, he built a strong second line of karyakartas who could carry the work forward. Jaikar, Shriram Agashe, K. Vasudevan and Captain Venkataraman were among those who strengthened the work under his guidance.
What began as a modest effort in Arunachal Pradesh gradually took deep root and spread across the North East like a banyan tree. However, the true measure of what he built was not merely in the number of schools or the geographical expansion of the work. It lay in the deep bonds he established with the people of the region. About fifteen days before his passing, Shri Ganesh, who was looking after Balakrishnan Ji, showed me a short audio-visual recording from the Tawang district, located along the Chinese border. The people there were praying for Balakrishnan Ji’s recovery and good health. They included students and former students of Vivekananda Kendra schools, among them a senior official of the Arunachal Pradesh Government. They were praying alongside Buddhist lamas dressed in their traditional red robes.The sight moved me deeply. Here was Balakrishnan Ji, ill in distant Kanyakumari, while people in one of the remotest corners of Bharat were praying for his recovery. The prayers of the students he had nurtured, the former students who had grown through the institutions he had built, and the lamas associated with him were a powerful expression of the affection and respect he had earned over the decades. For me, this was perhaps the most poignant testimony to Balakrishnan Ji’s lifelong contribution to the North East and the bonds he had built there.
Vivekananda Bharat Parikrama
The Vivekananda Bharat Parikrama of 1992 was another milestone that revealed Balakrishnan Ji’s extraordinary organisational and managerial abilities. Our then Chairperson, Dr Lakshmi Kumari, led the Parikrama, while Balakrishnan Ji was entrusted with the enormous responsibility of coordinating its arrangements. He took care of every detail, ensuring that the entire operation ran smoothly, what we would call backward and forward linkages in managerial language.
Although he travelled with the Parikrama for an entire year, his heart remained in the North East. There is a saying in English: “You can take a man out of the village, but you cannot take the village out of the man.” The same could be said of Balakrishnan Ji regarding North East. His contribution to Arunachal Pradesh in particular, and to the other states of the North East in general, will always remain an important chapter in the history of the nation.
A Karmayogi with Deep Faith
Although Balakrishnan Ji was essentially a Karmayogi, devotion was also an integral part of his life. He had deep faith in Guruvayurappan. Whenever he experienced pain or difficulty, he would chant Narayana, Narayana aloud. His love for animals was equally well known. His affection for cows and dogs was evident. He would also regularly feed crows and squirrels. Many of them knew his routine and would wait for him outside his room. These small details reveal another side of the person we knew — a man who, despite his immense responsibilities, retained a deep sensitivity towards all living beings.
A Brave Soldier of Swami ji
Over the past few months, Balakrishnan Ji fought his physical battles with the courage of a brave soldier of Swami Vivekananda. Mananiya Eknath Ji used to say that he would not stop working; he would push himself to the limit and, in his own words, “break”. Balakrishnan Ji followed the same spirit throughout his life. He pushed himself, served the organisation, travelled tirelessly, built institutions, nurtured people and continued working until his body could no longer keep pace with his spirit. For five decades, I had the privilege of knowing him as a colleague, neighbour, friend and fellow worker in the mission of Vivekananda Kendra. His passing has created a deep void — not only in the organisation, but also in the lives of all those who had the opportunity to work with him. Balakrishnan Ji has now taken leave of this world, but the institutions he built, the people he inspired and the affection he created across the length and breadth of Bharat will remain as his enduring legacy.
We offer our respectful tribute to this tireless Karmayogi, organiser, colleague and friend.
May his Atman attain Sadgati. Om Shantih Shantih Shantih.
