Swargeeya Eknathji Punyatithi 22 Aug

 

Dear All,
namaskars.
Today is the Punyatithi of Swargeeya Eknathji. Here are Some of the condolence speeches as well as messages received 

Dr. M. Lakshmikumari, Working President,Vivekananda Kendra

Without any warning the Almighty has removed from our midst one of our closest relatives, our mentor and guide. The heart that captured the refrains of Swamiji's message of Renunciation and Service stopped all of a sudden yesterday afternoon. The Karmayogin who lived the truth of Karma Yoga would no more walk on the grounds of Vivekanandapuram. The love and care with which he built the physical and spiritual edifice for Swamiji have merged forever with the ether of the atmosphere. The admonitions that brought discipline in us would be heard no more. 

His vision, dedication and strength, which were the guiding stars of Vivekananda Kendra, have become one with consuming time. For me personally it is a loss irreparable. It was in September 1980, while recovering at Delhi that he first asked me to leave everything and come to help him in his work. The trust and confidence he had placed in me was again made clear in November 1981. Sometime in June-July, after reading one of the articles I wrote for Yuva Bharati, he came out with his highest compliment which will ever ring in my ears and which I hope would be torch bearer in the days to come. 

I hope the spirit of Renunciation and Service which he so abundantly demonstrated in his life and work would continue to be the guiding star of the Kendra as well.
 

Sri Balasaheb Deoras
Sarsanghachalak, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh

 I hope you can understand and appreciate that it is very difficult for me to express my feelings on this occasion. Very few of you may be knowing that Eknathji Ranade was my childhood friend. We know each other since 1926. That means, since last more then 55 years, we have been friends. Of course, the cause was RSS. No doubt, we were going to the same RSS branch and we were members of the same Gana or Pathak as they were usually called then. We were students of the same school. So, every day, either he would come to my house or I would go to his house and my parents, my brothers, my brothers' wives, my sisters all knew Eknathji very intimately. We were fortunate enough to come in contact with the founder of RSS Dr. Hedgewar, when we were small young boys, hardly in the High School and there also, we used to take our lessons at the feet of Dr. Hedgewar and from time to time Dr. Hedgewar used to give us different responsibilities, would watch how we fulfilled them, would direct us and point out our mistakes to see that we turn out to be good workers. He wanted that we should be good students. Eknathji also was a very good student. I also had a good student career. But in the early days itself, Dr. Hedgewar had marked both of us and some more as whole-time workers of RSS and as soon as I passed my Law and Eknathji passed his M.A., we became Pracharaks.

 As such, we worked in different provinces but even then, we had occasions to meet often and the same intimacy continued. So, I am one of those who knew the qualities of Eknathji out and out and I know that he was not only intelligent, but also very hard working. When Dr. Hedgewar decided that we should go as Pracharaks, we should be able to speak on some subject so for us he started a debating society. Whenever I went to speak on some subject, I used to hardly prepare. But his case was different.   His colleagues must have realised this trait of his. He used to write it again and again; then cram it and thus he developed the art of speaking when we were in college. Like that he tried his best to be a perfect worker.

 Sometimes he was placed in charge of Madhya Bharat; sometimes he would go to Bengal. In all those provinces, he worked as a successful Pracharak. Many of you might possibly not know that he was physically very courageous. He used to face difficulties very boldly. Once fearlessly, he stamped out a serpent with his feet at a Sanghasthan.  Now, when I think of Eknathji, as my childhood friend and as my colleague in RSS, I am reminded of so many details and naturally when now I see that he is not going to be any more with us, you can understand the agony that I am feeling.

 When the Vivekananda Rock Memorial work started and problems connected with it came, Shri Guruji picked up only Eknathji; because he knew he was the right type of person to face the problems, present and of future. The time has proved that Shri Guruji's judgment was correct. Sri Eknathji has in the shortest time built up one of the mightiest institutions in the country in the name of Vivekananda Kendra and I think so long as the Vivekananda Memorial is standing on this rock it is impossible to forget the name of Eknathji also. He was a man who was never satisfied with whatever he accomplished. He will always come up with new ideas and had a knack to persuade us and see to it that generally we agreed to the plan that was in his mind.

 But after all, there is a limit. The hard work of years started telling on his health and some years back he had a severe attack of blood pressure. When he came out of it, I tried my best to explain to him that he is not that fit, he should be careful and not tour much. But, he would not listen to it. That was not in his nature. He possibly wanted to die in harness. He finished his tour on 18th. Within a week of his return from his recent tour, he has left this world. He is no more with us. But, he has started a very big work. The problems that we will have to face are innumerable and more problems are going to come in future. But, he has selected a team. I think, this team that has worked with him, has seen him working and solving problems. So, I am quite sure that the team will work with the same spirit of dedication and devotion and the work will not suffer on account of the loss of Eknathji. That is the true homage to a real worker. My life-long friend, my colleague in the RSS and who was working in Vivekananda Kendra, which was also very necessary for the country, now is lost to us. His is a loss not only to Vivekananda Kendra, but, also to the entire country. Anyway, we have to bear it and look into the future and put in our best effort to carry on his work, in the same spirit.

 On behalf of RSS and personally on my own behalf, I pay homage to his departed soul.

Sri A. Balakrishnan
General Secretary, Vivekananda Kendra

It is a very sad day for Vivekananda Kendra. Our founding father Shri Eknathji Ranade has left us, the man who was full of refinement, who had an illustrious life from childhood, who had worked for Hindu cause from the early years, who had undaunted courage to face all difficulties, an equal amount of will-power to cross all hurdles, a man full of perfection, a man who constructed this Vivekananda Memorial which you can see today, the man who loved us all to the maximum, the man who had the powers to pursue and convince everyone of us, is no more with us. Swami Vivekananda has said: "When I am here, I will work with you. When I am not, my spirit will work through you". It is really Swami Vivekananda's spirit that has worked through Shri Eknathji. Today Eknathji is not with us. But his spirit will continue to pervade the entire campus. Every brick in the Rock Memorial, every tree in this campus, every piece of stone in this campus, every inch of space in this campus, will reflect Eknathji's spirit.

The best tribute, which we can pay to Eknathji, is not by speaking a few words, but by working for the ideals for which he stood for, the service of the humanity, for the Hindu cause for the Hindu people, which we have to continue to do for the peace of his soul. So, every one of us who is working bearing the badge of Vivekananda Kendra should work undaunted with full spirit for the cause he championed namely the upliftment of our less fortunate brethren throughout the country. That alone will save and give peace and solace to his departed soul.

Swami Tapasyananda ,
Ramakrishna Math, Madras

The demise of Sri Eknath Ranade is a serious loss to our country.  Besides being a great patriot and a devoted social worker, he is one of the few men of creative genius that our country has produced in modern times. He was endowed with tremendous courage and practicality, which found expression in the way in which he overcame insurmountable obstacles in the accomplishment of his lifework. His devotion to Swami Vivekananda and the national ideals he preached was unbounded, and the Rock Memorial to the Swami at Kanyakumari, of which Sri Ranade was the main architect, will stand for all time as an impressive monument.  Situated at the land's end of India on a natural platform about fifty feet high from sea level and surrounded by the vast oceans of the east, south and west, the statue of Swami Vivekananda which Sri Ranade has raised, has elevated Kanyakumari to the status of world's centre of pilgrimage instead of being a holy Teertha of the Hindus alone. Even a millennium after, this memorial will be drawing the admiring reverence of posterity just as the impressive structures of ancient times are drawing ours, and an ever increasing number of pilgrims from all the world over are bound to gather round it in times to come.

Sri Kapila Chatterjee,
Freedom Fighter, Professor at Shantiniketan, St. Edmund's College, Shillong,Sri Ramakrishna Mission College, Narendrapur   

Swami Vivekananda was really understood by only three persons – 1. Sister Nivedita 2. Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose   3. Eknath Ranade
These three personalities understood the whole message of the master not only for the youths of India, but the young people across the globe, not for a limited period, but for centuries to come.
As for Eknathji, he not only built the Rock Memorial, but much more – he organized the Vivekananda Kendra of life Workers who would carry the torch of Swamiji's ideals to every nook and corner of the globe. This was the greatest creation of Eknathji.

Swami Ranganathananda
Ramakrishna Math, Hyderabad                                                                          
Our Eknath Ranade was of the type of heroic patriots and workers of whom Swami Vivekananda would be proud; in fact the Swamiji wanted India to produce thousands of them to enable her to take the fullest advantage of the possibilities of the modern period of her long and glorious history to raise every man, woman, and child, of our nation, irrespective of caste, creed, or sex, to the highest level of human dignity, freedom and equality. He considered this to be the supreme significance of the modern period of our history.

Our Eknathji has not only lived and worked and died in that spirit but has also left an ever-increasing band of young workers to continue the great work he initiated. And that work will continue silently and steadily as shown by Swami Vivekananda.

"It is not the work of a day and the path is full of the most deadly thorns. But Parthasarathi is ready to be our Sarathi, we know that, and in His name and with eternal faith in Him, set fire to the mountains of misery that has been heaped upon India for ages- and it shall be burnt down. Come, then, look it in the face. Brethren, it is a grand task, and we are so low. But we are the sons of Light and children of God. Glory unto the Lord, we will succeed. Hundreds will fall in the struggle, hundreds will be ready to take it up…. Glory unto the Lord — March on, the Lord is our general. Do not look back to see who falls — forward –- onward! Thus and thus we shall go on brethren. One falls, and another takes up the work."May this spirit of this inspiring letter of Swamiji to his dear Alasinga of Madras inspire all of you, is my prayer.

WE ALL ARE TO CARRY ON HIS UNFINISHED WORK. LET US FULLY DEDICATED OURSELVES. LET OUR TIME, ENERGY, SKILLS, EVERYTHING BE YOKED TO THIS TASK ALONE!