Why Modi paid tribute to Eknath Ranade
Eknath Ranade is in the news. Had he been living, he would have completed 99 years on November 19, 2014. His centenary celebrations have already begun. The prime minister himself led the event at Vigyan Bhavan, on November 9, to commemorate the man's centenary who inspired him and whom he describes as "a perfectionist that others found difficult to match".
It is obvious for many to ask who this man was. After all, not many outside the Sangh Parivar knew him. And, for decades, Sangh too did not bother much about publicising its doyens, beyond the open reverence reserved for its first two heads, (the " Sarsanghchalaks" is what the heads are called in Sangh). Individuals do not matter and renouncing the seeking-for-self is an ideal that the Sangh inculcates among its pracharaks and that includes shunning the limelight and popular glory. Hence, the world does not know much about anyone from the Sangh except Keshav Balirarm Hedgewar, the founder, and Madhav Sadashivrao Golwalkar, popularly referred to among swayamsevaks as poojneeya Guruji, the founder's successor to head the Sangh, till 1973.
Eknath Ranade was a truly remarkable man. Those who worked with him or knew of him cannot but bow in reverence to the memory of his relentless dedication and peerless work that survives him to tell a compelling story. Yet, some hacks have been looking for controversies to spice up their writings about the man and his life's mission. That, some may say, going by the times we are living in, is par for the course. But, what do you say to those inventing controversies when none existed?
The towering Vivekananda Rock Memorial at Kanyakumari is not the only testimony to Ranade's perseverance. In an era when Nehru/Gandhi is where all the naming rituals of almost all the public projects began and ended, he mobilised the common citizenry of the nation to build a landmark in the memory of that finest son of Bharat who woke up the world to Hindu civilisation and its unique values. When politics and politicians of the day used power to arrogate all prerogatives to themselves, he demonstrated what a determined citizen, purely dedicated to societal renewal, could achieve not just without official patronage but often despite the indifference bordering on hostility of those in power.
The controversy is sought to be raised about his "departure" from Sangh. A newspaper article today, on November 14, which, incidentally, is also the birth anniversary of Nehru, says that Ranade was "ousted from RSS by MS Golwalkar and brought back by Balasaheb Deoras".
Devendra Swarup, an eminent historian and former editor of Panchajanya, refutes this claim as "absurd". According to him, there was no such thing as ousting Eknath Ranade. Ranade was the general secretary (Sarakryavah) of RSS from 1956 to 1962. He succeeded Bhaiyyaji Dani to this responsibility. Bhaiyyaji Dani had relinquished this responsibility to attend to his health and family related issues. In 1962, Bhaiyyaji Dani returned from home and resumed the responsibilities of RSS' general secretary. Meanwhile, 1963, which happened to be the Centenary year of Swami Vivekananda, was around the corner. Eknath Ranade plunged into a detailed study and research on Swami Vivekananda. He emerged with a volume - Rousing Call to Hindu Nation - which was published to mark the centenary. Around the same time, a committee that was earlier tasked with the building of a suitable memorial to Swami Vivekananda at the Kanyakumari Rock had made little headway. Datta Didolkar of this committee came up to Guruji and expressed helplessness. Guruji asked Ranade to take up the challenge. He delivered a magnificent landmark, for the eternity to come.
It is often asked as to why, having finished the task of building the memorial, did he not return to resume work at the RSS. And that is where the tongues wag. But that is also where you find the measure of the man Ranade was. He was not there to erect just a statue. He was an institution builder. Under Vivekananda Kendra, he started an order of non-Sanyasis dedicated to the ideals of Vivekananda. He called them Jeevan-Vratis as they vowed to dedicate their lives to the cause. And not just anybody could walk in to become a Jeevan-Vrati. He trained them for three years and sent them out to work in the society. Only if he found them with the prerequisites did he give them deeksha. His focus was education and integration of North-East with the rest of India.
Today, there are 640 Vivekananda Kendras across India and over 200 active Jeevan-Vratis. There are 70 Vivekananda Kendra Vidyalayas in the Northeast running schools offering quality education up to 12th standard. He also initiated hundreds of "Vaanaprasthis" into the cause. Vaanaprasthis are those retired professionals who, at the end of their careers and family responsibilities, are able to contribute with their time, knowledge, experience and skills. It is to this Ranade that the PM was paying tribute who, without any political or administrative office, inspired hundreds of thousands, and whose work is growing everyday and impacting the society that he set out to renew and regenerate. Not just to someone who died over three decades ago and with whom he had some fuzzy, personal memories. RSS produced a few more such unsung colossuses and it is time India knew about them too.