Eknath Ramakrishna Ranade (19 November 1914 – 22 August 1982) was a social activist and right-wing leader. He joined the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) when in school and was its general secretary from 1956 to 1962.
Ranade was born on November 19, 1914, in Timtala, Amravati district, in the British Indian state of Maharashtra. In 1920, his family moved to Nagpur, and he attended Pradanavispura School for his primary education.
In 1932, he passed his matriculation examination from the New English High School in Nagpur.
Ranade served as an activist, ideologue, and leader for Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, a Hindu Nationalist volunteer organization.
He was influenced during his schooling years by K.B. Hedgewar, who founded the RSS in 1925. Ranade joined as a Swayamsevak (volunteer) in 1926.[1][2] After working for the RSS in Nagpur, Ranade moved to Mahakoshal, Madhya Pradesh, as a Pranth Pracharak (Provincial organizer) in 1938.[3]
Following the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi and subsequent banning of the RSS, Ranade went underground to lead organizational efforts, earning the moniker of the Underground Sarsanghchalak.[4] At the same time, the RSS launched a satyagraha under the direction of its leader M. S. Golwalkar to lift the ban. After Golwalkar's arrest, Ranade led the satyagraha and participated in secret negotiations with Sardar Patel, the nation's Home Minister.
As a condition for rescinding the RSS ban, Patel insisted that the RSS should be organized with a written constitution.
Ranade formed a constitution in association with fellow RSS members Prabhakar Balwant Dani and Madhukar Dattatraya Deoras, but it did not meet government expectations. As a result, it was redrafted to include clauses such as allegiance to the Indian Constitution and Flag, shunning violence, only enrolling minors to the movement with the permission of their parents, setting procedures for election of sarsanghchalak and so forth. The government accepted the re-drafted constitution in June 1949. The ban imposed on RSS was revoked on July 11th, 1949.[5][6]
In 1950, he worked as a Kshetra Pracharak for Poorvanchal Kshetra, comprising Bengal, Odisha, and Assam. In Calcutta, he established a Vastuhara Sahayata Samiti (lit. Committee to help the dispossessed) to aid refugees from Pakistan following the Partition of India. In 1953, Ranade became the Akhil Bharatiya Prachar Pramukh (lit. All-India Propagation Chief).[1] From 1956 to 1962, Ranade served as RSS's general secretary. During this period, he tried to refocus the RSS towards the task of character-building instead of pursuing a more activist stance in coordination with affiliated organizations.[7] In 1962, he was selected as All India Baudhik Pramukh of the RSS.[1]
During the 1963–72 period, Ranade is considered to have played an instrumental role in the construction of the Vivekananda Rock Memorial.
The Kendra is a "lay service organization" without a guru or propagation of a "guru culture," though it was influenced by the teachings of Vivekananda. It has 206 branches in various parts of India. He did not endorse the status of an "avatar-hood" (god incarnate) to the Kendra. He neither promoted himself or Vivekananda to the status of worship at the center but promoted the use of Omkara as its guiding principle. He believed that by adopting Omkara as guru, all gurus in India would be honored.[9] Ranade became the President of the Vivekananda Kendra in 1978 after serving as its general secretary.[2]
The teachings of Vivekananda deeply influenced Ranade. In 1963, during the centenary year of Vivekananda's birth, he published a selection of Vivekananda's writing under the title Rousing Call to Hindu Nation, as a personal tribute.[2]The same year, Ranade conceived the idea of building a monument in honor of Vivekananda at the mid-sea rock location near Kanyakumari, where Vivekananda had meditated for three days in December 1892.
After the idea was initially rejected by Humayun Kabir, then Minister of Education and Culture; Ranade gathered support from over 300 members of the Indian Parliament. This led to the project receiving approval from then Prime MinisterIndira Gandhi. Ranade also managed to win endorsement for the project from parts of the political and spiritual community, including sections traditionally in opposition to RSS.[8]
After the project was approved, Ranade led volunteers to raise funds for construction of Vivekananda Rock Memorial from donors across the country, and encouraged every citizen to donate as minimum as 1 Rupee, as Jan-Bhagidaari (Participation of people) scheme.
During the birth centenary celebrations in 2014, Prime MinisterNarendra Modi recalled the effectiveness of the Jan-Bhagidaari (Participation of people) scheme , which encouraged every citizen of the country to pay 1 rupee as a donation, that was used by Ranade.[10]
The Rock Memorial was completed in 1970 and was inaugurated by PresidentV. V. Giri on September 2nd.[8]
Death and legacy
Ranade died in Madras from a heart attack on August 22nd 1982.[2] He was cremated the following day at Vivekanandapuram, Kanyakumari.[1] After his death, he was honored as a Karmayogi (Follower/ Master of Karma Yoga) by RSS publication, Organiser.[5]
The same year, a documentary titled "Eknathji: One Life - One Mission" was made by Vivekananda Kendra about Ranade's life.[11]
