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{{Short description| | {{Short description|Indian social activist and leader of the RSS (1914–1982)}} | ||
{{ | {{Distinguish|Mahadev Govind Ranade}} | ||
{{ | {{independent sources|date=February 2017}} | ||
}} | {{Use British English|date=October 2013}} | ||
{{ | |||
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2020}} | {{Use dmy dates|date=December 2020}} | ||
{{Infobox person | {{Infobox person | ||
| name | | name = Eknath Ramakrishna Ranade | ||
| image | | image = Eknath_Ranade_image.jpg | ||
| birth_date | | birth_date = 19 November 1914 | ||
| birth_place = [[Amravati district|Timtala]], [[Central Provinces and Berar]], [[British India]] | | birth_place = [[Amravati district|Timtala]], [[Central Provinces and Berar]], [[British India]] | ||
| death_date | | death_date = {{death date and age|1982|8|22|1914|11|19|df=y}} | ||
| death_place = [[Chennai|Madras]], [[Tamil Nadu]], [[India]] | | death_place = [[Chennai|Madras]], [[Tamil Nadu]], [[India]] | ||
| other_names = | |||
| other_names = | | known_for = [[Social reformers of India|Indian Social and Spiritual Reformer]] | ||
| known_for | | education = | ||
| education | | alma_mater = [[Dr. Hari Singh Gour University]] | ||
| alma_mater | |||
}} | }} | ||
'''Eknath Ramakrishna Ranade''' ({{IPA|mr|ekᵊn̪at̪ʰ ɾɑmɐkɾuʂɳə ɾäɳäɖe|lang}}; 19 November 1914 – 22 August 1982) was an Indian [[social activist]]. He joined the [[Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh]] (RSS) while still in school and served as a general secretary from 1956 to 1962.{{Not verified in body|date=June 2025}} | |||
Ranade was deeply influenced by the teachings of [[Swami Vivekananda]] and compiled a book of his writings. He played a significant role in the construction of the [[Vivekananda Rock Memorial]] and the [[Vivekananda Kendra]] in [[Kanyakumari|Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu]]. | |||
==Early life and education== | |||
Ranade was born on 19 November 1914 in Timtala, located in the [[Amravati district]], in the once-[[Presidencies and provinces of British India|British Indian]] state of [[Bombay State|Maharashtra]]. In 1920, his family relocated to [[Nagpur]], and he completed his early education at Pradanavispura School.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Special Visit of Timtala Village - Birth Place of Ma. Eknathji Ranade {{!}} Vivekananda Kendra |url=https://www.vrmvk.org/report/2015/march/16/Special-Visit-of-Timtala-Village-Birth-Place-of-Ma-Eknathji-Ranade |access-date=2025-02-07 |website=www.vrmvk.org}}</ref> | |||
In 1932, he completed his education at the New English High School in Nagpur. | |||
Subsequently, he earned a [[Master of Arts]] degree with [[honours degree|honours]] in [[Philosophy]], followed by a [[Bachelor of Laws]] from [[Dr. Hari Singh Gour University|Sagar University]] in [[Jabalpur]] in 1945.<ref name="Rock Memorial biography" />{{sfn|Vivekananda|2009|p=169}} | |||
== | ==Role in Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh== | ||
Ranade was | Ranade held key roles within the [[Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh]] (RSS), a Hindu nationalist volunteer organization, where he served as an activist, ideologue, and leader.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Eknath Ranade: Architect of unity behind the Vivekananda Rock Memorial |url=https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/opinion/eknath-ranade-architect-of-unity-behind-the-vivekananda-rock-memorial-12801588.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240916232138/https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/opinion/eknath-ranade-architect-of-unity-behind-the-vivekananda-rock-memorial-12801588.html |archive-date=16 September 2024 |access-date=2025-02-07 |website=Moneycontrol |language=en-US |url-status=live }}</ref> | ||
During his school years, Ranade was deeply influenced by [[K. B. Hedgewar]], the founding figure of the [[Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh]], a [[Right-wing politics|right-wing]] paramilitary organisation established in 1925. Ranade joined the organization as a ''Swayamsevak'' (volunteer) in 1926.<ref name="Rock Memorial biography">{{cite web|title=Eknath Ranade biography|url=http://rockmemorial.org/people/eknathranade.html|publisher=Vivekananda Rock Memorial|access-date=24 September 2013|archive-date=24 September 2013|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130924103829/http://rockmemorial.org/people/eknathranade.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>{{sfn|Vivekananda|2009|p=169}} After working for the RSS in Nagpur, Ranade was appointed as a ''[[RSS pracharak|Pranth Pracharak]]'' (provincial organizer) in [[Mahakoshal|Mahakoshal, Madhya Pradesh]] in 1938.{{sfn|Jaffrelot|1999|p=146}} | |||
Following the assassination of [[Mahatma Gandhi]] and the subsequent ban of the RSS, Ranade went underground to lead organizational efforts, earning the moniker of the ''Underground [[Sarsanghchalak]]''.{{sfn|Chitkara|2004|pp=326–327}} At the same time, the RSS launched a [[satyagraha]] under the leadership of [[M. S. Golwalkar]] to lift the ban. After Golwalkar's arrest, Ranade led the satyagraha and participated in secret negotiations with [[Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel|Sardar Patel]], the nation's [[Minister of Home Affairs (India)|Home Minister]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=How MS Golwalkar and Vallabhbhai Patel ensured the RSS's survival after Gandhi's assassination |url=https://caravanmagazine.in/extract/gandhi-assassination-rss-vallabhbhai-golwalkar |access-date=2025-02-07 |website=caravanmagazine.in |language=en}}</ref> | |||
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 [[Constitution of India|Indian Constitution]] and [[Flag of India|Flag]], shunning violence, only enrolling minors in the movement with the permission of their parents, and setting procedures for the election of ''Sarsanghchalak'', among other things. The government accepted the re-drafted constitution in June 1949. The ban imposed on the RSS was revoked on 11 July 1949.{{sfn|Jaffrelot|1999|p=41}}{{sfn|Andersen|1972|p=677}} | |||
In 1950, he worked as a ''[[Pracharak|Kshetra Pracharak]]'' for [[Poorvanchal]] Kshetra, comprising [[Bengal]], [[Odisha]], and [[Assam]]. In [[Kolkata|Calcutta]], he established a ''Vastuhara Sahayata Samiti'' ({{Literal translation|}} 'Committee to Help the Dispossessed') to aid refugees from [[Pakistan]] following the [[Partition of India]]. In 1953, Ranade became the ''Akhil Bharatiya Prachar Pramukh'' ({{Literal translation|}} 'All-India [[Pracharak|Propagation]] Chief').<ref name="Rock Memorial biography" /> From 1956 to 1962, Ranade served as RSS's [[general secretary]]. During this period, he tried to refocus the RSS on character-building rather than pursuing a more activist stance in coordination with affiliated organizations.{{sfn|Basu|1993|p=51}} In 1962, he was selected as All-India Baudhik Pramukh of the RSS.<ref name="Rock Memorial biography" /> | |||
During the 1963–72 period, Ranade served as the organizing secretary for the construction of the [[Vivekananda Rock Memorial]]. | |||
In | In 1972, Ranade founded the [[Vivekananda Kendra]], centered at [[Kanyakumari]], as a [[Hinduism|Hindu]] spiritual organisation based on the principles of "[[Tyāga#Hinduism|Renunciation]] and [[Sevā#Seva in Hinduism|Service]]".{{sfn|Advani|2008|pp=142–144}}{{sfn|Vivekananda|2009|p=169}} | ||
The Kendra is a "lay service organization" without a [[guru]] or propagation of a "[[Guru–shishya tradition|guru culture]]", though it was influenced by the teachings of [[Swami Vivekananda|Vivekananda]]. It has 206 branches in various parts of India. He did not endorse the status of an "[[Reincarnation|avatar-hood]]" (god incarnate) to Kendra. He neither promoted himself nor Vivekananda to the status of worship at the center but promoted the use of [[Om]]kara as its guiding principle. He believed that by adopting Omkara as guru, all gurus in India would be honoured.{{sfn|Copeman|Ikegame2012|p=9}} Ranade became the President of the Vivekananda Kendra in 1978 after serving as its general secretary.{{sfn|Vivekananda|2009|p=169}} | |||
==Vivekananda Memorial and Kendra== | ==Vivekananda Memorial and Kendra== | ||
{{See also|Vivekananda Rock Memorial#Role of Eknath Ranade}} | {{See also|Vivekananda Rock Memorial#Role of Eknath Ranade}} | ||
[[File:Vivekananda Memorial by the night, Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu.jpg|thumb|Ranade was the organising secretary of [[Vivekananda Rock Memorial]] committee.]] | [[File:Vivekananda Memorial by the night, Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu.jpg|thumb|Ranade was the organising secretary of [[Vivekananda Rock Memorial]] committee.]] | ||
The teachings of [[Swami Vivekananda|Vivekananda]] deeply influenced Ranade. In 1963, during the centenary year of his birth, he published a selection of Vivekananda's writing under the title ''[[Rousing Call to Hindu Nation]]'' as a personal tribute.{{sfn|Vivekananda|2009|p=169}} The same year, Ranade conceived the idea of building a monument in honour of Vivekananda at the mid-sea rock location near [[Kanyakumari]], where Vivekananda had meditated for three days in December 1892. | |||
After receiving positive responses to the idea from RSS chief [[M. S. Golwalkar]] and others, Ranade established the Vivekananda Rock Memorial Organising Committee and became its organizing secretary. Various committee branches were established across the country (with [[Bharatiya Janata Party]] leader [[L. K. Advani]] serving as the organizing secretary of the [[Delhi]] branch) to build support and later raise funds for the memorial.<ref name=":0" /> | |||
After the | After the proposal was initially declined by [[Humayun Kabir (Bengal politician)|Humayun Kabir]], then serving as [[Ministry of Culture (India)|Minister of Education and Culture]], Ranade gained support from over 300 members of the [[Parliament of India|Indian Parliament]]. His efforts ultimately led to the project's approval from then [[Prime Minister of India|Prime Minister]] [[Indira Gandhi]]. Ranade also succeeded in securing the endorsements for the project from various parts of the political and spiritual community, including sections traditionally in opposition to the RSS.{{sfn|Advani|2008|pp=142–144}} | ||
After the project was approved, Ranade led volunteers to raise funds for the construction of the [[Vivekananda Rock Memorial]] from donors across the country and encouraged every citizen to donate at least one [[Indian rupee|rupee]], as part of the Jan-Bhagidaari (People's Participation) scheme. | |||
==Death and legacy== | ==Death and legacy== | ||
Ranade died | Ranade died due to a [[Myocardial infarction|heart attack]] on 22 August 1982 in [[Madras]].{{sfn|Vivekananda|2009|p=169}} He was cremated the following day at Vivekanandapuram in [[Kanyakumari]].<ref name="Rock Memorial biography" /> Following his death, ''[[Organiser (magazine)|Organiser]]'' magazine honoured him with the title of ''Karmayogi''—a master and devoted follower of [[Karma yoga|Karma Yoga]]''.''{{sfn|Jaffrelot|1999|p=41}} | ||
That same year, Vivekananda Kendra produced a documentary titled ''Eknathji: One Life – One Mission'', chronicling the life and legacy of Ranade.<ref>{{Citation |last=Vivekananda Kendra |title=Eknath ji : One Life - One Mission |date=2014-11-08 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=igKT_5i2v_4 |access-date=2016-11-20}}</ref> | |||
==Publications== | ==Publications== | ||
Ranade's publications | Ranade's notable publications include:{{sfn|Vivekananda|2009|p=169}} | ||
* [[Swami Vivekananda]]'s ''[[Rousing Call to Hindu Nation]]'' | |||
* ''The Sadhana of Service'' (1985) | |||
* ''The Story of Vivekananda Rock Memorial'' | |||
* ''The Kendra Unfolds''. | |||
==See also== | ==See also== | ||
* [[Vivekananda Rock Memorial|Vivekanand Rock Memorial]] | |||
* [[Alasinga Perumal]] | * [[Alasinga Perumal]] | ||
Latest revision as of 00:30, 8 February 2026
Eknath Ramakrishna Ranade | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 19 November 1914 |
| Died | 22 August 1982 (aged 67) |
| Alma mater | Dr. Hari Singh Gour University |
| Known for | Indian Social and Spiritual Reformer |
Eknath Ramakrishna Ranade (mr; 19 November 1914 – 22 August 1982) was an Indian social activist. He joined the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) while still in school and served as a general secretary from 1956 to 1962.[not verified in body]
Ranade was deeply influenced by the teachings of Swami Vivekananda and compiled a book of his writings. He played a significant role in the construction of the Vivekananda Rock Memorial and the Vivekananda Kendra in Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu.
Early life and education[edit | edit source]
Ranade was born on 19 November 1914 in Timtala, located in the Amravati district, in the once-British Indian state of Maharashtra. In 1920, his family relocated to Nagpur, and he completed his early education at Pradanavispura School.[1]
In 1932, he completed his education at the New English High School in Nagpur.
Subsequently, he earned a Master of Arts degree with honours in Philosophy, followed by a Bachelor of Laws from Sagar University in Jabalpur in 1945.[2][3]
Role in Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh[edit | edit source]
Ranade held key roles within the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), a Hindu nationalist volunteer organization, where he served as an activist, ideologue, and leader.[4]
During his school years, Ranade was deeply influenced by K. B. Hedgewar, the founding figure of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, a right-wing paramilitary organisation established in 1925. Ranade joined the organization as a Swayamsevak (volunteer) in 1926.[2][3] After working for the RSS in Nagpur, Ranade was appointed as a Pranth Pracharak (provincial organizer) in Mahakoshal, Madhya Pradesh in 1938.[5]
Following the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi and the subsequent ban of the RSS, Ranade went underground to lead organizational efforts, earning the moniker of the Underground Sarsanghchalak.[6] At the same time, the RSS launched a satyagraha under the leadership of 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.[7]
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 in the movement with the permission of their parents, and setting procedures for the election of Sarsanghchalak, among other things. The government accepted the re-drafted constitution in June 1949. The ban imposed on the RSS was revoked on 11 July 1949.[8][9]
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').[2] From 1956 to 1962, Ranade served as RSS's general secretary. During this period, he tried to refocus the RSS on character-building rather than pursuing a more activist stance in coordination with affiliated organizations.[10] In 1962, he was selected as All-India Baudhik Pramukh of the RSS.[2]
During the 1963–72 period, Ranade served as the organizing secretary for the construction of the Vivekananda Rock Memorial.
In 1972, Ranade founded the Vivekananda Kendra, centered at Kanyakumari, as a Hindu spiritual organisation based on the principles of "Renunciation and Service".[11][3]
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 Kendra. He neither promoted himself nor 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 honoured.[12] Ranade became the President of the Vivekananda Kendra in 1978 after serving as its general secretary.[3]
Vivekananda Memorial and Kendra[edit | edit source]
The teachings of Vivekananda deeply influenced Ranade. In 1963, during the centenary year of his birth, he published a selection of Vivekananda's writing under the title Rousing Call to Hindu Nation as a personal tribute.[3] The same year, Ranade conceived the idea of building a monument in honour of Vivekananda at the mid-sea rock location near Kanyakumari, where Vivekananda had meditated for three days in December 1892.
After receiving positive responses to the idea from RSS chief M. S. Golwalkar and others, Ranade established the Vivekananda Rock Memorial Organising Committee and became its organizing secretary. Various committee branches were established across the country (with Bharatiya Janata Party leader L. K. Advani serving as the organizing secretary of the Delhi branch) to build support and later raise funds for the memorial.[4]
After the proposal was initially declined by Humayun Kabir, then serving as Minister of Education and Culture, Ranade gained support from over 300 members of the Indian Parliament. His efforts ultimately led to the project's approval from then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. Ranade also succeeded in securing the endorsements for the project from various parts of the political and spiritual community, including sections traditionally in opposition to the RSS.[11]
After the project was approved, Ranade led volunteers to raise funds for the construction of the Vivekananda Rock Memorial from donors across the country and encouraged every citizen to donate at least one rupee, as part of the Jan-Bhagidaari (People's Participation) scheme.
Death and legacy[edit | edit source]
Ranade died due to a heart attack on 22 August 1982 in Madras.[3] He was cremated the following day at Vivekanandapuram in Kanyakumari.[2] Following his death, Organiser magazine honoured him with the title of Karmayogi—a master and devoted follower of Karma Yoga.[8]
That same year, Vivekananda Kendra produced a documentary titled Eknathji: One Life – One Mission, chronicling the life and legacy of Ranade.[13]
Publications[edit | edit source]
Ranade's notable publications include:[3]
- Swami Vivekananda's Rousing Call to Hindu Nation
- The Sadhana of Service (1985)
- The Story of Vivekananda Rock Memorial
- The Kendra Unfolds.
See also[edit | edit source]
Citations[edit | edit source]
- ↑ "Special Visit of Timtala Village - Birth Place of Ma. Eknathji Ranade | Vivekananda Kendra". www.vrmvk.org. Retrieved 7 February 2025.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 "Eknath Ranade biography". Vivekananda Rock Memorial. Retrieved 24 September 2013.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 Vivekananda 2009, p. 169.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Eknath Ranade: Architect of unity behind the Vivekananda Rock Memorial". Moneycontrol. Archived from the original on 16 September 2024. Retrieved 7 February 2025.
- ↑ Jaffrelot 1999, p. 146.
- ↑ Chitkara 2004, pp. 326–327.
- ↑ "How MS Golwalkar and Vallabhbhai Patel ensured the RSS's survival after Gandhi's assassination". caravanmagazine.in. Retrieved 7 February 2025.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Jaffrelot 1999, p. 41.
- ↑ Andersen 1972, p. 677.
- ↑ Basu 1993, p. 51.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Advani 2008, pp. 142–144.
- ↑ Copeman & Ikegame2012, p. 9.
- ↑ Vivekananda Kendra (8 November 2014), Eknath ji : One Life - One Mission, retrieved 20 November 2016
References[edit | edit source]
- Advani, L. K. (2008). My Country My Life. Rupa & Company. ISBN 978-81-291-1363-4.
- Andersen, Walter (1972). "The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh: III: Participation in Politics". Economic and Political Weekly. 17 (3): 673–682.
- Basu, Tapan (1 January 1993). Khaki Shorts and Saffron Flags: A Critique of the Hindu Right. Orient Blackswan. ISBN 978-0-86311-383-3.
- Chitkara, M. G. (1 January 2004). Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh: National Upsurge. APH Publishing. ISBN 978-81-7648-465-7.
- Copeman, Jacob; Ikegame, Aya (21 August 2012). The Guru in South Asia: New Interdisciplinary Perspectives. Routledge. ISBN 978-0-415-51019-6.
- Jaffrelot, Christophe (1999). The Hindu Nationalist Movement and Indian Politics: 1925 to the 1990s. Penguin Books India. ISBN 978-0-14-024602-5.
- Vivekananda, Swami (2009). Swami Vivekananda's Rousing Call to Hindu Nation. Vivekananda Kendra. ISBN 978-81-89248-10-9.
Further reading[edit | edit source]
- Jaffrelot, Christophe (2010). Religion, Caste, and Politics in India. Primus Books. ISBN 978-93-80607-04-7.