After the Inauguration of the Vivekananda Rock Memorial on 2nd September, 1970, Eknathji decided to implement his plan which he had conceived way back in 1964. That plan was already expressed by Swami Vivekananda in one of his letters written to Sri Alasinga Perumal, one of his disciples of Madras.
“A hundred Thousand men and women fired with the zeal of holiness, fortified with eternal faith in the Lord and nerved to Lion’s courage by their sympathy for the poor, fallen and the downtrodden, will go over the length and breadth of the land preaching the gospel of salvation, the gospel of help, the gospel of social raising up – the gospel of equality”.
All ideas need legs and proper vision. Eknathji’s deep conviction was that Yoga way of life should be the core of any National reconstruction work. To implement his plan Eknathji started looking for right type of human material to work as Jeevan Vratis.
Therefore, he decided to train a selected group of young workers, both men and women, in batches from 2nd September, 1973. He decided to equip them as right type of human material by injecting right principles for attitudinal change for service of the people in remote areas. Subsequently, he trained and deployed them to undertake various types of service activities, primarily, giving priority to economically backward and tribal areas. Though this was a daunting task, he never looked back as he was a man of high determination.
Batches after batches of such workers were trained and positioned in priority areas where westernisation in the name of modernisation and denationalization by way of conversion to semetic religions were taking place. He felt this is a great threat to Hindu Dharma and to the Unity of Hindu Nation and to be handled deftly and not in a callous manner.
As a man of strategy, he instructed the youthful Kendra workers to focus on Yoga training to the youth in the schools and colleges. His strategy was four fold 1) Lok Samparka 2) Lok Samskara 3) Lok Sangraha 4) Loka Vyavastha. This method of work soon made the Kendra workers to create local level Karyakartas and out of them, small teams started emerging in various places. As the work of Kendra started taking to wings, came the dark clouds hovering with cyclonic storm, in the form of “National emergency” imposed by Late Prime Minister Smt. Indira Gandhi on 26th June 1975. Subsequent 2 years were like hell let loose by the restrictions imposed by the dictatorial Government in power. The emergency was lifted after two years in March 1977. Kendra activities again started with new vigour and vitality.
Eknathji decided to start a group of educational institutions in Arunachal Pradesh, Andaman Islands, and Assam. The main purpose of starting educational institutions was to instill the young minds good values based on Hindu Dharma, such as:-
Instill values of Hindu Dharma and implant Deshabhakti
Accept and adapt Bharateeya Sanskaras and way of life
Inculcating Nishkama Sevabhava
Derive good work ethics
Inculcating Character building
Assimilate love for environment and echology.
When the incoming flow of fulltime workers increased another service activity which Kendra started in some selected backward areas is Rural development. During 1980-81 Kendra started few Balwadis in certain areas of Southern Tamil Nadu. Through this, not only the usual way of Kendra Karya Padhati – such as, Yoga Varga, Samskara Varga and Swadhyaya Varga could be started but also by the active participation of local village Karyakarthas, activities such as, Balwadis, mobile medical service, programmes for youth and women were also initiated. Today most of the Prant level rural development programmes have spread out in many states by the participation of local workers.
Rural Development Programmes paved way for starting of Natural Resources Development Project in certain areas of Tamil Nadu from 1983. This project spread awareness among villagers about adopting following methodology:
Indigenous way of cultivation
Low cost housing
Bio-gas and Gobar gas energy
Indigenous medicine, such as Ayurveda, Siddha and Varma form of treatment.
Another momentous activity of Kendra in spreading the life giving values and principles of Swami Vivekananda, Sri Ramakrishna, Ma. Sarada Devi and Indian Culture was through periodicals and Publications. Without wings, birds cannot fly. Similarly, ideas need proper way of propagation. In the fast growing technological scenario, modern methods are to be adopted to propagate eternal values in a fast changing society. So the Publication of books and periodicals in various languages is most important for any Hindu organisation to propagate its messages and keep spreading its wings.
Today Kendra’s publication wing is bringing out periodicals and publications in different languages and thus popularizing Dharmic values for the youth in particular, and for all people, in general.
Eknathji was of the opinion, that this Hindu Nation, and its people who, were under oppression for more than thousand years need to be awakened from their deep slumber and continued lethargy. Therefore, it was decided to adopt the great message of Swamiji by “organizing the Hindus and awakening their dormant spirit”. For this to happen the Hindu people should be taught to observe and celebrate meaningfully some of the time tested festivals such as; Guru Poornima, Gita Jayanti, Ganesh Chaturthi, Pongal, Holi, besides Swami Vivekananda’s Birthday, Universal Brotherhood day and Swargeeya Eknathji birthday as Sadhana Diwas. These festivals, if organized in groups, would definitely bring Hindus together and thereby, through meaningful and purposeful observance, definitely instill values and raise their patriotic favour, among young and old. Today all the branches of Kendra are organizing these festivals as part of cultural and value dissemination in the Hindu families.
Amrita Parivar programmes started by Kendra recently has started becoming popular. We have to transform the atmosphere of our Griha as “Aalayam” (Temple). The women of each Griha should know that they are actually playing the role of ‘Griha Lakshmi’. Every Hindu family is a miniature nation. Let us bring peace, prosperity and integrity in our families to replicate the same all over the country. Value orientation to the children by the elders is the beginning point for making an ideal family. Ramayana is our National epic. Read daily in the presence of all family members.
Kendra appeals to all the Hindu families to encourage one of their children, either boy or girl to join Vivekananda Kendra as fulltime workers for the service of Bharat and for the protection of Hindu Dharma, “Dharmo Rakshati Rakshitah:”
In order to render absolute Nishkama Karma, the Kendra Karyakartas are given periodical training to develop following qualities:
Full expertise in organizing Kendra programmes, festivals, Karya Padhati, and Karya Kartha Prashikshan Shibir.
Through the above programmes and activities disseminate the twin message of Kendra, i.e., Man Making and Nation Building.
Inculcate capacity to place before the donors Kendra’s role and the dire need to take up various type of service activities. Therefore, impress upon the donors the need for funds to carry out the activities of Kendra.
Kendra workers cannot remain as “Bonsai plants” ever. While serving, they should also have proper physical, mental, emotional, intellectual and spiritual growth.
They should always look out for good youths to become workers of Kendra for the perpetuity of the organization. For that matter, all the Kendra activities are mainly meant to create more and more workers for the organization for its perennial sustenance. More the number of Jeevanvratis, Shikshartis, Sevavratis and Vanaprasti Karyakartas more expansion of Kendra work countrywide.
Inspirational points for the Kendra workers who have engaged uninterruptedly in various service activities day and night are derived from the following sources,
“OM” (Pranava Mantra)
Bharat Mata
Swami Vivekananda
Eknathji Ranade
Kendra Prarthana
Kendra workers Motto is:-
We must do as much good as we can for others, in as many ways as we can, to as many people as we can and as long as we can.
Finally their total Sarnagati at the feet of Iswara with following words will make their life purposeful, meaningful, fruitful and peaceful.
“Yad yad karma karoti, tad tad akhilam
Sambho tava Árádhanam”.
A.Balakrishnan
President
Vivekananda Rock Memorial &
Vivekananda Kendra, Kanyakumari
