Eknath ji is testimony to the fact that a heartfelt sankalpa of one man is capable of pulling victories from almost a certain defeat. This small rock was being eyed by catholic church to plant a giant cross – just across the Bhagawati temple on the mainland.
The sizeable catholic fishermen community was providing the muscle power. This rock was almost gone from Hindu possession, especially due to active opposition from congress ministers and leaders like Humayun Kabir and M. Bhaktavatsalam. Eknath ji rallied Hindus for the cause from north to south, from east to west. He raised funds from Hindus – as low as one rupee.
He made Hindus aware of church’s sinister plans. And Hindus responded. Lal Bahadur Shastri ji aided Eknath ji in whatever capacity possible during deep Hindu-Hating Nehruvian regime. With tireless efforts of Swayamsevaks led by Eknath ji, we got claim on the rock and built Swami Vivekananda Memorial and the dhyaana-manDapam.
NaMo, the archetypical sangh-pracharak, will spend nights in dhyaan-manDapam built by the efforts of another sangh pracharak of an earlier generation. My deep felt gratitude and shraddhanjali to Shri. Eknath ji Ranade. May NaMo be inspired from Eknath ji’s example and memories during his 2 day stay here.
(This article has been compiled from the tweet thread posted by @Kal_Chiron on May 30, 2024, with minor edits to improve readability and conform to HinduPost style guide)
