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The Story of The Vivekananda Rock Memorial
Compiled by Sanjeev Nayyar November 2003
(As told by Shri Eknath Ranade)
About to years ! heard the story o" ho the Ro#k $emorial #ame up and Shri Eknath
Ranadeji%s role in makin& it happen' ! as told about a book that had the #omplete story but as not able to lay my hands on it' hen out o" the blue ! met a very senior person
"rom he ivekananda *endra that runs the $emorial' +e sent me the book and some
pi#tures too' Am sharin& e,#erpts "rom part one o" the book i'e' relatin& to the#onstru#tion o" the Ro#k $emorial' Content is verbatim "rom the book' $y #omments
are in inverted #ommas' Courtesy - Copyri&ht is ivekananda *endra .rakashan rust/
Chennai/ vkmadrasvsnl'#om or #all 1 24002/ 24243'
he $emorial is on the Ro#k here Samiji meditated - dis#overed the mission o" his
li"e' A brie" summary o" the #hapters 5
Ch No Chapter Title Contents
' .re"a#e E,#erpts by . .armesharanji/ .residentivekananda *endra'
2' eethin& rouble +o did the idea o" memorial take shape/
opposition o" lo#al Christians/ politi#alopposition/ ho Eknathji &ot involved ith
$emorial ork'
3' Stalarts !nvolved .lun&e into ork/ ho Eknathji ith ta#t -
patien#e on over the politi#ians/ &ot a petition
supportin& the $emorial si&ned by 323 $.%s'
' 6n"oreseen .roblem Created by *ankaykumari 7evasom 8oard'9' Colle#tion Campai&n Strate&y - ision o" ne +ori:on'
;' o Na&aland
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&) ook be"ore you leap' Read up matter - think be"ore #ommittin& to
#ompletin& a &iven tasks'
h) Cultivate &ood relations ith people/ you never kno hen both o" you #ouldneed ea#h other%s help'
i) @hen someone is bein& unreasonable to your su&&estion you #an &et him to
"all in line by "indin& his eak points in his hometon or area o" in"luen#e' j) here is a ri&ht time "or everythin& so learn to be patient - kno hen the
time is ri&ht'
k) @hen a person is adamant/ does not a&ree ith you/ keep the dialo&ue on'l) Alays look to #reate somethin& eternal/ deeper than merely a bri#k - mortar
stru#ture'
m) 7o not be#ome ri&id and restri#t your thinkin& to #ompartments or a se#t'
Alays have an open mind'
ublisher’s !ote 5 he "amous ivekananda Ro#k $emorial (re"erred to as R$
hen#e"orth) as inau&urated in the year 1>0' $arkin& the 29 th year o" the event/ in 119
e released the "irst edition o" the book' Considerin& the intrinsi# value o" the book/ theneed to preserve the true story "or posterity/ the revised edition has been brou&ht out ith
several multi?#olor plates'
Some revies o" the "irst edition 5 he R$/ as it stands today/ is as mu#h a memorial
to Samiji as to Shri Eknath Ranade hose devotion to the ork he had undertaken asinspired but not by mere "aith but by intelle#tual #onvi#tion' +is ork ne#essarily
involved mu#h physi#al e,ertion/ but mu#h more in demand ere his &i"t o" intelle#tual
persuasion/ perseveran#e - ta#tD'
reface e"cerpts Chapter #
.re"a#e ritten by Shri .'.armesaran/ .resident/ ivekananda *endra'
@hat e are reprodu#in& here are not the "ormal/ ritten ords o" Shri Ranade' @e
reprodu#e his spoken ords' +e &ave a series o" ten le#tures on the Ro#k $emorial/ tothe "irst band o" li"e orkers hom he anted to train as missionaries o" the *endra'
Con#eivably/ Eknathji "ormulated his le#tures into to almost eBual parts' he "irst part
deals ith ho he &rappled ith the problems that #ame in the ay - brou&ht into bein&
the $emorial' he se#ond part deals ith the mission o" the ivekananda *endra as hevisuali:ed it/ its philosophy/ ultimate obje#tive et#'
!n the "irst part he des#ribes ho he as dran into the #onstru#tion o" the R$/ hothe various obsta#les #ropped up one by one/ and ho ea#h one o" them as surmounted
- "inally ho the ork as a##omplished - the dream #ame true' As he &oes on
narratin& in#ident a"ter in#ident/ the story o" the R$ be#omes indistin&uishable "romEknathji%s autobio&raphy' hey #oales#e into ea#h other' here as no problem "or hi#h
he had no solution o anti#ipate his on ords Every strate&y has a #ounter?strate&y/
every eapon has a #ounter?eaponD' his truth as #on#lusively demonstrated by
Eknathji in over#omin& the seemin&ly insurmountable obsta#les'
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he men ith hom Eknathji had to #ross sords ere not ordinary men o" #lay' hey
ere leaders in their on ri&ht' hey o##upied positions o" hi&h poer' 8haktavatsalam
as Buote a poer"ul Chie" $inister - +umayan *abir/ a Central $inister' hey ere both opposed to the monument on the Ro#k' 8ut Eknathji shredly outmaneuvered both
o" them - ultimately brou&ht them round to his point o" vie' +e handled leaders like
Annadurai - Fyoti 8asu (not idealo&i#al admirers o" Sami ivekananda) in a su##ess"ulmanner and made them partners in the #onstru#tion o" the R$' his should make even
the most e,perien#ed e,perts take a lesson or to "rom him in the art o" human
mana&ement'
eaders o" every politi#al party/ hether in poer or in the opposition be#ame illin&
supporters' Chie" $inisters o" every state/ made handsome donation toard the R$'
he only Chie" $inister ho sent Eknathji empty handed as the *erala C$ Com'E'$'S' Namboodiripad' Comin& out o" the intervie/ Eknathji remarked !t as like
#onversin& ith a sphin,' !t as a monolo&ue all the ay/ on my part' =nly an empty
stare "rom the other sideD'
!t is instru#tive to kno ho he made judi#ious use o" various means at his #ommand "or
the a#hievement o" his end' 8oth spee#h - silen#e ere eBually e""e#tive implements inhis hands' o kno hen to speak - hen to keep silent is a rare &i"t' Eknath Ranade
possessed this abundantly' @hile he raised stormy #ontroversies hen ne#essary/ he
abstained "rom them hen they served no purpose' +e utili:ed his #onta#t ith the .ress"or raisin& the ri&ht issues at the ri&ht time and also not to raise in#onvenient issues that
ould only #ompli#ate the situation'
hus/ by brin&in& into play every God?&iven Buality that he possessed in ample measure/Eknath Ranade as able to su##ess"ully a##omplish the task that as entrusted to him'
@hile en&a&ed in battle/ he as unrelentin& - made no #ompromises 5 and e,pe#ted
none "rom the opposite side' 8ut hen the battle as over/ he sa to it that no bitternessremained' +e had the ma&nanimity to &o to his ersthile opponents and pay #ompliments
to them' +e avoided a&itations as a matter o" prin#iple/ be#ause he kne that even i" you
&ain your obje#tive by means o" a&itations/ in the end/ there ould be no &ra#e in it'
As soon as it be#ame #lear to him that the R$ has be#ome an assured "a#t/ he be&an to
think about the se#ond phase' o put up a Cement - Con#rete stru#ture is not the ork
"or hi#h ! am born' ! am to ere#t a livin& - dynami# monument hi#h ill be orthy o" Sami ivekananda and hi#h ill be #apable o" brin&in& into "ruition his &rand vision
o" "uture !ndiaD 5 he be&an to think'
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assured that the entire $ission/ ill be at your ba#k all the time' Go ahead - hakur ill
bless you/ Sami ivekananda ill bless you/ and you have my blessin&s alsoD'
his link had its roots deep in the .sy#holo&y o" Eknath Ranade' his is #learly evident
in his #onversation ith Sri Govinda $enon/ the +ome $inister in the Central Cabinet'
o a pointed Buestion by the minister as ho the ork o" the RSS #ould be re#on#iledith ivekananda%s philosophy/ Eknathji reply as/ $t is Vivekananda’s philosophy
that made me an RSS %orker--& $n fact RSS is nothing but an e"tension of
S%amii'i’s %ork(& he minister as not #onvin#ed as it evident "rom his remark' !t is avery bold statement to makeD'
@hat as the inspiration behind the se#ond phaseH @hat did he a#tually seek to a#hieveH
!t as national re#onstru#tion' Eknathji thou&ht/ !" all the reli&iosity #an be #onvertedinto a#tivities o" publi# &ood/ there #an be all?round national re#onstru#tionD' =ne very
si&ni"i#ant dimension o" Eknathji%s #on#ept o" national re#onstru#tion is that it #overed
all se#tions o" +indu so#iety and all parts o" the #ountry' +e says 8hartheeyata in
everybody has to be aroused/ ork should be taken "rom them'D +e "irmly believed thati" you s#rat#h su""i#iently deep/ the +indu in everybody ill be roused/ hether one
talks o" @esternism or Russianism or modernism/ he essentially is a #hild o" this soilD'
!t is this national vision that took Eknathji to all se#tions o" people durin& the #ourse o"
the #olle#tion #ampai&n' @hen the C$ o" Na&aland Buestioned him about the isdom o" his spendin& so mu#h time "or a paltry amount/ Eknathji%s reply as typi#al - revealin&'
+e said $y motive is just not "unds' ! ant your parti#ipitation/ parti#ipation o" the
Govt and people o" Na&aland 5 be#ause Na&aland is part o" the NationD'
7urin& the #ourse o" his #ampai&n "or the R$ he had reali:ed that politi#al "a#tionalism
- reli&ious se#tarianism/ had alays prevented people "rom #omin& toðer even on
issues o" national &ood/ about hi#h intrinsi#ally they had no #on"li#tin& opinion' .oliti#s bein& the pursuit o" poer/ #ould be an instrument o" division' 8ut Eknathji as pain"ully
aare that even spiritual movements de&enerated into rival se#ts' As a keen student o"
history/ he "ound that this had be#ome a national de"e#t ith the +indus and unless it asover#ome national re#onstru#tion ould remain a mira&e' Therefore) he suggested an
organi*ation %hich %ould be meticulously kept beyond politics - se#tarianism'
hat as his vision o" ivekananda *endra' Su#h an or&ani:ation #ould be built up onlyaround a &reat ideal' .erusin& the entire thou&ht o" Samiji/ Eknathji dis#overed that the
ma&i# ord ould be 5 orship 5 %orship of Man is truly %orship of +od& 8ut every
or&ani:ation reBuires $en ho are inspired and hose lives are molded by that parti#ular ethos' !t is here that Eknathji visuali:ed the #reation o" a non?sannyasin order o" li"e
orkers/ ho ill be dedi#ated to servi#e more than Sadhana' Spirituality must bevibrant& !t should be sel"less a#tion/ rather than simple meditation'
Creation o" su#h an order o" li"e orkers as no easy task/ #onsiderin& the prevailin&
so#ial situation in the #ountry' +istory o" the past many #enturies tau&ht Eknathji that the
+indu so#iety has lost its sense o" Sel"?Con"iden#e' hey ere in the habit o" lookin& "or
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an in#arnation to des#end save so#iety' @hat is orse/ every &reat men/ ho a#hieved
somethin& "or the so#iety/ as immediately de"ied and put on a pedestal - orshipped'
Eknathji de#lared that this sui#idal trend has to be reversed' +e anted a ne &enerationthat believed in themselves/ that they #an do anythin&' +e a##epted Samiji as an
ordinary human bein&/ ho raised himsel" to the hi&hest run& o" human evolution/ by
dint o" sel"?#on"iden#e - sel"?sa#ri"i#e'
Eknathji anted that ideal o" Samiji to be "olloed by the li"e orkers hom he
anted to man the or&ani:ation o" his dream' So he ere#ted the statue o" Samiji/standin& up - startin& on his patrioti# mission/ rather than one/ sittin& absorbed in deep
meditation'
Sel"?#on"iden#e #omes "rom the innate #onvi#tion that ea#h man is potentially divine'hat as the essen#e o" +indu herita&e "rom the edi# times' Eknathji anted to remind
this edi# mantra 5 @e are the #hildren o" God - immortalityD' his reali:ation ill
automati#ally &ive us the super human stren&th to over#ome all "ear - eaknesses'
Eknathji reali:ed the importan#e o" team%ork ' +e reeled o"" instan#es a"ter instan#es
"rom our on history/ ho a hand"ul o" "orei&n invaders/ mu#h in"erior to us in everyrespe#t/ #ould easily beat us hollo and enslave - rule over us/ only be#ause they
possessed this &reat Buality o" team spirit in abundan#e/ hereas/ e +indus totally
la#ked this #apa#ity' +e pointed out ho our edi# mantras #onstantly instilled into usthis &ospel o" #olle#tive e""ort 5 Ia&naD' hat made us &reat in the past'
he tenty?"irst #entury ill be the #entury o" !ndia 5 and also that o" +indus' hat is
hat Samiji has predi#ted' et us all ork hard to make it a reality' And that alone illmake our lives orth livin&'
Teething Troubles chapter ,
! shall e,plain to you the motive behind the hole proje#t ivekananda *endra (re"erred
to * hen#e"orth)' o be&in the story/ e ill have to &o ba#k to 1;2' Samiivekananda as born in Fanuary 4;3' he entire period "rom the 00 th to the 0st
birthday o" Samiji as proposed to be #elebrated as the Centenary Iear' he
Ramakrishna $ission planned it on an all !ndia s#ale' 7urin& the hole year there ere
dis#ourses - spee#hes about the li"e J tea#hin&s o" Sami ivekananda' ill thenSamiji%s orks ere published in En&lish - +indi' No the publi#ations ere taken up
in all lan&ua&es be#ause the &overnment &ave a very &ood subsidy'
eginnings ? !n Fanuary 1;2/ the people o" *anyakumar thou&ht that as
Samiji%s 8irth Centenary as bein& #elebrated/ it ould be in the "itness o" thin&s i"
they put up some memorial on the Ro#k here he meditated - dis#overed the mission o" his li"e' !t o##urred naturally to everybody there must be a##ess to the pla#e esp' As it as
knon as Saripada .araiD here Goddess *anyakumari meditated/ did her Sadhana to
obtain the hand o" ord Shiva so that they also #ould &o - sit as the sa#red spot'
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Some people in *anyakumari #ame toðer' Shri elayudhan .illai/ .resident o"
+aindeva Seva San&h/ took the lead and ith others thou&ht o" "ormin& a #ommittee "or
the purpose' hey thou&ht et us have a $emorial - also put a pedestrian brid&e sothat people #an #ommute a#rossD' At that time they #ould not de"ine hat type o"
memorial should be made' Almost simultaneously there as a publi# meetin& at $adras
ith a lead by the Ramakrishna $ission' hey thou&ht on the same lines'
Some .ivergent /orces ? hen these to &roups &ot toðer/ nes spread
that some memorial on the ivekananda Ro#k as bein& #ontemplated' A se#tion o" theCatholi#s at *anyakumari did not take kindly to the #ontemplated s#heme - thou&ht
somethin& should be done to thart it' Iou may be knoin& that *anyakumari has a
si:eable population o" Christian "ishermen' hey ere +indus earlier/ 00 years a&o' 8ut
they #laim that St Kavier #onverted their an#estors hen he ent there' !n this situation/ ase#tion o" the Catholi#s put up on the Ro#k a bi& Cross hi#h as visible "rom the shore'
!t has its natural reper#ussions' he people immediately #onvened protest meetin&s and
sent tele&rams to the Colle#tor/ Chie" $inister/ .resident - .$ that this Ro#k/ here theSripadam is imprinted/ is a pla#e o" orship "or +indus and puttin& up a Cross as a
trespass'
At that time/ the *anyakumari temple 7evasom #laimed that the Ro#k as its property
be#ause o" the Sripandam impressed on it' .erhaps/ lon& a&o/ the Ro#k as a part o" themainland' !" Goddess *anyakumari did +er Sadhana on the Ro#k/ there must have been a
#onne#tion beteen the temple - the Ro#k' =n the basis o" this le&end/ the 7evasom
staked its #laim'
he "irst thin& that *anyakumari 7istri#t Committee re"erred to above did as to apply
on 1J4J1;2 to the 7evasom 8oard "or permission to put a $emorial on the Ro#k - to
have a pedestrian brid&e joinin& the mainland to the Ro#k' !t also sou&ht permission to put up a $emorial on the Ro#k and to have a pedestrian brid&e joinin& the mainland to
the Ro#k' !t also sou&ht permission to start a "ree boat servi#e till a brid&e as
#onstru#ted' hat time there as no "erry servi#e as #ompared to day'
he 8oard "elt that people mi&ht like to &o to the Ro#k to see the pla#e here Samiji
meditated/ here *anyakumari did her $editation - Sadhana' So the 8oard immediately
permitted the Committee to run a "ree servi#e/ put up a $emorial - also to have a brid&e- everythin& else provided/ on #ompletion/ these ere handed over to them' he
Committee also a&reed to do so'
akin& advanta&e o" the permission/ the Committee anted "irst to start a "erry servi#e'
8ut "rom here as it to &et the boatmenH he people in the surroundin& areas ere all
Christian and they ould never #ooperate' So the Committee members ent to *erala/ toCali#ut and persuaded 0 to 20 people on the premise that they ould not only have to
run the boats but "i&ht ith the lo#als too' he people ere no able to &o daily to the
ro#k e,#ept hen the sea as rou&h'
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.eople%s emotions ere stirred hen they sa the Cross?o" re#ent ori&in' $eanhile the
$adras &ovt ordered a judi#ial probe and de#lared that the Cross be removed' !t also
de#lared in uneBuivo#al terms that this as ivekananda Ro#k' he Revenue departmentas ordered to remove the Cross' A se#tion o" the Christians in *erala raised a #horus
that a Cross as there "or the last "our hundred years and it as removed by some
+indus' +ere/ ! must tell you one si&ni"i#ant "a#t' *anyakumari distri#t as a part o" ravan#ore state' 8e#ause it has a predominan#e o" amil speakin& people/ "olloin& the
States Reor&ani:ation on lin&uisti# basis/ it be#ame part o" amil Nadu'
=ne "ine mornin&/ people noti#ed there as no #ross on the Ro#k' No +indus -
Christians assembled there ere virtually arrayed a&ainst ea#h other as i" in a battle
"ormation' he poli#e rea#hed there/ promul&ated se#tion / de#lared that the Ro#k as
a prohibited area - posted an armed &uard on the Ro#k'
Ea&er to avoid a #on"rontation the State &ovt asked the 7evasom 8oard to rite to the
Committee that thou&h it had taken permission "rom the 8oard/ it must &et #on#urren#e
o" the State &ovt also' he Committee sou&ht the State Govt%s approval but it asre"used' !" the Committee anted to have a $emorial it #ould be on the shore/ but not on
the Ro#k' 3 or months elapsed in this pro#ess and Fanuary 1;3/ the 00 th birthday o" Samiji as approa#hin&' .eople ere ea&er that somethin& must be done by Fanuary
1;3'
Shri 8haktavatsalam/ C$ said ! ill not allo the $emorial' !t is also true that this is
ivekanand Ro#k and a seal must be put there that it is ivekanand Ro#k/ so that there
must be no #on"usion in the minds o" the people/ and no #ontroversy #omes up later that
it is St Kavier%s this or that' ! su&&est that there should be only a tablet on hi#h ill beritten that Sami ivekananda visited this Ro#k on su#h - su#h a date/ meditated here
and all thatD' Sin#e matters had taken a di""erent turn #ommittee members "elt the need to
have an All !ndia Committee' Several prominent people ere approa#hed/ they a&reedand thus the Committee as re&istered in $ar#h 1;3'
So/ hen Shri 8hatavatsalam insisted that there should be only a tablet put on the Ro#k/the distri#t #ommittee people thou&ht/ et us a##ept this "or the time bein&' et us
establish a #laim on the Ro#k' et the tablet be established there' @e shall #ontinue to
ne&otiate ith the Government "or the $emorial' 8ut let us a##ept thisD'
A##ordin&ly a tablet as installed on the Ro#k on >JJ1;3 but people "elt that there
should be a statue/ they had their on plans "or the memorial' !n
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!n the meantime/ to reak ven&ean#e on us "or the removal o" the Cross "rom the Ro#k/
some o" the Catholi#s on ;J9J1;3 demolished the tablet and thre it into the sea'
0o% 1knath'i came into the icture2 - !t as in Au&ust 1;3 that ! #ame
into the pi#ture' ! as &eneral se#retary o" the RSS - in that #apa#ity as &oin& round
the #ountry - that time ! had &one to *anyakumari too' !n 1;2 ! laid don my o""i#e asGeneral Se#retary o" the RSS sin#e my appointment as a stop&ap arran&ement' here
ere #elebrations all over the #ountry on a##ount o" Samiji%s 8irth Centenary' Some
people thou&ht that there should be a small book on Samiji' Sin#e ! as "ree at that time people also thou&ht that ! should take up the ork' ! also liked the idea/ ent to Cal#utta
and #ompiled a book to be released on Samiji%s 00 th birthday in Fanuary 1;3' !
presented the book to Shri $adhavananda $aharaj/ the .resident o" the Ramakrishna
$ission' he book as titled as Rousin& Call to +indu Nation' he book as Buite popular and as translated in almost all the lan&ua&es'
So hen this hole thin& be#ame hot and the Committee people kne that the $adras
&ovt ould not bud&e an in#h and ould not allo a memorial on the Ro#k/ they ere ina "i, as to hat to do' hey thou&ht o" an a&itation but the atmosphere as not #on&enial
"or a $emorial at *anyakumari "or a Sami ivekananda "rom 8en&al' So theCommittee ere in a "i,' At that time ! as in Na&pur' A"ter our meetin& in Fuly/ ! as
&oin& to leave Na&pur "or a tour' At that time some important people o" the Committee
approa#hed Guruji Golalkar and said No that Shri Ranade is "ree/ hy not ask himto helpH +e has some e""e#tive #onta#ts in 7elhi - Cal#utta' +e has #onta#ts/ let him
meet the persons ho matter in 7elhi/ and let them in"luen#e Shri 8haktavatsalam/ let
them in"luen#e Shri *amaraj to &ive us permission "or puttin& up the $emorial on the
Ro#kD'
Sin#e ! had already #ompiled a book on the tea#hin&s o" Sami ivekananda they
thou&ht ! as in tune ith the ork' hey talked to Guruji ho asked me #asually/hese people are sayin& that your servi#es #ould be use"ul/ so hat do you think about
itH ! also #asually said ! ill have to study the hole problem' ! must kno - study the
hole thin&/ and i" you think that ! #an be o" any use/ ! ill &o there/ study the situation- then ! ill be able to tell you hether ! ill be o" any useD'
So ! a&reed to &o to *anyakumari - $adras at the earliest/ study the papers - then &ive
my "inal ord' 8ut ! thou&ht "irst let me sound the Ramakrishna $ission and kno hatit has to say about it' So ! ent to Cal#utta met the Respe#ted $adhavananda $aharaj on
22J>J1;3' @hen ! as in Cal#utta "rom 190 to 193/ ! as a re&ular visitor to 8elur
and used to meet Samiji there every "ortni&ht' ! told him that some people proposed todo somethin& about the ivekanand Ro#k $emorial' 8ut "irst o" all the .resident
$aharaj should tell me hether he as interested in this'
Sami said somethin& very si&ni"i#ant As a matter o" "a#t/ the $ission should have
taken up this ork' 8ut e kno the mind o" the Central Govt' @e kno the mind o" the
amil Nadu &ovt and e kno ho they rea#t in su#h a situation' No that some
Christians have put up an opposition/ the amil Nadu &ovt ill never a&ree and so ill
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the Central Govt' So hat is the useH !" e sannyasins put a ord/ e kno hat is
&oin& to be the "ate' @e/ an or&ani:ation o" sannyasins/ #an%t a&itate and #annot mobili:e
publi# opinion' hus e #annot #ome into the pi#ture' 8ut i" a person like you is preparedto take up the ork and i" the hole Committee is behind you/ ! assure you that thou&h
the Ramakrishna $ission ill not be in any ay o""i#ially #onne#ted ith you/ you #an
be rest assured/ the entire mission ill be at your ba#k all the timeD'
Stal%arts $nvolved chapter 3
So ith this reassuran#e/ ! le"t "or $adras - then *anyakumari/ ent throu&h all the
#orresponden#e' !n Au&ust reali:ed that the ork #ould not be mana&ed "rom outside'
Remainin& as a RSS orker helpin& "rom outside ould not do' ! had to be a spokesman
o" this R$ Committee' ! had to have some lo#us standi in the Committee' So ! rote toGuruji Golalkar that the hole matter as su#h that ! should have to #ompletely
identi"y mysel" ith the Committee - ! ould not be able to do any San&h ork' !" he
as prepared "or it he should tell me' ! &ot his permission' +ad he knon that it as
&oin& to take years/ ! don%t think he ould have &iven me #learan#e' hen on J4J1;3 ! be#ame the =r&ani:in& Se#retary o" the R$ Committee'
The lunge into the Task - !mmediately ! moved to Cal#utta ' At that time to
key persons ere opposin& the idea' =ne o" them as +umayun *abir/ Cultural $inister
at the Centre' +e had said number o" times that Samiji%s statue on the Ro#k ould spoilthe natural beauty o" the pla#e' Shri 8haktavatsalam/ C$ o" amil Nadu as sayin& that
the Central $inister as a&ainst it' Shri *abir as to be on over "irst' +is #onstituen#y
as Cal#utta'
here as an !nternational Centenary Committee "ormed by the Ramakrishna $ission o"
hi#h Sami Sambhuddhanandaji as the Gen Se#retary' ! approa#hed him "or help' +e
deputed one o" the sannyasins to &o ith me to all the press people' his ay ! met - be"riended all the #orrespondents/ journalists/ editors o" the Ananda 8a:ar .atrika et#'
A"ter havin& prepared the "ield ! addressed a #roded press #on"eren#e on 2J1J1;3here ! stated that Shri 0umayun 4abir had e,pressed (Samiji had a&reed to this)'
he e""e#t as e,pe#ted' All the papers - some editorials #riti#i:ed Shri *abir' Cal#utta
as his #onstituen#y' Iou kno here the eakness o" the politi#al persona&es lies'
!mmediately Shri *abir #alled "or me and ! met him at 7elhi' +e told me !t is true that !voi#ed this opinion that R$ should not be there' 8ut then/ ! had voi#ed similar opinion
a&ainst the Gandhi $emorial too' At that time they did not pay heed to my advi#e' ! am
dead a&ainst renovation o" temples but they are doin& on it' So also ! e,pressed only atone or to pla#es that it may not be &ood' hey are usin& my statement' hey a#tually do
not ant it themselves' So you can say that $ am not against it(&
No e #ame into confrontation %ith Shri haktavatsalam ho as to #ome to 7elhi'
!n the meantime/ ! had met Shri al 8ahadur Shashtri ho had no port"olio' +e said $r
Ranade/ ! also very mu#h desire that $emorial should be there on the Ro#k alone and not
on the shore' 8ut then you ant help "rom me' ! am a very patient man/ very slo' !" you
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are in a hurry and i" you ant to do this - do that/ then ! shall not be o" any use' ! do
thin&s at proper time' !" you have enou&h patien#e/ then you #an bank on meD' So !
asked @hat shall ! doHD'
+e said Iou mobili:e publi# opinion - hen the time #omes/ ! ill tell you/ Lno it is
my ork%' hen ! said Shri 8haktavatsalam is #omin& to 7elhi' ! ant to meet himM !am told he is a very blunt man' ! shall have to talk to him' So i" matters &et pre#ipitated
and he says no/ hen hat to doH +e said his is e,a#tly hat ! am pointin& at' Iou
should allo the matter to #ontinue/ dis#ussions should #ontinue/ dialo&ues should#ontinue' Iou should not break' Iou should not allo matters to pre#ipitate' Even i" he
says NoD you should mana&e to #ontinue the dialo&ue' Shri 8haktavatsalam is an
adamant man' he only person ho #an deliver is .andit Nehru' 8ut the time is not
#on&enial' ! ill have to ait "or the ri&ht opportunity to put it into his hears' ill thattime you #ontinue the dialo&ueD'
So hen ! talked to Shri 8haktavatsalam he "ound that he as almost #ornered/ and said
! do not remember the #onversation' A"ter all/ hy are you insistin& on the $emorial onthe Ro#kH Even i" you put the $emorial - the statue on the Ro#k/ hat is the use o" that
statueH !t on%t be visible "rom the shore' ! ill never allo a brid&e be#ause it ill spoilthe beauty o" the pla#eD' ! said All ri&ht/ e ill do aay ith the brid&e/ and 'r't to
the statue/ e #an have a statue o" 90 or 00 "eetD' @hat 90 "eetHD ! said Ies 90 or
00 "eet/ than #an be done' hat ill be visible "rom the shore/ "rom 2 miles/ 0 milesD'+e as "labber&asted and just to brush aside he said All ri&ht/ then you &ive me another
s#heme/ e shall think over itD' 8ut ! &ot an e,#use to #ontinue the dialo&ue'
! #onsulted Shri Sathe/ an ar#hite#t "rom 8ombay ho told me that a ;0 "eet hi&h statueould be enou&h to make it visible "rom the shore' $eantime/ ! as also a little
impatient/ be#ause Fanuary 1; as approa#hin&/ and ! kne very ell that on#e the
Centenary Iear passes aay/ the hole thin& ould be#ome stale'
Sin#e the arliament as in session ! #amped in 7elhi/ spoke ith members J "riends
ho ere sympatheti#' ! as spe#ially thinkin& o" &ivin& a petition to the Govt ithsi&natures o" as many persons as possible' ! "ound that almost all o" them ere "avorably
disposed' So ! met Shri al 8ahadur Shastri and spoke about the idea o" a petition
addressed to .andit Nehru si&ned by some important persons in .arliament belon&in& to
di""erent parties' Shashtriji said 5 E,#ellent do it' hat is e,a#tly hat ! ant' Everyother day somethin& must appear in the +industan imes/ here there' !t must be in the air'
And this petition ill doD'
! de#ided to #olle#t as many si&natures as possible' @ithin three days ! #olle#ted 323
si&natures'
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petition e are &oin& to present to the .$' So your "irst si&nature' ! have to start ork
todayD' And he si&ned'
@hen ! shoed his si&nature immediately all Con&ress people si&ned sayin&/ =h Shri
Ra&hunath Sin&h has si&nedD' !n that Central +all ! #olle#ted 10 si&natures ithin an
hour/ the si&natures o" all top Con&ressmen' A"ter some dis#ussions on the nature o" theCon&ress &overnment Shri Ram $anohar ohia si&ned' Naturally hen he si&ned all in
the So#ialist &roup put their si&natures' hen Shri Ran&a - Shri ajpayee and all other
politi#al leaders also si&ned the petition' hen ! ent to Smt Renu Chakravarti/ theCommunist leader' Althou&h she as a&ainst some ords ! told her that they #annot be
removed' She said/ Iou leave this paper ith me' ! ill &et you si&natures o" some
peopleD' And she &ot the si&natures o" the hole &roup o" Communists "rom 8en&al'
Shri C ! 5nnadurai %as a great admirer of S%ami Vivekananda ' hrou&h the e""orts
o" Shri Nedun#he:hian/ the Edu#ation $inister ! met Shri Annadurai' @hen e met he
praised Samiji and then asked/ @hat do you ant "rom meD' ! said/ @e have a State
6nit o" amil Nadu "or the R$' @e already have a .resident' @e ant a i#e?.resident' @e ould like you to be one o" our i#e?.residentsD' +e said Sin#e ! am a
$ember o" .arliament/ ! stay in 7elhi most o" the time' $ake Shri Nedun#he:hian your i#e?.residentD' ! a&reed and su&&ested that Shri Annadurai be#omes a member o" our
General 8ody' +e a&reed' 8e#ause o" the asso#iation o" Shri Annadurai all 7$* people
also subs#ribed their si&nature'
@e had prepared to #opies o" the petition' =ne "or the .$ and another "or Shri
8haktavatsalam/ C$ o" amil Nadu' Shri $ S Aney/ the oldest $'.' "rom ilak%s time
as approa#hed to present the petition' 6n ,78#,8 #973 the petition %as given& A"ter itas &iven ! ent to Shri al 8ahadur Shastri and told him about the petition' 0e %asstunned to hear that 3,3 members had signed the petition& +e said/ Iou have done a
&ood job' So/ no it is my turn' he Ro#k $emorial is assured noD'
Ne,t day andit'i said/ As "ar as the Govt o" !ndia is #on#erned/ e shall very mu#h
like to have Samiji%s statue on the Ro#k' 8ut a"ter all/ it is a matter "or the $adras &ovtto de#ide' +oever/ ! am &oin& to $adras soon "or unveilin& o" Samiji%s statue' At that
time/ ! shall speak to the C$ - see hat ! #an do in the matterD'
2 days later some #orrespondents o" the +indu met Shri 8haktavatsalam and obtained astatement "rom him/ @e never obje#ted to the statue on the Ro#k' he only apprehension
or obje#tion as that the statue bein& in the midst o" the sea ill be #onstantly ashed by
the aves - it #ould not stand there "or lon&D' ! met the C$ later' +e said/ Iou do notkno the "anati#s' hey ill not allo the statue to remain there' Some stru#ture 5 a
"ormidable stru#ture should be there so that you #an put the statue under lo#k' So i" the
Committee is prepared to put up su#h a statue ! have no obje#tion'D
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$emorial be on the Ro#k - not on the shore' @hatever may be the other thin&s in him
Shri 8haktavatsalam as very parti#ular that the Ro#k must be established as
ivekananda Ro#kD' he C$ told Samiji ! #an allot a pla#e on the shore to put up amemorial there' Iou put up a memorial on the shore/ so that ! #an sho to the orld that
this Committee is obstinateD'
he C$ asked Samiji to make a statue o" Sami ivekananda ith dimension 9 "eet
by 9 "eet' 8e"ore Fanuary 1; the memorial must be #ompleted' ! shall ask 7r
Radhakrishnan to #ome there - open itD' C$ met 7r Radhakrishnan (.resident) and persuaded him to #ome to *anyakumari "or the inau&uration o" that 9 by 9 $emorial' !
as also keepin& #onta#t ith the .resident' So ! met him and said/ ! have #ome to
kno that you are #omin& to *anyakumari "or unveilin& Samiji%s statue' $y only
reBuest is that hen you #ome you should visit ivekananda Ro#kD' A##ordin&ly herote to Shri 8haktavatsalam ho "lared up +e is #omin& "or inau&uratin& the
$emorial - he &oes to the Ro#k - a&ain the issue ill remain the same' So that ould
not serve the purposeD'
So he in"ormed the .resident that it ould not be proper to visit the Ro#k and that he
should inau&urate the $emorial only' he .resident did not ant to &et into any#ontroversy - de#ided not #ome' he $emorial as opened "or the publi# durin& the
Centenary Iear' So he anted that the $emorial that as to #ome up on the Ro#k should
not be bi&&er than the $emorial on the shore' ! said
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#onsultation ith the Shankara#haryaD' =n#e approved by the Shankara#harya Shri
8haktavatsalam had nothin& more to say'
! said =ne di""i#ulty is there' Iou ere talkin& o" 9 by 9 "eet' !t is no 1 by 32 "eet'
+e said All ri&ht/ let it beD' No the a#tual desi&n o" the $emorial are 40 by 9;'9 "eet
e,#ludin& the Sripada $andapam - the $editation +all' @e thou&ht that e should present our proposals in installments'
/riends Turn 0ostile chapter :
=n ;J2J1; the "irst stone as #ut' At "irst the $emorial as only an idea 5 o" just a
statue' =ut o" all naturally evolved ideas/ the ultimate plan that emer&ed as a very bi&
plan' he ori&inal estimate as Rs ; lakhs/ then it as Rs ;0 J40 lakhs and "inally it #ameto #rore 39 lakhs'
he Ro#k as "irst to be tested to as#ertain hether it as solid or not' E,perts made >0
"eet bore on the Ro#k/ took tones "rom the bore and sent them to a laboratory' estindi#ated that the hole Ro#k as solid "rom inside - outside' hen there as an
ele#tri#ity resistan#e test hi#h "ound the Ro#k solid'
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See ho they behaved' ! ent to rivandrum be#ause this *anyakumari 7evasom
8oard as part o" the ravan#ore 8oard/ *anyakumari bein& a part o" ravan#ore State
then' @hen *anyakumari ent to amil Nadu/ the then ravan#ore 8oard as bi"ur#ated- *anyakumari 7evasom 8oard as "ormed ith a provision that the $aharaja%s
nominee ould be there as trustee' (i'e' one out o" three)' ! as keen to establish that this
Ro#k as part o" the temple property so that ! #ould plead that the Govt had no lo#usstandi as the 8oard had &iven us permission/ as it as their property'
! ent to the $aharaja - ravan#ore 7evasom 8oard and reBuested them to "ind &iveme a #opy o" some re#ords to sho that this ro#k in the sea as a part o" the
*anyakumari property' 8ut inspite o" valiant e""orts they #ould not "ind any' 7ue to the
adamant attitude o" the 8oard ! rote to the amil Nadu &ovt and #hallen&ed his
*anyakumari 7evasom 8oard has no lo#us standi hatsoever on the Ro#k' ! am prepared to prove it' ! kne that it #ouldn%t &et eviden#e' he matter as re"erred to the
Commissioner/ Reli&ious Endoments to make a probe and submit his "indin&s' he
Commissioner &ave his verdi#t that the 8oard%s #laim as ithout any "oundation' hen
e &ot permission in 7e#ember 1;4'
5nother Tussle 5
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meetin& and ! a&ain pressed the 8irlas "or Rs lakh' hey said his one lakh is not
&oin& to brin& 30 lakhs' 8e#ause nobody is &oin& to donate "or temples/ that too "or
ivekananda templeD' ! said !" you &ive me one lakh/ ! assure you that ! ill brin& one#roreD' hey lau&hed' ! asked +o mu#h money is reBuired to inspire your #on"iden#eH
Iou #olle#t 0 lakhs and then e shall #on"iden#e that you #anD' ! said Iou &ive me
90/000J no' ! shall ask "or the other 90/000J only on that day hen our Committee%s*osha there ill be 0 lakhsD' ! took 90/000J' @hen ! #on"ided that ! intended to make all
State &ovts to donate one lakh ea#h/ almost all my "riends ridi#uled the idea o" donatin&
toards the #onstru#tion o" R$'
Vision of a !e% 0ori*on ? @e #an have an order o" orkers in hose #ase marria&e
need not be barred' !" e #an provide "or all their basi# needs e may &et a "ine #lass o"
orkers out o" su#h dedi#ated people e see all around' 8ut hat #ould that ork beH !started dis#ussin& it ith all?important people like Sami Ran&anathananda/ Se#retary o"
the !nstitute o" Culture/ .resident Radhakrishnan/ .resident o" Ramakrishna $ission/
Shri Faya .rakash Narayan/ Shankara#haryas top leaders et#' Sloly in my press
brie"in&s ! used to tell that the $emorial as the "irst phase o" the plan and as soon as itas over e ould take up the se#ond phase'
As ! met a #ross spe#trum o" people ! "ound that almost all people belon&in& to various
politi#al &roups had #omplete identi"i#ation ith Samiji%s idea/ ith hatever Samiji
had said' he book &ives to e,amples o" to su#h leaders hi#h ! am not reprodu#in&'=ne is Shri *alyanasundaram/ the Ri&ht in& Communist leader o" $adras and to is
Shri Fyoti 8asu/ the le"t Communist leader'
!n this ay hen e ere dis#ussin& the matters ith Sami Ran&anathananda hen our #olle#tion drive as &oin& on/ e ere also thinkin& o" plans "or the "uture' he hole
#ampai&n as so or&ani:ed - desi&ned that hatever e did/ our #olle#tions durin& the
phase should prepare "or the needs o" the se#ond phase'
@e had not "ormed a Committee "or $aharashtra "or si, months' ! anted Shri S * .atil/
the then Railay $inister to be the .resident' hrou&h a series o" #onta#ts and si,months ultimately Shri .atil be#ame the .resident a"ter hi#h Shri . Naik readily
be#ame i#e?.resident' he same pattern as "olloed in other states'
Shri C Shukhla/ $inister "or 7e"en#e .rodu#tion #ame here' +e as happy that theR$ as #omin& up and he helped us in every ay' he C$ o" $adhya .radesh had not
donated the Rs lakh' Shri Shukhla said it is be#ause ! as "rom the RSS - Shri $ishra
is aller&i# to the RSS' hen ! asked Shri Shukhla a point blank Buestion Are youa""e#ted by the revelation that ! am #onne#ted ith the RSSH ! tell you/ the health o" this
#ountry is spoilt' his politi#al atmosphere is so mu#h vitiated that even "or &ood ork/
e do not #ome toðer/ e,#ept "or the de"en#e o" the #ountryD'
7i""erent people belon&in& to di""erent politi#al a""iliations all rea#ted in this manner -
rallied around us be#ause e #are"ully kept ourselves aloo" "rom politi#s' his has helped
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us - this is the se#ret - substan#e o" the su##ess/ hether in #olle#tion o" "unds or in
mobili:in& people'
To .istant !agaland chapter 7
@e had the se#ond phase in mind hile takin& up the "irst phase 5 the ork that e hadto do "or hi#h e had to pave the ay "or' So that &eared up the hole ma#hinery "or
the #olle#tion #ampai&n under the "irst phase'
! ent to Na&aland to meet Shri + Sema/ the Chie" $inister/ "our times and #ould meet
him only the "ourth time' +e asked me a si&ni"i#ant Buestion $r Ranade/ hy have you
#hosen Na&aland "or #olle#tion o" "undsH @ho told you/ e have &ot "unds hereH @e are
not havin& business houses or industries' he State depends entirely on the Central Govt'So/ neither the Govt nor the people #an donateD'
! said ! have not #ome here "or "unds' ! only ant your parti#ipation/ o" the &overnment/
o" the people here' hat is more valuable' ! may &et one or to thousand rupees here butthat does not matter' Sami ivekananda and his ideals represent the soul o" !ndia hi#h
is needed "or the "uture o" the #ountry' !" you a&ree that by "olloin& him e may prosper then people - &ovt o" Na&aland/ must respond - take up this orkD' +e said !t is all
ri&ht' 8ut then ho #an the people here respond hen they do not kno anythin& about
ivekanandaHD
! said hat is e,a#tly the reason hy ! should ork here more' !s it not ne#essary that
they should kno about ivekanandaHD +e admitted - said Ies/ but $r Ranade/ !
mysel" do not kno anythin& about himD' +e as the not the "irst person to tell this' ! metGen $aneksha/ Chie" o" Army/ be#ause ! anted to or&ani:e #olle#tion "rom the armed
"or#es too' A"ter e,#han&e o" letters ! met and told him that the entire de"en#e "or#es must
respond - donate hatever may be the pro#edure' +e said a si&ni"i#ant thin& ! havere#ently read ivekananda/ that too at my i"e%s instan#e' =n#e she &ave me a book and
said ook you are readin& a lot o" novels and all that' 8ut look at this' !t has somethin&
substantialD' No ! kno atleast somethin& about him' ! must thank his i"e'
! said to Shri Sema ! ill &ive you some books to read and hen ! #ome you must head
the Committee "or Na&aland "or the #olle#tionD' @hen ! met him ne,t/ he said
ivekananda has a very #atholi# outlook' !" the #ountry is mobili:ed on the basis o" hisideas/ its "uture #an be surely shaped a##ordin& to hat e desireD' +e #ame .resident o"
the State Committee and his edu#ation minister i#e?.resident' Sin#e the people o"
Na&aland did not kno Sami ivekananda people%s attention had to be attra#ted "or hi#h ! su&&ested that the best thin& "or you ould be to de#lare a donation o" a lakh o"
rupees "or this $emorial by the Na&aland &ovt'
!nitially unsure o" ho the Central Govt ould respond sin#e it &ave the state all "unds he
said the state ould donate ithout #he#kin& ith the Centre' +e &ave Rs 9/000J at
present and said that i" other State &ovts &ave lakh he ould also &ive the balan#e
49/000J' A Committee as "ormed and spe#ial "olders printed "or Na&aland' he "olders
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ere #ir#ulated to s#hools - #olle&es' he #olle#tion there as some >/000J apart "rom
the 9/000J &iven by the State &ovt yet hy did e print these "olders' !t as be#ause e
had our eyes on the se#ond phase o" our ork'
6ne Rupee /olders ? the idea behind this is to #onta#t as many people as possible' hese
"olders ere printed in all lo#al lan&ua&es and distributed idely' About 90 lakh "oldersere printed and nearly 30 lakh people donated in /3/9/ rupees'
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No .ate
' 7ate o"
#ommen#ement o"
stone dressin& ork'
;''1; $eans o" a##ess to the Ro#k'
o helipads are provided on
the Ro#k/ one on the northest- other on southest'
7imensions o" the helipad onthe northest' 7imensions o"
the helipad on the southest'
19% by 9%'
%by93%'
3' otal #"t o" stones
(&ranite) used(e,#ludin& "loorin&)'
>399 #"t $eans o" Communi#ation @ireless'
' otal ei&ht o" &raniteused (e,#l "loorin&)
;000 tons he Chie" En&ineer -Ar#hite#t
Shri S * A#hari o"
7evakottai
(' Nadu)9' $a,imum ei&ht o" a
pillar (sin&le pie#e)
3 $emorial !nau&uration
#elebrated on
2'1'1>0
;' $a,imum len&th -
si:e o" beam'
>J2% by
2 P% by 2
Q L'
abor parti#ulars "or the
period beteen inau&uration
o" stone dressin& ork -memorial inau&uration'
>' $a,imum ei&h o" beam
1 tons otal orkin& days 204'
4' $a,imum number o" orkmen on the
proje#t'
100 (av&;90)'
otal man days >43>;>'
Steer Clear of olitics chapter >
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$emorial' 8ut it ould not have been o" value' 8ut no it has be#ome a rallyin& point o"
the entire #ountry/ a nu#leus round hi#h e #an build somethin&' No you see another
uniBue point' All those ho opposed it as "irst/ have be#ome "riendly' A person asadamant/ about not havin& the Ro#k $emorial/ as Shri 8haktavatsalam ultimately
be#ame the patron o" the amil Nadu #ommittee' he amil Nadu &ovt spent Rs
/29/000J on the #onstru#tion o" jetties as its #ontribution' he C$ as not a&ainstivekananda/ it as politi#s plain - simple'
.ivisions in the name of Spirituality 5lso ? ;nfortunate@ ? Fust as there aredivisions in politi#s there are divisions amon& people ho are tuned to spirituality' .eople
sear by the sampradayas or se#ts that #ame into e,isten#e' 8ut stran&ely enou&h/ every
institution 5 &roup that anted to unite all people/ be#ame one more addition to the list o"
se#ts "or e'&' Arya Samaj' Sami 7ayananda said/ @e ill a##ept the authority o" theedas onlyD' And he made a &reat attempt but the modus operandi he or his "olloers
used as su#h that they "olloed his tea#hin&s - ultimately Arya Samaj be#ame another
se#t' he book &ives more e,amples too'
!o faction or group in the name of Vivekananda - +e said a number o" times
that all the spiritual "or#es s#attered in the #ountry should be united' here are a "eletters in hi#h he des#ribes his plan o" ork' +e said !n a parti#ular ton/ it does not
matter i" one #alls himsel" a Sikh/ Arya Samajist/ a Fain or 8uddhist 5 but they are all
aidikas' All authority "los "rom the edas' et us have a temple here there is nodeity/ but just the symbol o" =m so that all people may #ome toðerD' et us unite all
people/ underlinin& the basi# unity/ that the basi# thin& hi#h prompts a#tion/ hi#h
appeals to them'
Samiji said @orship o" God is servi#e to humanityD' !n order to orship God you
must have "ello "eelin& ith all the people +e has #reated' !" you look ba#k in history/
you ill "ind that/ perhaps amon& the sannyasis/ and the monks he as the "oremost inmakin& this tea#hin& the main obje#t o" his li"e' A#tually hen he "ounded the
Ramakrishna $ission/ Samiji himsel" had to "i&ht ith his #ollea&ues on this said'
@hen he said @e shall have a band o" sannyasins ho ill meditate/ ho ill spreadthe messa&e o" 6panishads to the hole people and at the same time/ they also ill ork
"or the prosperity o" the people/ "or their e#onomi# ell bein&/ "or their edu#ation/ "or
&ivin& them medi#al relie"/ undertake all a#tivities o" servi#eD' hey did not a##ept this
sayin& Ramakrishna did not tell us this' Samiji had to e,ert mu#h pressure in persuadin& his Gurubhais to a##ept his point o" vie'
The Choice of ose - Everythin& that has a pla#e on the Ro#k/ the desi&nin&/ the#onstru#tion/ has #ome si&ni"i#an#e' Nothin& is done ithout prior thou&ht' @hat sort o"
statue must e haveH @hat should it #onveyH A lot o" thinkin& has &one into it' @hen it
as announ#ed that the statue ill be in a standin& posture/ some monks did not like it'hey rote to me that Samiji should be in a meditation pose sin#e it as the pla#e
here he meditated' ! said Samiji meditated no doubt' 8ut that as the pla#e "rom
here Samiji rose up "rom meditation ith a mission 5 that as the pla#e here he
dis#overed his mission o" li"e 5 here all thin&s had be#ome #lear' +e &ot up here and set
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on his mission' ! said to the portrait makers' Iou must be able to #onvey the movement in
the standin& pose as i" he is settin& on a mission/ ith a #on"iden#e 5 that he has
somethin& on his hand and he is out to &ive a messa&e to the orldD' A"ter years e"ound the ri&ht man' At se#ond attempt he #ame out ith a marvelous portrait' he
portrait as &iven to nearly ei&ht s#ulptors in the #ountry'
o statues ere #aste in bron:e and brou&ht here' =ne o" them as #hosen' !n the entire
memorial/ the "o#al point is the Sripadam' he hole stru#ture is desi&ned a##ordin& to
the situation o" Sripadam and as soon as the main door is opened Samiji%s eyes "all onthe Sripadam' Also by #hoosin& a statue ith a standin& posture/ e ensured that Samiji
on the Ro#k ill inspire people not only to meditate but also to ork' So to inspire people
to a#t/ the se#ond phase as mooted'
!s it not ironi#al that be"ore ! joined the Ro#k $emorial Committee ! as to #ompile a
book on Samiji "or hi#h ! read Samiji "rom A to / all the volumes' So/ ! onder
hether that as not desi&ned by some superior poer that ! should read bout Samiji in
1;2' 8e#ause ne,t year ! as to do somethin& about his messa&e'
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