The Story of The Vivekananda Rock Memorial

(As told by Shri Eknath Ranade)

About two years I heard the story of how the Rock Memorial came up and Shri Eknath Ranadeji's role in making it happen. I was told about a book that had the complete story but was not able to lay my hands on it. Then out of the blue I met a very senior person from The Vivekananda Kendra that runs the Memorial. He sent me the book and some pictures too. Am sharing excerpts from part one of the book i.e. relating to the construction of the Rock Memorial. Content is verbatim from the book. My comments are in inverted commas. Courtesy & Copyright is Vivekananda Kendra Prakashan Trust, Chennai, vkmadras@vsnl.com or call 91 44 28440042, 28442843.

To see pictures of the Vivekananda Rock Memorial - CLICK HERE

The Memorial is on the Rock where Swamiji meditated & discovered the mission of his life. A brief summary of the chapters -

Ch No

Chapter Title

Contents
     

1.

Preface

Excerpts by P Parmeshwaranji, President Vivekananda Kendra.

2.

Teething Trouble

How did the idea of memorial take shape, opposition of local Christians, political opposition, how Eknathji got involved with Memorial work.

3.

Stalwarts Involved

Plunge into work, how Eknathji with tact & patience won over the politicians, got a petition supporting the Memorial signed by 323 MP's.

4.

Unforeseen Problem

Created by Kankaykumari Devaswom Board.

5.

Collection Campaign

Strategy & Vision of new Horizon.

6.

To Nagaland

For collecting funds, One Rupee folder campaign.

7.

Memorial Details

E.g. 6,000 tons of granite were used or it took 7,83,767 man-days to construct it.

8.

Steer Clear of Politics

Was one of the reasons for Eknathji's success, reasons behind Choice of Pose.

Learning's from the book that each one of us can use in our day to days lives -

    1. Every problem has a solution. Keep your mind calm & find a way out.

    2. Learn when to speak & keep quiet.

    3. Maintain good relations with all if you do not like some one.

    4. Fight hard with your opponents. Once you win let there not be any bitterness in your heart. Learn to be magnanimous without letting your guard down.

    5. Spirituality must be vibrant. It should be selfless action, rather than simple meditation.

    6. Self-confidence & teamwork are important to create something that will last even after you leave your body.

    7. Look before you leap. Read up matter & think before committing to completing a given tasks.

    8. Cultivate good relations with people, you never know when both of you could need each other's help.

    9. When someone is being unreasonable to your suggestion you can get him to fall in line by finding his weak points in his hometown or area of influence.

    10. There is a right time for everything so learn to be patient & know when the time is right.

    11. When a person is adamant, does not agree with you, keep the dialogue on.

    12. Always look to create something eternal, deeper than merely a brick & mortar structure.

    13. Do not become rigid and restrict your thinking to compartments or a sect. Always have an open mind.

Publisher's Note - The famous Vivekananda Rock Memorial (referred to as VRM henceforth) was inaugurated in the year 1970. Marking the 25th year of the event, in 1995 we released the first edition of the book. Considering the intrinsic value of the book, the need to preserve the true story for posterity, the revised edition has been brought out with several multi-color plates.

Some reviews of the first edition - "The VRM, as it stands today, is as much a memorial to Swamiji as to Shri Eknath Ranade whose devotion to the work he had undertaken was inspired but not by mere faith but by intellectual conviction. His work necessarily involved much physical exertion, but much more in demand were his gift of intellectual persuasion, perseverance & tact".