Eknath Ranade

Eknath Ramakrishna Ranade (; 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.

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 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.

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.

During his school years, Ranade was deeply influenced by K. B. Hedgewar, the founding figure of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. Ranade joined the organization as a Swayamsevak (volunteer) in 1926. After working for the RSS in Nagpur, Ranade was appointed as a Pranth Pracharak (provincial organizer) in Mahakoshal, Madhya Pradesh in 1938.

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. 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.

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 The ban imposed on the RSS was revoked on 11 July 1949.

In 1950, he worked as a Kshetra Pracharak for Poorvanchal Kshetra, comprising Bengal, Odisha, and Assam. In Calcutta, he established a Vastuhara Sahayata Samiti ( 'Committee to Help the Dispossessed') to aid refugees from Pakistan following the Partition of India. In 1953, Ranade became the Akhil Bharatiya Prachar Pramukh ( 'All-India Propagation Chief').

Publications Ranade's notable publications include:

Swami Vivekananda's Rousing Call to Hindu Nation The Sadhana of Service (1985) The Story of Vivekananda Rock Memorial The Kendra Unfolds.