Seeking Spirituality in the Soil of Bengal

Under the guidance of Swami Akhandananda at Sargachi Ashram young Golwalkar embraced service as true worship, merged his spirituality with action, and made himself ready for transformative social contributions

- ANIRBAN GANGULY

1936 was the centenary year of Sri Ramakrishna, and the young seeker, Golwalkar, was soon intensely involved in various works of the Ashram at Sargachi, and more importantly in serving his Master.

‘Golwalkar’, as Swami Akhandananda addressed him, would, in the next four months, immerse himself in his spiritual quest. Sri Ramakrishna’s centenary celebrations were to begin in February. A national committee was formed with Swami Akhandananda as its president. ‘It was planned that the inauguration of the Centenary would take place at Belur Math on the birth anniversary of Sri Ramakrishna, and would be followed by celebrations across the world, finally to be concluded at Calcutta and Belur Math in March of 1937,’ writes Akhandananda’s biographer, Swami Annadananda.

The celebration of Sri Ramakrishna’s centenary would be Akhandananda’s final grand work. When asked by the legendary Josephine Macleod, herself advanced in years by then, for a message that people want for the coming centenary of Sri Ramakrishna, Akhandananda, replied, ‘I have no message of mine own, but I have got this message from the Lord, - “I am Infinite and Eternal. What is my centenary?”

In the late Ranga Hari, one finds an extremely moving raconteur of the ‘Spiritual Seeker of Sargachi.’ Sargachi, argues Ranga Hari, ‘was not just a unidimensional centre of spirituality. Its founding idea was that of serving society. Its founder, ‘fired by the eagerness to serve people,’ established it thus. For him, there was ‘nothing greater than service to mankind.’ The seekers, therefore, who came to the centre, observes Ranga Hari, ‘needed practical knowledge and skills to run it properly.’