At Kanyakumari - a unique symbol of unity and purity - is the Memorial of Swami Vivekananda, another symbol of the united aspiration of Nation. In the Memorial, there is a happy and harmonious blend of all the architectural beauty of the country. It is a symbol of unity because the whole nation wished, worked and contributed for it. Person from all states participated in its inauguration.
"An aggregate or a congregation of men does not make a nation, nor do the geographical area and duration of time qualify a society to be known as a nation. A government formed on such a basis can be called a state, but not a nation. It is common goal or mission that makes a nation. All the constituents strive collectively for something noble. Service with spiritual orientation results in man-making which invariably and inseparably connected with nation building." It is the core of all the thoughts behind Vivekananda Kendra.
Second Phase of Vivekananda Rock Memorial was parallel when Rock Memorial was taking shape. As Eknathji used to say "To put up a Cement and Concrete structure is not the work for which I am born, I am to erect a living and dynamic monument which will be worthy of Swami Vivekananda and which will be capable of bringing into fruition his grand vision of future India."
After vising the Shripada Mandapam, Smt. Indira Gandhi is proceeding to the Vivekananda Mandapam.
The Prime Minister spent about 20 minutes in the Exhibition, evincing keen interest in many of the exhibits.
Shrimati Indira Gandhi then moved to the adjacent spacious pendal where she was to adddress a meeting organised by the Committee in her honour. The meeting was presided over by Shrimat Swami Ranganathananda referred to Kanyakumari as the new symbol of India. "The Himalayas" he said "have been the symbol of India during all these centuries and the Himalayas represent the spirit of meditation, the spirit of inwardness."
"India has written a bright chapter in the history of man, in the tremendous development in his life of inwardness, meditation, transcendentalism in that immortal listerature the Upanishads."
"But today," he said, "We have a symbol for India and that is Kanyakumari. And that Kanyakumari represents that manifestation of that idealism in practical terms, what Vivekananda called practical Vedanta. We have achieved greatness in the inner life. Today's problems call for dedication of these great energies of the Nation for the social, economical nad the cultrual betterment of the millions and millions of our people. And the message today, therefore, is meditation, but combined with action, combined with scientific and technical efficiency."