Dr. Rambhau Ranade as we familiarly called him, was my professor in English in the B. A. Class in the Fergusson College, Poona in 1914-16. As he came from Jamkhandi and knew Kannada, we Kannada students often went to him for advice. He taught us Carlyle's 'Hero and Hero-worship. In the terminal exam, he saw my answer paper and called me home and advised me to take philosophy as my subject for B. A. I had taken English Hon. and Sanskrit as my subjects. There were only six months left for the degree examination; I pleaded saying, dear Sir, I have to pass my exam. and how can I master philosophy in six months? He lovingly smiled at me and said. you have the make of a philosopher in you But I declined his advice with thanks and due respect and took my graduate's degree in English Honours in 1916. But that sincere advice was practically the beginning of a closer tie between us, which continued not only till his passing away but even afterwards. I have seen to it that the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Bombay, which has been one of my dear institutions, published everything that Dr. Ranade wrote in English, including what he wrote earlier than his popularity as a great philosopher and a Spiritual person of high calibre. Once when I complimented him later for his philosophical writings he said. Rangrao, what is this writing, it is more intellectual play! The real thing is quite different, it is the inner experience that counts!
The Fergusson College of the Deccan Education Society of Poona, founded by the great patriots, Shris. Chiplunkar, Tilak, Gokhale and others was and is a private institution and has always been known to have very learned and competent staff. Even so, Dr. Ranade as a professor was one of the most brilliant of them. He would speak in the classroom as one possessed and his flow was like a cascade coming down from above, especially when philosophy or spirituality were the subjects. Perhaps many students could not grasp what he said but were certainly overwhelmed with the atmosphere he created in the classroom.
Dr. Ranade's methods of teaching in a college were somewhat different from those of teaching in a school. Many of the other professors followed the method of reading the text in classrooms and also giving notes. He said in a we have to teach the students how to study, furnish information about the author, his style and make general observations about the subject matter and leave other things to the students. He completed the round of his lectures usually earlier than the end of the semester. This was not liked by the senior authorities of the college and he left the college and joined sometime later, the University of Allahabad as Profess-or of Philosophy. He retired from there after his full term. It was sometime before he left Poona that he started the Adhyatma Vidya Mandir with the ambitious plan of Vedantic publications.
I sometimes call Dr. Ranade a modern Acharya as he has written commentaries, albeit in English, on the Prashtan Trayi, The Upanishads, the Brahma Sutras (Vedant as a culmination of Indian thought), and the Geeta Book of God realisation. In addition to these he has written, 'Pathway to God in Marathi Literature,' 'Pathway to God 'in Hindi Literature and 'Pathway to God in Kannada Literature'. He has also some Marathi books to his credit.
My field of work is in Karnataka, and mostly in the fight for struggle for Freedom (1921 - 1947). And yet neither long distance nor difference in our field of work came in the way of my deep reverence for Dr. Ranade and my intense desire to serve him through literature. In collaboration with Dr. D.R. Bendre and another research scholar Dr. S. S. Joshi of Dharwar, I read Dr. Ranade's 'Constructive Survey Of Upanishadic Philosophy' rendered in Kannada under the title' Upanishad Rahasya.' When I read out to him certain portions in Kannada, he exclaimed in his own childlike manner, 'Rangrao this is, somewhat better than English and sounds so sweet.' I just explained to him the reason, that it is not the translators who can write better than you, but they had the whole of Sanskrit vocabulary at their command while you were handicapped in expression highly spiritual thoughts in English, which has not yet developed such a terminology! He immediately saw the truth of my observation. Later I was instrumental to a great extent in completing and bringing out his lectures on 'The Pathway to God, in Kannada Literature' delivered at the Karnataka University and also his lectures delivered long ago at the Calcutta University on 'Vedanta, the Culmination of Indian Thought,' and his lectures at Nagpur University on the Geeta. Of course, in all these efforts, the help of Dr D.C.Pavate, then vice-chancellor of the Karnatak University, of Professor N.G.Damale of Poona, of Professors Gajendragadkar of Dharwar, of Shri. M.S. Deshpande, of Athani, of Prof. B.R. Kulkarni now in Delhi, of Prof. Pandit and many others was invaluable. Most of all, without the willing co-operation of Shri K. M. Munshi and Shri Ramakrishnan of The Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Bombay, we could not have succeeded in placing before the public, the rich treasure of spiritual thought and experience which Dr. Ranade has left for us.
Though a giant in intellect, a distinguished scholar in Sanskrit, in philosophy both Indian and Western and in mathematics, a lucid exponent of the most abstruse thought both in English and Marathi and though a fluent and impressive speaker and though ha was one who had the standing of the departmental head in a popular university, Dr. Ranade childlike in his simplicity and straightforward in his behavior.
He was very popular among equals and commanded reverence from his spiritual followers and was looked upon as a guide and adviser by his juniors.
Once I had arranged his three talks at Rashtrapati Bhavan in Delhi when Dr. Rajendra Prasad was the President. When I appeared at the Bhavan along with Dr. Ranade, Dr. Prasad asked me where is Dr. Ranade... so slight, unassuming, frail was his figure and bearing!
Philosophers and Scientists are proverbially simple and absent-minded too. I am tempted to quote a story of Dr. Ranade while he was staying in Poona It was Ekadashi and a partial fast was being observed. Dr. Ranade's mother asked him to bring some fruits, some nuts etc. for the fasting day. He went at about ten O'Clock, bought some things and entrusted them to a patiwala (coolie) and asked him to follow him. Dr. Ranade, came home and straight went up to his study and was absorbed in reading. The mother waited and waited for her philosopher son to bring things. She then went up to his room at midnoon and asked, 'Ramu, where are the things, you promised to bring?.
It was then that Dr. Ranade recalled his having gone to the market and entrusted certain things to a Patiwala. He exclaimed to his mother, Oh did not the Patiwala gave you the things? Seeing that the Doctor was absent-minded, the Patiwala had made a show of following him and quietly made away with the precious things!.
Blessed are we that Dr. Ranade missed giving vegetable and fruits to his mother, but did not miss to give us the treasure of his well-earned intellectual wealth and his experiential spiritual gains!
