Vivekananda Kendra was started in 1972 by the visionary Eknath Ranade at Kanyakumari as a spiritually-oriented service mission to spread the vital, vigorous, man-making and nation-building message of Swami Vivekananda along the length and breadth of the country with the help of a team of devoted, determined and dedicated life workers. Through its 813 activity centers, Vivekananda Kedra has taken up projects in the field of education, rural development, natural resource development, and health care with a focus area in geo-politically remote and sensitive regions.