On Vijayadashami 1925 (27 September 1925), K. B. Hedgewar gave the annual address at the gathering in Nagpur. This page summarises what was reported about it.
The day
- Date: 27 September 1925
- Place: Dr Hedgewar's house, Nagpur
- Address by: K. B. Hedgewar (the head of the organisation at the time was Dr K. B. Hedgewar)
What the address covered
According to H. V. Seshadri's biography, Hedgewar picked Vijayadashami 1925 to launch the Sangh. Some 15 to 20 young men met at his house, among them Bhauji Kawre, Anna Sohni, Vishwanathrao Kelkar, Balaji Huddar and Bapurao Bhedi. He announced that the Sangh was being started and asked for their views. Rakesh Sinha's biography says the start got no publicity and no name; the name Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh was picked by vote on 17 April 1926. Jean Curran's 1951 study also dates the inauguration to Vijayadashami 1925, but names four different founder-members.
As reported
We are inaugurating the Sangh today.
Context
Founding day of the RSS. No name, constitution or publicity at the time; the name was adopted on 17 April 1926.
How sure is this?
This account is supported by two or more independent sources, listed below. Most accounts of these early years come from biographies written within the movement.
In the archive
Sources & copyright status
- H. V. Seshadri (ed.), Dr. Hedgewar the Epoch-Maker (archive.org text)
- Rakesh Sinha, Dr. Keshav Baliram Hedgewar (Publications Division, Builders of Modern India)
- J. A. Curran, Militant Hinduism in Indian Politics: A Study of the R.S.S. (Institute of Pacific Relations, 1951)
- N. H. Palkar, Dr. Hedgewar Jivan Charit (Bengali tr. J. Bandyopadhyay, Dr Hedgewar Smarak Samiti, Kolkata)
- D. D. Pattanaik, Organiser, 'Dr Keshav Baliram Hedgewar: Victim of selective narrativisation' (29 Jun 2026)
- ThePrint, 'Founding, first shakha meet, 3 bans: key moments' (2021)
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