On Vijayadashami 1928 (23 October 1928), Dr K. B. Hedgewar gave the annual address at the gathering in Nagpur, where the chief guest was Vitthalbhai Patel. This page summarises what was reported about it.
The day
- Date: 23 October 1928
- Place: Nagpur (route march; Patel also visited the Mohite sanghasthan)
- Address by: Dr K. B. Hedgewar
- Chief guest: Vitthalbhai Patel
- Note: Vitthalbhai Patel attended as guest, and Dr B. S. Moonje introduced the organisation to him
What the address covered
Seshadri and Palkar both date this Vijayadashami to 23 October 1928. According to Palkar, Hedgewar decided to hold a military-style route march with a band for the first time, and about 500 to 600 uniformed swayamsevaks took part. Vitthalbhai Patel, who was visiting Nagpur, accepted an invitation to the Mohite ground. Moonje introduced the Sangh to him, and Patel briefly urged the volunteers to fear none but God and to expand their work. Palkar says the newspaper Maharashtra remarked on how firm the Sangh's organisation had become in three years.
Context
First uniformed route march (path sanchalan) on Vijayadashami, according to Palkar. Visit of Vitthalbhai Patel.
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
- N. H. Palkar, Dr. Hedgewar Jivan Charit (Bengali tr.)
- Historical facts: not subject to copyright. Quotations are short extracts as reported in the sources cited; speeches are summarised in our own words.
- Commentary and translations on this page: original to The Hindu Book. © The Hindu Book, all rights reserved.
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