On Vijayadashami 1944, M. S. Golwalkar gave the annual address at the gathering in Nagpur. This page summarises what was reported about it.
The day
- Date: 27 September 1944 — the calendar date of Vijayadashami; our sources do not record the exact day of the gathering
- Place: Nagpur
- Address by: M. S. Golwalkar
What the address covered
In his 1944 Vijayadashami talk, as summarised in the Shri Guruji Samagra, Golwalkar said the word 'Hindu' had become a byword for backwardness. He rejected Hindu philosophy, child marriage and caste as the causes of decline, citing historical betrayals by kin. Instead he blamed a self-centred life with no sense of duty to society. He answered critics who said all swayamsevaks spoke alike, criticised ego clashes in other organisations, and said the Sangh had to grow faster because world conditions were changing quickly.
How sure is this?
This account rests mainly on one source, listed below; details may be incomplete. For these years the main source is the organisation's own compilation of Golwalkar's talks (Shri Guruji Samagra), which prints edited summaries rather than verbatim transcripts.
In the archive
Sources & copyright status
- Shri Guruji Samagra, Khand 5 (Hindi)
- 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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