On Vijayadashami 1968, M. S. Golwalkar gave the annual address at the gathering in Nagpur, where the chief guest was N. G. Ranga. This page summarises what was reported about it.
The day
- Date: 1 October 1968 — the calendar date of Vijayadashami; our sources do not record the exact day of the gathering
- Place: Nagpur
- Address by: M. S. Golwalkar
- Chief guest: N. G. Ranga
What the address covered
Per Shri Guruji Samagra, the Shastrapujan address argued that a weak, divided Hindu society invites aggression and disrespect, even from 'friends' such as the Soviet Union. It warned of growing dependence on Moscow despite India's professed neutrality. In the Vijayadashami address Golwalkar complained that calling oneself Hindu was treated as communal. He urged people to see Hindu society as one family without high or low. He argued that religious discourses and conventions leave little lasting effect, and presented the daily shakha as the RSS's method of steady character-building.
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 Vol. 5, 'Shastrapujan 1968' and 'Vijayadashami 1968'
- Organiser (Webdesk), RSS Vijayadashami guest list since 1925 (23 Oct 2026)
- 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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