On Vijayadashami 1969, M. S. Golwalkar gave the annual address at the gathering in Nagpur, where the chief guest was Fattesinghrao Bhonsle of Nagpur. This page summarises what was reported about it.
The day
- Date: 20 October 1969 — 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: Shrimant Fattesinghrao (Bhonsle) of Nagpur
What the address covered
According to Shri Guruji Samagra, Golwalkar cited Vinoba Bhave's warning about the Assam–Bengal border, with hostile Pakistan and China on either side. He also cited Jayaprakash Narayan's view that recent riots were planned, while noting that JP often blamed the RSS. He criticised a Home Ministry directive to recruit more Muslims into the police and armed forces, likening it to British-era policy. His Shastrapujan address called untouchability a disease and caste divisions harmful. It also characterised Christianity, Islam and communism as intolerant creeds, a contentious generalisation.
Context
Speech came in the year of the Ahmedabad riots, which are not named in the text.
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 1969' and 'Vijayadashami 1969'
- 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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