On Vijayadashami 1971, M. S. Golwalkar gave the annual address at the gathering in Nagpur. This page summarises what was reported about it.
The day
- Date: 29 September 1971 — 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
Only a Shastrapujan address is recorded in Shri Guruji Samagra. In it Golwalkar took up the 'Garibi Hatao' slogan of that year's election. He said poverty could not be removed by slogans and that the communists' 'Amiri Hatao' slogan would only make everyone poor. He criticised frequent strikes and bandhs and called for selfless hard work and devotion to the motherland. The text does not refer to the East Pakistan crisis.
Context
Came before the December 1971 war. ThePrint notes that Golwalkar later congratulated Indira Gandhi on the victory; that was not at this utsav.
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 1971'
- ThePrint, MS Golwalkar, the RSS chief who remains 'Guruji' to some, a 'bigot' to others
- 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.
The Hindu Book is an independent educational platform. It is not affiliated with any political party, religious organisation or movement, and nothing here implies endorsement by any organisation. This page is published for education and review. If you hold rights in any material quoted here, or believe a source is misrepresented, please write to [email protected].