Address by the chief guest, Sanjay Gupta ji, at the Shri Vijayadashami Utsav 2026

 

 

Respected Dr. Mohan Bhagwat ji, respected swayamsevak's of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh present here, ladies and gentlemen, I extend my greetings to all of you on Vijayadashami and the foundation day of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.

 

I am grateful that you have invited me on this great occasion, and it is a matter of great pride for me.This event holds special significance on the occasion of the Sangh’s 101st Foundation Day. When the Sangh was established 101 years ago, Bharat was not independent, and the social conditions of that time were also very different. Therefore, the fundamental concept and objectives behind the establishment of the Sangh were to unite Hindu society and make it strong, while also working towards securing independence for the nation. The Sangh’s belief at that time was that true freedom could not be imagined without liberating society from the mentality of subjugation and developing a sense of self-awareness.

 

Bharat became independent, and after independence, the Sangh made the development of individuals, along with a sense of Indianness and national commitment, its principal objectives. This noble ideology of the Sangh was not accepted by the politicians’ occupying positions of power after independence and by a section of the political establishment because the Sangh’s ideology did not align with their agenda of appeasement. Nevertheless, despite numerous challenges, the Sangh continued to move forward on its path. As Bharat became a republic, many politicians who believed in a pure sense of Indianness, inspired by the Sangh’s work and ideology, changed their views and, together with some nationally committed thinkers, established the Jana Sangh. Later, this very Jana Sangh evolved into the Bharatiya Janata Party, which is today the world’s largest political party. The awareness of Indianness, nationalism and Indian values found among the leaders at the highest levels of this party, as well as among many other leaders, has come to them from the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh itself. Therefore, there should be no hesitation in acknowledging that the Sangh’s firm ideological foundation and organisational strength lie behind the success of this party.

 

The Sangh, along with its affiliated organisations and those inspired by its ideology, including the Bharatiya Janata Party, is repeatedly accused of promoting Hindu extremism. However, had the Sangh not existed, Hindu values and the Hindu way of life might have disappeared long ago. First came Mughal rule, followed by British rule. After nearly six hundred years of subjugation, if Indianness and Hindutva have a distinct influence across the world today, the principal credit for this should be given to the Sangh.

 

After completing its centenary year, the Sangh is working towards bringing continuous change to society over the next 100 years and establishing Bharatiya cultural values, because many challenges still remain. Social evils that gradually take root over time always require institutions like the Sangh to eliminate them, because the Sangh works with a spirit of selfless service. Although political parties also have a responsibility to bring about social reform, political ambitions driven by vote-bank politics give rise to a different kind of social malady. In such circumstances, barring a few political leaders, the public does not trust most of them, at least when it comes to their own development. Consequently, the need for and relevance of the Sangh and organisations inspired by it increased further.

 

Today, Bharat is progressing rapidly in economic terms. If everything proceeds well, we will emerge as a truly prosperous nation in the next 20–25 years. But will this prosperity also enrich our consciousness and subconscious? There are doubts about this because today’s society is divided along the lines of caste, class differences, sects and religions, resulting in a significant lack of tolerance. There is certainly a sense of commitment towards the nation, but even today, a large number of citizens lack an adequate awareness of morality, duty and responsibility. These are necessary for people to respect and follow the rules and regulations established to make the nation and society even better. Another deficiency visible in today’s society is a lack of discipline. Most citizens tend to think: What is this system giving me? Instead, their attitude should be that the country gives us everything, but we too must learn to give something back. There is often a lack of awareness about the various duties a citizen owes to the nation. The Sangh has understood all these challenges very well and has been continuously working on them.

 

The editorial policy of the newspaper Dainik Jagran also reflects this very approach. The policy of our newspaper states: “Dainik Jagran is a newspaper that believes in faith, is devoted to the nation and carries forward the values of eternal Indian civilisation. Its very ethos is rooted in eternal Indian values. It is a newspaper whose purpose and nature are grounded in complete faith. With a positive outlook, it adopts the practice of social harmony and goodwill and continuously inspires its readers to do the same. Its objective is also to awaken among the people of the country a sense of what they can do for the nation and what they can contribute to the country.”

 

Viewed in this light, the ideologies of the Sangh and Jagran are identical in their commitment and dedication to Bharat’s eternal culture and the nation. As a large and responsible media group, Dainik Jagran understands its moral responsibility to continuously keep citizens aware of their duties. Through its seven areas of concern, Jagran is continuously working towards social and national upliftment. These seven areas of concern of Jagran are, an educated society, environmental protection, water conservation, a healthy society, women’s empowerment, poverty eradication and population planning.

 

Even today, certain political parties and numerous social organisations in the country are not willing to understand the importance of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. After Bharat’s independence, there was no organisation in the country that promoted eternal Indian values and explained their importance to the public. The values and cultural ethos of a nation’s people define that nation. If Bharat has gained importance on the international stage since independence, its economic strength has certainly made a significant contribution. However, even if we set this aspect aside for a moment, the cultural ethos of this land continues to hold importance in the present age, just as it did thousands of years ago. Today, numerous sects and ways of life prevail across the Indian cultural landscape. There is substantial evidence that all these sects and ways of life originated from Hinduism. At that time, certain inconsistencies arose and became prevalent in the Hindu way of life. Many sects emerged because of these very inconsistencies. If we look at this from the perspective of independent Bharat, then, in the absence of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh or organisations inspired by its values, it will not be long before the present form of the Hindu way of life is separately defined in the Constitution on the basis of caste distinctions, and Hindu society becomes divided once again.

 

 

 

During the previous century, the Sangh focused on addressing the various challenges faced by Hindu society as a result of appeasement. For the next century, however, the foremost challenge undertaken by the Sangh is the building of character among the people of the country. A person of good character understands their duties towards the nation properly. Commitment to the nation and a sense of duty are essential qualities of a citizen of good character. If Bharat is to restore that golden era, it will not be possible without character-building.

 

On this festival that symbolises the victory of justice over injustice and truth over falsehood, we once again express our gratitude to the Sangh leadership for giving us this opportunity today. On behalf of our entire Jagran Group, we pray to the Almighty to make the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, which is continuously striving to take Bharat to the pinnacle of its supreme glory, even more powerful.