‘Unity in diversity is in India’s DNA’: RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat in New York
At Madison Square Garden, RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat Told 5,000 Americans That India's Identity Is Woven From Unity and Diversity
Bharatmorning.com – More than 5,000 people filled the seats of Madison Square Garden on Sunday to hear the head of India's Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) articulate a vision of human connectedness that he framed as rooted in Indian civilisational thought. Speaking at the "Universal Oneness Celebration," organised by the American Hindus for Engagement and Dialogue (AHEAD) forum, Mohan Bhagwat drew a sharp contrast between how Western discourse labels American society and how Indian tradition names its own social fabric.
"Unity in Diversity" Versus "Pluralism"
Bhagwat opened his address by noting that Western commentators tend to describe the American experience through the vocabulary of pluralism — the coexistence of many groups under a single political roof. For the Indian context, he argued, a different phrase carries the weight.
"Whenever you think of America, one word is often discussed — pluralism. When we say Bharat, another phrase is discussed — unity in diversity. For Bharat, both unity and diversity are in its DNA."
The distinction matters to Bhagwat because it reframes diversity not as a problem to be managed but as an intrinsic, inseparable component of the whole. In his telling, Indian identity does not tolerate the separation of its parts; the diversity is embedded within the unity rather than sitting alongside it.
The Empathy Experiment
Turning to what he called the "innate oneness" that binds all human beings regardless of material circumstance, Bhagwat invited the audience to run a thought experiment at their next meal. Picture a hungry stranger standing before your full plate, eyes fixed on the food. Now attempt to eat without meeting his gaze, without shooing him away, and without offering him even a single grain.
"A simple experiment you can do, or I can challenge you to do. When you are having your lunch or dinner, let a hungry man stand before you, and let him stare at your full platter with hungry eyes."
"And without avoiding his gaze, or without driving him out, take your meal without giving him a single particle of food. You cannot do it."
The point, Bhagwat insisted, is that empathy is not a learned virtue but a built-in capacity. People differ in their daily material existence — each must earn, eat, and spend independently — yet the emotional architecture beneath those differences remains shared.
"Each of us has to take his meal separately. If I am not hungry, it doesn't mean you are not hungry. If I have satisfied my hunger, if I had my lunch, that doesn't mean you had your lunch. You have to have lunch separately. You have to earn separately. You have to spend it separately."
What Separates Humans From Animals
Bhagwat then drew a line between human cognition and animal instinct. Using the image of a cow grazing, he explained that the animal eats grass until its stomach is full and then stops; it does not hoard, plan, or reflect on tomorrow's meal.
"You can find a cow grazing. It will eat grass till its tummy is full. After that, it will not care for that grass."
"They don't know why they are born. They don't know why they will die. They only know that once I am born, I have to live till my death."
Basic drives — feeding, sleeping, reproduction, survival — are common to every species, he noted. What distinguishes the human animal, in his framework, is the faculty of reason: the ability to distinguish right from wrong, to deliberate, and to act on moral judgment rather than mere impulse.
Dharma as Cosmic Operating Principle
A central thread of the address was Bhagwat's insistence that the Sanskrit term "Dharma" is routinely mistranslated in English-language discourse as "religion" or "worship." In his reading, Dharma denotes the underlying rule by which the universe sustains itself and by which human beings navigate the dualities of existence.
"On that basis, the sustaining principle that we call Dharma. Dharma is not religion. It is not worship. It is beyond all this."
"It is the rule through which the universe is sustained. It is the rule through which human beings can manage dualities of life."
Within that framework, Bhagwat said, the Indian tradition holds that human life is granted for the purpose of seeking truth, which ultimately culminates in liberation. Existence, he stressed, is neither accidental nor purposeless; it carries an inherent directionality toward self-knowledge.
Context and Controversy
The gathering itself drew mixed reactions in New York. Organisers described the afternoon as "an afternoon of shared teaching, cultural performance, and common ground," listing more than 250 partner organisations and roughly 26 volunteers who helped stage cultural performances, music, and other artistic segments.
Yet the event also provoked pushback. Several US-based Hindu organisations voiced opposition, and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani publicly called it "incredibly troubling" to witness the rise of a movement in India built on what he characterised as an "exclusionary vision." The remarks underscored a broader tension in the American Hindu diaspora between those who see RSS-linked cultural programming as a bridge to Indian philosophical heritage and those who view the Sangh's political influence in India as incompatible with inclusive civic identity.
The RSS, founded in 1925 and headquartered in Nagpur, remains one of India's most influential volunteer organisations, with an estimated membership in the millions and a network of educational, social, and cultural institutions across the country. Its leaders have increasingly addressed diaspora audiences in North America, Europe, and Australia, positioning Indian philosophical concepts as universal rather than parochial. Bhagwat's New York appearance — delivered to a packed Madison Square Garden — represents one of the largest such engagements to date and signals the Sangh's continued investment in shaping how Indian civilisational ideas are received on global stages.
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