Archive · 30 Aug 2026
RSS Chief Bhagwat Urges Sustainable Living at New York Event
Mohan Bhagwat spoke about caring for the Earth at an event in New York.
He said development should not destroy nature.
He believes people and nature are connected.
Because humans can think and understand right from wrong, he said they have a special duty to protect living things.
Bhagwat said humans have caused serious harm to plants and animals over time.
He asked people not only to let others live but also to help them thrive.
He encouraged everyone to make small changes in daily life.
He connected this idea to the RSS programme called “pancha parivartan,” which promotes environmental protection, social harmony, family values, civic duties and indigenous practices.
Mohan Bhagwat urged a development model that supports prosperity without damaging nature.
Speaking at Madison Square Garden, he said people are responsible for sustaining humanity, nature and the wider world.
He argued that human intelligence should create an obligation to protect other forms of life, not dominate them.
Bhagwat cited environmental damage, including the reported loss of 8,000 plant and 5,000 animal species.
He encouraged small personal changes and highlighted the RSS’s five-part “pancha parivartan” programme.
- Who
- Mohan Bhagwat, chief of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), addressed the gathering.
- What
- He called for sustainable living and development that allows prosperity without destroying nature.
- When
- At the Universal Oneness Celebration; the articles do not specify the event’s date.
- Where
- Madison Square Garden in New York, United States.
- Why
- Bhagwat said human beings have a responsibility to protect nature, society and other forms of life.
- Speaker
- Mohan Bhagwat, the RSS’s sixth Sarsanghchalak, has led the organisation since 2009.
- Event
- Universal Oneness Celebration
- Venue
- Madison Square Garden, New York
- Core message
- Development and environmental protection should be pursued together rather than treated as opposing goals.
- Proposed action
- Bhagwat urged individuals to make one small, sustainability-focused change at a time.
- Pancha parivartan
- The RSS initiative focuses on environmental protection, social harmony, family values, civic duties and indigenous practices.
- RSS history
- The organisation was founded in Nagpur in 1925 and completed 100 years in 2025.