Bhagwat’s WSJ Ad Brings Hindu Message Of Unity To US Audience
WASHINGTON, DC-Hindu American leaders on September 3 welcomed a full-page paid advertisement in The Wall Street Journal featuring RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, saying its message of unity and respect for diversity made the community proud of its heritage.
The advertisement appeared on Page A5 of the newspaper’s September 3 edition. It carried a photograph of Bhagwat and excerpts from his address at the Universal Oneness Celebration held at Madison Square Garden in New York on August 29.
“Our oneness and diversity has to be celebrated, has to be respected, has to be accepted. India has a civilizational ethos built on Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam – the world is one family. India is a living example of this diversity,” Bhagwat was quoted as saying in the advertisement.
The advertisement described Bhagwat as the head of the “World’s Largest Voluntary Organization,” the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) in India. It said 5,000 delegates representing 250 organizations from 853 cities across 39 US states had attended the Universal Oneness event at Madison Square Garden. The advertisement was paid for by RSS Friends, according to the disclosure printed on the page.
The advertisement placed Bhagwat’s remarks within the broader theme of Universal Oneness, stressing respect for diversity and the Indian civilizational idea of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, a Sanskrit expression commonly translated as “the world is one family”.
Bhagwat is the Sarsanghchalak, or chief, of the RSS, a Hindu volunteer organization founded in Nagpur in 1925. The organization marked its centenary in 2025 and has an extensive network of local branches and affiliated bodies in India.
The August 29 gathering at Madison Square Garden brought together Hindu Americans and representatives of community organizations from across the United States. The programme focused on universal oneness, community cooperation and the role of Indian civilizational values in promoting harmony among diverse societies. (IANS)
