29/08/2026
Universal Oneness Celebration — The Message Rising in New York That “The World Is One Family,” and a Response to the Allegations Against the RSS
In the context of New York’s “Universal Oneness Celebration,” let us try to understand the RSS
Today, August 29, 2026, the “Universal Oneness Celebration” taking place in New York should not be viewed merely as an ordinary public event. Based on the Indian philosophy of “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam” — “The World Is One Family,” the organisers present it as a gathering that seeks to promote dialogue and unity among different communities and faith traditions.
Dr. Mohan Bhagwat, Sarsanghchalak of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), is delivering the keynote address at the event. The organisers have also stated that more than 200 Hindu-American organisations have expressed their support for the programme.
However, even before the event, certain political and social organisations, including New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, have come out against it. Their opposition is based on certain allegations concerning the RSS. The Mayor himself has acknowledged that, since the event is a private programme, the authority of the city administration to cancel it is limited.
This raises a fundamental question:
To what extent have those who criticise the RSS actually studied what the RSS is, what it does, and what it has been doing in Indian society for a century before arriving at such judgments?
Everyone has the right to criticise. But criticism should be based on facts, not on hearsay or political propaganda.
What is the RSS?
The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) is a voluntary social and cultural organisation founded in 1925 by Dr. Keshav Baliram Hedgewar.
According to the RSS's own stated philosophy, its objective is to organise society and contribute to the welfare of humanity through the overall progress of the nation. In its official literature, the RSS itself places emphasis on the idea of “For the welfare of entire mankind.”
Therefore, the first thing one needs to understand while speaking about the RSS is this:
The RSS is not a political party.
It is not an organisation that fields candidates in elections.
Its principal area of work is the development of volunteers and the undertaking of service activities in various spheres of social life.
It is a separate matter that individuals and organisations connected with the political sphere may have links with the RSS. Portraying every social activity of the RSS as political activity on that basis is not an objective or fact-based approach.
“The World Is One Family” — This Is Not a New Slogan
The concept of “Universal Oneness” being highlighted in New York today is not alien to Indian civilisation.
“Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam” — “The World Is One Family” — is a very ancient idea in Indian thought.
It represents the belief that human beings should not be viewed as enemies because of differences of religion, language, community, nationality or other identities, but as members of one larger human family.
Therefore, it is perfectly natural for the head of an Indian social and cultural organisation to speak at an event promoting the concept of “Universal Oneness.”
RSS Service Activities: Some Facts Worth Knowing
Discussions about the RSS often remain confined to political allegations.
However, if one examines the scale of the service activities undertaken by organisations associated with the RSS and by its volunteers, a different picture emerges.
According to information released by the RSS in 2025, 89,706 service activities are being conducted across the country.
These include:
- 40,920 — Education
- 17,461 — Healthcare
- 10,779 — Self-reliance / Livelihood assistance
- 20,546 — Other social activities
These are figures provided by the RSS. The organisation also states that activities aimed at promoting social harmony form part of this work.
These figures may, if one wishes, be viewed as “figures provided by the RSS.” The actual social impact of individual projects can certainly be examined independently to determine the facts. But denying the very existence of these activities would amount to denying reality.
Volunteer Service During Disasters
The true character of an organisation is often revealed by how its volunteers respond during times of disaster.
In a review published by the RSS in 2026, it stated that during the COVID-19 pandemic, 342,000 volunteers served in 67,000 locations, approximately 5 million families received ration kits, and food packets were delivered to 30 million people.
Such activities are not confined only to pandemics or natural disasters.
Available records indicate that numerous institutions associated with the RSS are engaged in areas such as education, healthcare, rural development, work in tribal areas, self-reliance and social harmony.
Seva Bharati: A Vast Network of Service
While discussing the service activities associated with the RSS, organisations such as Rashtriya Sewa Bharati also deserve specific mention.
According to the official information provided by Sewa Bharati, it works with thousands of organisations across the country in areas including healthcare, education, rural development, tribal welfare, self-reliance and social service.
Rashtriya Sewa Bharati promotes the principle of “Nar Seva Narayan Seva” — the Indian philosophy of regarding service to human beings as service to the Divine.
This is not a political slogan.
It is a philosophy of service.
Social Harmony: Another Important Area
Another question may be asked of those who criticise the RSS:
How much have you actually examined its work aimed at addressing caste discrimination, social exclusion and backwardness?
Volunteers in different places have worked against social practices such as denial of temple entry and discrimination in access to common water sources. The media have also reported initiatives providing food, health check-ups, sanitation assistance and occupational equipment to sanitation workers.
People may have differences of opinion about these activities.
But arriving at the final judgment that “the RSS is merely an organisation of hatred” without studying such activities is not an intellectually sound approach for a democratic society.
Are There Criticisms? Certainly.
There have been criticisms of the RSS in India, the United States and other countries.
Strong criticism exists regarding the RSS's Hindutva philosophy, the rights of minorities in India, its political influence and other issues. Some organisations in the United States are currently raising similar allegations. International media organisations, including Reuters, have reported these criticisms.
The RSS rejects such allegations and presents itself as a Hindu cultural and social organisation.
No one denies anyone the right to criticise.
But there is a vast difference between criticism and defamation.
Criticising an organisation's policies and ideas is a democratic right.
But ignoring the service activities of millions of volunteers and the social work being carried out in its name, and placing an entire community under a cloud of suspicion merely because of the organisation's identity — is that not itself another form of intolerance?
A Humble Question to Mayor Mamdani
New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani has described the RSS's ideas as “exclusionary” and expressed opposition to the event.
An elected representative in a democratic country has the right to express his own opinion.
At the same time, before expressing an opinion about an organisation, there is also a responsibility to study its actual activities, service initiatives and ideological documents directly.
New York is a city where diverse cultures, religions and ideas coexist.
If there are disagreements about an Indian organisation there, the best response should not be a ban — it should be dialogue.
You can protest.
You can criticise.
You can question.
But you must also allow others to be heard.
That is true pluralism.
The Notion That “The RSS Is Concerned Only With India” Also Deserves Examination
If one examines the RSS's official documents concerning its activities, it becomes clear that the organisation puts forward the idea of the welfare of humanity as a whole.
At the same time, since the RSS's foundational objective is to organise Hindu society, an honest understanding of the RSS requires both its Hindu cultural-national vision and its service activities to be considered together.
That is a fair assessment.
Anyone who supports the RSS can study the criticisms directed against it.
Anyone who criticises the RSS can acknowledge its service activities.
That is intellectual honesty.
What Should Really Happen in New York Today?
What should happen in New York today is not a confrontation in which one organisation is pitted against another.
It should be an opportunity for dialogue.
If the RSS truly believes in the principle of “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam,” then even those who disagree with it are regarded as part of that family.
Hindu, Muslim, Christian, Jewish, Buddhist, Sikh, atheist — whoever one may be,
a human being is, first and foremost, a human being.
That is the broader message of Indian thought.
Finally, an Appeal…
To those who oppose the RSS, I make a simple appeal:
First understand the RSS.
Then criticise the RSS.
Look at the RSS's service activities.
Study the volunteers who have worked among disaster victims.
Examine its work in education and healthcare.
Evaluate its activities for social harmony.
At the same time, study the criticisms of the RSS's ideology.
Then arrive at your own conclusion.
That is democracy.
That is intellectual freedom.
That is true pluralism.
The message emerging from New York today should therefore not be about the victory of one organisation or the defeat of another.
It should be something much greater:
“Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam — The World Is One Family.”
There will be differences of opinion within a family.
But what sustains a family is not hatred — it is dialogue.
Not division — but coexistence.
Not violence — but service.
Not closure — but an open mind.
May that be the message rising from New York today.
The World Is One Family.
S. J. R. Kumar
29.08.2026
Universal Oneness Celebration — ഔദ്യോഗിക പരിപാടി സൈറ്റ്] (https://www.universaloneness.org)
[RSS — ഔദ്യോഗിക വെബ്സൈറ്റ്]
(https://www.rss.org)
The AHEAD Forum presents Universal Oneness Celebration — a landmark gathering of the Hindu American community. August 29, 2026, 2:00–5:30 PM ET in Manhattan, New York.
