Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat on 30 August called for a model of human progress that does not come at the cost of nature, addressing the Universal Oneness Celebration at Madison Square Garden in New York. Bhagwat argued that human beings, by virtue of their superior intelligence, carry a unique responsibility to sustain the environment and all living beings — not merely to coexist with them.

Development vs Environment: Bhagwat's Core Argument

Bhagwat challenged the widely held assumption that economic development and environmental protection are mutually exclusive. “World is facing the problems. Development destroys the environment. Preservation of environment means stopping the development. What is the way?” he said, before asserting that India’s civilisational tradition offers an answer rooted in restraint and sacrifice.

“We have to give the way, and our ancestors have given this way through their own sacrifice, through their own sayyam,” he said. The RSS chief framed this not as a rejection of progress but as a reorientation of its purpose — development that sustains rather than depletes.

Human Intelligence as Responsibility, Not Dominance

Bhagwat argued that the cognitive edge humans hold over other species is a moral obligation, not a licence for unchecked exploitation. “Human beings are responsible for the world because they have been given special quality of thinking,” he said. “They have been also given the understanding of right and wrong.”

Drawing on ecological history, he noted that humans entered the food chain relatively late but rose to its apex with severe consequences. “Man came into picture in this food chain very late and was at the bottom,” he said. “But within 3,000 years, he came at the middle. And in 7,000 years, he came at the top, destroying 8,000 plant species. And some 5,000 animal species.” He added that animals, being mobile, could escape; plants could not — and paid the price.

A Call to Active Sustenance

Bhagwat urged audiences to move beyond passive tolerance of other life forms toward active care. “We have to care for each other. We have to care so that my life is sustaining life. I sustain others. I live and not merely let live. Make others live. That is the message,” he said.

He acknowledged that sweeping systemic change may be slow, but said individual action need not wait. “Whatever happened up till now, hereafter at least, I will think about my life and one small thing at a time, one small step at a time, I will make life a sustaining life,” he said.

RSS's Pancha Parivartan and the Centenary Context

Bhagwat also referenced the RSS programme of ‘pancha parivartan’ — five areas of social transformation: environmental protection, social harmony, family values, civic duties, and the adoption of indigenous practices. He said these principles must first take root in individuals before radiating outward into society. “They will sustain the humanity. They will sustain the environment. They will sustain the Srishti, the existence,” he said.

The address comes as the RSS, founded in Nagpur in 1925 by Keshav Baliram Hedgewar, marked its centenary in 2025. Bhagwat, the organisation’s sixth Sarsanghchalak, has led it since 2009. His appearance at Madison Square Garden signals a deliberate effort to project the RSS’s civilisational philosophy on a global platform.