'Resolve, harmony, dialogue': Images of RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat light up Times Square ahead of US event

Images of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat were displayed on billboards in New York’s Times Square ahead of his scheduled address to members of the Indian diaspora at Madison Square Garden.Images of Bhagwat bearing the words “Resolve, Harmony and Dialogue” were projected on one of the main billboards at New York’s Times Square on Friday evening.In the US, Bhagwat is scheduled to address a gathering of around 5,000 people at the iconic Madison Square Garden on Saturday.The event, titled ‘Universal Oneness Celebration’, is being organised by American Hindus for Engagement and Dialogue (AHEAD), which has described it as a “landmark Raksha Bandhan gathering”.The organisers said the event will explore the theme of universal oneness through cultural presentations and keynote addresses, drawing on the Hindu principle of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’, which means “the world is one family”.New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani said he does not support the planned Madison Square Garden event featuring Bhagwat, but acknowledged that the city may not have the authority to cancel the “private” gathering.Earlier during his ongoing US tour, Bhagwat visited the ISKCON temple in New York, where he took part in a food distribution initiative for homeless people and spoke about the role of Krishna consciousness in addressing conflicts and divisions.Bhagwat visited the temple at 26 Second Avenue, where the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) was founded in 1966.Catch the latest World News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.