Toronto: India’s rise should not be measured simply by its military or economic power, but by the service it has offered to the world, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat said while addressing a gathering in Toronto, Canada.
Speaking at the ‘Hindu Vishwa Bandhu – Embrace the World in Friendship’ event, Bhagwat said India may have been described as a superpower at certain points in history, but its real civilisational identity was not that of a superpower.
“One may call Bharat a superpower, but it was not one. It served the world and by its own character, it became ‘Vishwaguru’, not Mahashakti,” Bhagwat said.
India’s strength lies in service, says Bhagwat
Bhagwat argued that India’s traditional role has been to help others rather than dominate them. He pointed to India’s history of providing refuge to people fleeing persecution and war.
He cited the example of the Maharaja of Jamnagar, who provided shelter to Polish refugees during the Second World War.
Bhagwat also referred to more recent humanitarian efforts, including an evacuation operation during a conflict in the Middle East, when Indian military aircraft reportedly evacuated citizens of several other countries along with Indians.
‘Diversity is a form of unity’
The RSS chief also spoke about India’s civilisational idea of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’, or the belief that the entire world is one family.
According to Bhagwat, India’s tradition does not see diversity as a threat to unity. Instead, he described diversity as a natural expression of an underlying unity.
He said that serving others is part of this broader civilisational outlook and linked it to the idea that the awakening of Hindus would contribute to the awakening of the wider world.
Bhagwat’s remarks in Toronto therefore presented India’s global role primarily through the lens of humanitarian service, cultural values and coexistence, rather than military or geopolitical dominance.
The event was organised by Canadian Hindus for Outreach, Relations and Dialogue (CHORD) and was attended by members of the Indian-origin Hindu community in Canada. Former Canadian defence minister and Alberta premier Jason Kenney was also among those present.
