RSS Chief Bhagwat Speaks at MSG as Indian Chophouse Elder Lands at Hudson Yards

The visit of Mohan Bhagwat, chief of India's Hindu nationalist Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, to New York City for a major event generated street protests, a sharp condemnation from Mayor Zohran Mamdani, and calls for federal sanctions. Separately, Indian-born chef Sujan Sarkar continued his rapid Manhattan expansion by announcing Elder, a British Indian chophouse at Hudson Yards and his third South Asian restaurant opening in the city since May.

🗳️ RSS Chief's NYC Event Draws Protests and a Mayoral Rebuke

Mohan Bhagwat, chief of India's Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, traveled to New York City for a major public event that drew demonstrations outside the venue and a strong denunciation from city leadership. The RSS is a right-wing Hindu nationalist paramilitary organization founded nearly a century ago and widely credited with being instrumental in bringing India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party to power. Demonstrators gathered in opposition to Bhagwat's appearance, while advocacy groups called on the United States government to impose sanctions on him in connection with the visit. New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani publicly declared his opposition, characterizing RSS ideology as exclusionary and incompatible with the pluralistic values that define New York City. The mayor's statement drew significant attention given the city's large and diverse South Asian diaspora, which holds a wide range of views on Hindu nationalism and the RSS's influence in Indian political life. The organization has affiliates operating across the United States, and its activities in diaspora communities have drawn increasing scrutiny from civil liberties groups and South Asian advocacy organizations. Bhagwat's visit underscored growing political divisions within Hindu American communities over the reach of India's nationalist movements abroad and the responsibilities of diaspora institutions in navigating those fault lines. [1]

🍛 Sujan Sarkar to Open British Indian Chophouse Elder at Hudson Yards

Chef Sujan Sarkar, a James Beard Awards finalist best known for his portfolio of Indian restaurants in Chicago, is opening a British Indian chophouse called Elder at Hudson Yards in Manhattan. The new restaurant follows Sarkar's recent expansion into New York City, where he brought his Michelin-starred tasting menu restaurant Indienne to Hudson Yards in May 2026. In June he opened a butter chicken food stand at Shaver Hall in Midtown Manhattan. Elder represents his third South Asian dining concept to launch in New York within a matter of months, reflecting a sustained push to anchor a flagship presence in one of the world's most competitive restaurant cities. The concept draws on the British Indian culinary tradition, a hybrid cuisine developed by South Asian communities in the United Kingdom that blends techniques and ingredients from both culinary heritages. By pairing that tradition with a chophouse format built around premium cuts of meat, Sarkar is staking out a distinctive position in New York's South Asian dining landscape. Hudson Yards has become a destination for ambitious fine-dining concepts, and Elder's arrival adds a significant South Asian culinary presence to that corridor. The opening reflects the deepening influence of Indian and British Indian culinary traditions on the city's food culture and the growing appetite for elevated South Asian dining in New York. [4]

Sources: [1] NBC New York · [4] Eater New York