sharani – Sri Chinmoy Centre – News and Features

Statue of Sri Chinmoy Dedicated in Vaasa, Finland

A statue of Sri Chinmoy holding the World Harmony Run Torch was dedicated in Finland on Sunday June 13, 2010. The statue is located in a park on the outskirts of the city of Vaasa on the west coast of Finland overlooking the Bothnian Bay. Vaasa is a bilingual city with street signs in Finnish and Swedish and about 1/4 of the city’s residents speak Swedish rather than Finnish. The Vaasa Sri Chinmoy Centre has a long affiliation with this park as there is a Sri Chinmoy Peace Mile with a plaque located in the park and the Centre’s Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team also holds 2 mile races in the park.

Sculpted by British artist Kaivalya Torpy, the life-size statue of World Harmony Run founder Sri Chinmoy is the second in the world to be dedicated in which the visionary is depicted holding a World Harmony Run Torch. The first such statue is located in Mazatlan Mexico.

Statue Photo at 11pm-2 — The statue in the park in a photo at 11 pm. At this time of year truly the land of the Midnight Sun.

Local park officials, politicians and members of the Vaasa and Helsinki Sri Chinmoy Centres joined together for the dedication. Sri Chinmoy Centre members from other countries such as Norway, Sweden, Russia, Italy, Czech Republic, England, Estonia, Austria and the United States were also present at the statue unveiling in the park.

World Harmony Runners representing Russia ran into the park with the Torch and a musical group from the Czech republic sang a song composed by Sri Chinmoy about the country of Finland.

The large nature attraction, called Sand Bay Park in English, contains tall trees and winding paths through the woods for hiking and biking. A beach pavilion is nearby and there are benches interspersed throughout the park providing views out over the water. The statue is located close to a Villa and gazebo available for rental for group functions and meetings. Participants gathered after the ceremony to share a meal and cake in the Villa nearby the statue.

Later that evening, a Songs of the Soul Concert was held in a concert hall in dowtown Vaasa with performances by Sangit Desh and Agnikana’s Group.

View more photos of the statue in Finland at Sri Chinmoy Centre Galleries.

P6130175 — Plaque for Statue of Sri Chinmoy in Finland

Tribute to World Harmony Leader Sri Chinmoy Dedicated in Puerto Rico

World harmony leader Sri Chinmoy’s lifetime of service to bettering the world was recognized last week in Caguas, Puerto Rico when a 2 metre high statue was dedicated in the Botanical and Cultural Garden of Caguas. The life-sized statue sculpted by British artist Kaivalya Torpy depicts Sri Chinmoy in a dhoti with hands raised in prayer andÂ joins other statues previously dedicated around the world in places such as Bali, Norway and Mexico.

The Mayor of Caguas, William Miranda Marin, received the World Harmony Run Torch and was presented with the Torchbearer Award by Run organizers. During the ceremony, Mayor Marin stated, â€œSri Chinmoy will live for eternityâ€¦It is a privilege for us to have this beautiful statue of Sri Chinmoy in these gardens. We are subscribers to the same philosophy that Sri Chinmoy promoted during more than 40 years of his service to humanity.â€

An international choir performed songs composed by Sri Chinmoy in honour of Puerto Rico and a procession of representatives displayed the many nations represented within the group of Sri Chinmoy’s students in attendance.

Those present from the Sri Chinmoy Centres International found it significant and appropriate that a statue be dedicated in the place where his worldwide mission began. Sri Chinmoy founded his first centre for meditation in Puerto Rico in 1966 – they now cover the globe.

The statue is located in a corner of the botanical garden ringed with trees and near a small brook.Â It will serve as a grove for reflection and cultural activities for the garden’s many visitors.

World Harmony Run and Statue of Sri Chinmoy in Mazatlan Mexico

A life-sized bronze statue of World Harmony Run founder Sri Chinmoy (1931-2007) depicted holding a World Harmony Run torch was inaugurated in a festive ceremony on the evening of November 26, 2009 in Mazatlan, Mexico.

Mayor of Mazatlan Receives Torchbearer Award

The statue is right on the coast of the Pacific Ocean ringed by palm trees in a location adjacent to a coastal plaza featuring other statues and lookouts over the ocean. Eventually its environs will be landscaped with benches and will include additional information about the late spiritual leaderâ€™s contributions in various fields.

Other statues by the same sculptor, British artist Kaivalya Torpy, are located in Norway, Bali and the Czech Republic. The statue unveiled in Mazatlan is the first in the Americas and the first ever of the spiritual leader holding a torch — the symbol of the World Harmony Run.

The Mayor of Mazatlan Jorge AbelÂ Lopez Sanchez was in attendance to unveil the statue and he was presented with the World Harmony Run Torch Bearer Award during the ceremony. Students of Sri Chinmoy representing various countries also were in attendance. The Mazatlan Fire Department Band and Gymnastics Team performed a stirring drum and trumpet performance and ascended heavenward with gravity defying human pyramid formations. The World Harmony Run torch was held aloft from atop one such human pyramid.

Fire Dept. Gymnastic Team and Band

Activities continued the following day with visits by the World Harmony Run to three elementary schools culminating in the school children running the torch to the foot of the statue where they were greeted by the Secretary of the Mayor.
Mazatlan Statue
A World Harmony Run ceremony including school children also visited a large Mazatlan shopping mall where Sri Chinmoyâ€™s Jharna-Kala artwork was on exhibit inside the mall.

Mall Entrance Exhibit Sign

The local daily newspaper Noroeste featured an article about the statue dedication in the November 28th edition of the paper and a second article about the World Harmony Run festivities also appeared on the sports page in the same dayâ€™s paper.

British-French Joy Weekend in France

On the weekend of September 26-27, the Marseille Sri Chinmoy Centre hosted a British-French Joy Day Weekend. Members of the British, French, Irish, and Italian Sri Chinmoy Centres gathered in Villeneuve-Loubet on the south coast of France for aÂ weekend of meditation, fun and music.

The beautiful venue for the British-French Joy Day on the Cote D’Azur drew additional visitors from varied countries – Singapore, the U.S., Canada, Australia, Iceland and Switzerland to name a few. All functions, meals and meditations were held outside in a vacation apartment residence with a view of the Mediterranean from the apartment balconies. The beach and sea – walking distance from the apartments – served as a delightful venue for games and swimming.

Games on the Beach on the Coast of France

Performances included three magic acts – Robert from Prague, Czech Republic, Tulasi from Wien, Austria and Oindrajalik from Marseille, France.

Three Magicians Perform at French Joy Day

Musicians from France, the UK and Italy performed and a humorous play withÂ Sahadeva, Devashishu and Suswara helped put the joy in “Joy Day”. An early morning race in a local nature park rounded out the Joy Day festivities.

From Bali to New York – Sri Chinmoy’s Birth Anniversary Observed

In locations as far apart as Bali and New York City, Sri Chinmoy’s students observed the 2009 anniversary of his August 27th birthday through prayer, meditation, singing and athletics.

Bali – Ceremony at Statue of Sri Chinmoy

The Bali Sri Chinmoy Centre and ARMA staff observed Sri Chinmoy’s birth anniversary on the afternoon of August 27th in Ubud on the island of Bali. They gathered for meditation at the foot of a statue of Sri Chinmoy first dedicated there in February 2009. The life-size bronze sculpture of the late spiritual leader was sculpted by British artist Kaivalya Torpy.

Ceremony Observing Sri Chinmoy's Birth Anniversary — Ceremony at Sri Chinmoy statue in Bali

The statue was adorned with a flower garland and orchids for the ceremony. Each person also prayerfully placed a flower in front of the statue.

Participants meditated and sang some English songs composed by Sri Chinmoy. The words to one of the songs:

“Affection, Love, Sweetness, Fondness, God has for me. Every day I live and grow under His protection tree.”
-Sri Chinmoy

Afterwards, the Tumpeng was cut (traditional Indonesian yellow rice shaped in a cone)Â and traditional Balinese cakes were also offered as prasad.

New York – August Celebrations

In Jamaica Queens, New York, Sri Chinmoy Centre members from over 50 countries gathered to observe the August 27th birthday of Sri Chinmoy. This year more than 1,500 visitors from countries across the globe shared meditation, musical performances, plays, and athletic activities over a two-week period.

For the first time during August Celebrations,Â a poetry festival was held paying tribute to the tremendous legacy of devotional poetry written by Sri Chinmoy. Professors lectured on his literary contributions and his work was recited in both English and Bengali, his native tongue.

SaudaminiPoetry

Other activities traditionally shared during August Celebrations in New York included a public marathon hosted by the Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team in Rockland State Park, New York; a public Songs of the Soul Concert at the New York University Skirball Center in Greenwich Village and the setting of a Guinness World Record on August 27th, Sri Chinmoy’s birthday,Â by Ashrita Furman and an international team of helpers. This year’s record was the creation of the world’s largest lollipop.

World’s Largest Lollipop

August 27, 2009. On the occasion of Sri Chinmoy’s birth anniversary, New Yorker Ashrita Furman unveiled the world’s largest lollipop with a weight of 6,706 pounds (3041 kg). It surpasses the previous Guinness World Record for a giant lollipop by almost 2,000 pounds (907 kg). Ashrita Furman, holder of the most Guinness records, was the architect behind the feat accompanied by an international team of over 25 assistants.

The 6,706 pound (3041 kg) lollipop is 10 feet (3 m) in diameter and 10 inches (25 cm) thick. The huge red candy is made of sugar and corn syrup, which was melted in hundred 100-gallon (380 litre) pots. Including the stick it has the height of 25 feet (7.50 m). This size ensures Ashrita Furman a new entry into the Guinness Book, because the previous largest lollipop was 4,759 pounds (2158 kg).

Continue reading “World’s Largest Lollipop”