England to France Channel Swim for 40th Anniversary of UN 1985

A member of the Peace Meditation Group at the United Nations successfully swam across the channel between England and France in honour of the 40th anniversary of the United Nations on 10th September of 1985 in 14 hours and 51 Minutes. Adhiratha Keefe is a 38 year old Staff Member of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) .

The Meditation Group invited delegates and staff and other members of the UN community in NY to celebrate the event in the Dag Hammarskjold Auditorium. There were a number of Guest Speakers and songs Sri Chinmoy had composed related to the swim were also performed.

The crossing was reported in the NY Times and other news outlets.

There was some speculation in an earlier edition of the UNICEF staff News :

Programme, at UN Dag Hammarskjold Auditorium – Tuesday – 24 September 1985

Swim of the “English Channel” or in French “”La Manche” (the sleeve).

In Honor of the 40^th Anniversary of the United Nations.

By UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Staff member Adhiratha Keefe

Opening Meditation:

Sri Chinmoy:

My dear student and friend, Adhiratha, you have immortalized our heart-calendar of aspiration, dedication and manifestation. Your deed of yesterday is genuinely significant in our heart of aspiration and in our life of dedication.

The English Channel frightens the human body. The English Channel challenges the human vital. The English Channel puzzles the human mind. The English Channel invites the human heart. The English Channel treasures the human soul.

In the outer world, the world of separation, the English Channel separates England and France. In the inner world, the world of union, this Channel units England and France. When it separates, it separates most powerfully; when it unites, it unites most significantly.

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In the world of aspiration, the English Channel teaches humanity how to reach God’s Feet quickly. In the world of dedication, the English Channel teaches humanity how to bring down God’s Heart soulfully.

In the world of imagination, the English Channel is singu1arly ~. In the world of reality, the English Channel is unimaginably frlghten1nq. But he who braves the Channel in the world of reality is an immortal friend of the Channel. You, my spiritual friend-student-son, have braved the strength of the Channel and, by conquering it, have become its birth-less and deathless friend.

You are the first one from the United Nations to swim the Channel, so the soul of the United Nations is blessing you most powerfully and the heart of the United Nations is loving you nest soulfully. All the souls of the garland of nations have a very special place for you. You are an American, you live in America and you work in America, but you are getting very, very special blessings from all the missions that are working together at the United Nations for world peace.

Yesterday’s impossibility has surrendered to today’s reality. But this reality also has to be transcended to prove that our message to the world at large is the message of self-transcendence. Self-transcendence is a very special kind of perfection in the Heart of our Lord ·Beloved Supreme. We call it perfection and our Inner Pilot calls it His own Satisfaction in His own way in and through human life.

-Sri Chinmoy (11 September 1985)

I am swimming the English Channel today.

I am becoming my Lord’s Satisfaction-Ray

Within my heart and before my eyes;

Ecstasy-bird speedily flies.

France and England, England and France,

Dancing their rare oneness-dance!

= = = = = = = = =

Adhiratha Adhiratha Adhiratha Adhiratha

Bidhatar kripa joy hiya taba shaswata

english Channel kariyacho santaran

UNer pratam amulya dhan

Adhiratha Keefe of UNICEF accepts plaque from his mentor, Sri Chinmoy who leads Peace Meditations at U.N. Headquarters

Ambassador Hepburn opens with song:

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UNique gift:

Ambassador Davidson L. Hepburn found a quiet moment in the midst of the hectic pace of the opening days of the 40th G.A. to sing the inspirational song, “I Believe”, honouring Adhiratha Keefe. Keefe, a member of UNICEF Hqs staff and Sri Chinmoy Peace meditation group at UN, swam the English Channel as a UNique birthday gift on it’s Fortieth. Mr. Hepburn, the distinguished Permanent Representative of the Bahamas is both an accomplished vocalist and swimming enthusiast. The Programme in the Dag Hammarskjold Auditorium was sponsored by Sri Chinmoy: The Peace Meditation at the United Nations.

Adhiratha’ Response:

This was supposed to be a surprise. I am glad that I found out ahead of time or I don’t think I would have been able to say anything!

Thank you…. We did it…I use the poetic plural. Because many of you helped me in ways that we both know of, and in ways we are perhaps not yet aware of.

And because I would like each of you to partake fully of the joy, I continue to receive form this experience. It is yours as much as it is mine. Because it belongs to what some might call, the universal consciousness or experience.

I must say that part of me has not accepted the idea that the swim was achieved through this body. For days after swimming the channel I woke up at night, dreaming of the channel, and plans for myself or others attempting to make the crossing.

Since childhood there have been man goals that I strove for, or just dreamed of. Swimming the English Channel was never one of them.

So why did it happen?

I recall my parent’s example: My father’s determination and optimism in the face of adversity as well as his love of swimming, and my mother’s patience, perseverance and faith.

And also a few childhood and university friends whose character, judgement and essential goodness, I have always valued and whose support I cherish.

Swimming long distance started with me back in 1979 when I entered triathlon events, consisting of running, bicycling and swimming. I started training with a few friends from the Sri Chinmoy Marathon team at Rockaway Beach.

In 1981 I recall twenty members of tour team swam 2 ½ miles each for a 50 mile birthday tribute to Sri Chinmoy on his 50^th birthday, led by our team captain Shraddha Howard f the UN photo unit.

With more races and more progress, training became more serious. I joined the Starret City Pool Club, which would also be one of the locales for the channel swimming years later. In 1983, my friends and I started pushing the mileage up. We completed a 6.2 mile swim. This was my top millage until the channel training began last April.

Last summer I attended a conference and heard the world class swimmer, Benson Huggard, and the highly regarded Navigator, Tim Johnson, speak about the channel. Tim’s enthusiasm and Benson’s positive attitude impressed me.

After that day, my swimming partners and I would give the “Benson Huggard Award” to whoever stayed in the water the longest or trained in the cold without a cap, as Benson recommended … the channel waters would be about 58 degrees cold!

Later that summer I read an article by swimmer Julie Ridge about her 1982 channel crossing attempt and it was one of those articles you couldn’t put down. And Sunil Davidson from the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), one of my handlers and swimming friends, often related stories about Diana Nyad’s valiant efforts to swim from the USA to Cuba.

Another important influence is my spiritual teacher, Sri Chinmoy. Today my feeling is one of overwhelming gratitude. Sri Chinmoy believes in self-transcendence. He is always creating opportunities for his students to go for something more than they did yesterday.

Because of his inspiration and example, I seriously entertained the thought of going for the channel crossing. I recalled that over the 12 years I studied with him and observed him, he had taken up long distance running, painting, tennis, cello and other instruments, and recently ••• weight training…and in each vocation he made progress ••• slowly and steadily. I tried to apply this approach to my channel attempt.

I also recalled Sri Chinmoy’s vision and hope for the United Nations and its agencies such as UNICEF and the UN Development Programme (UNDP)… and the message he has been offering for the past 15 years at the U.N. It seemed appropriate to offer my attempt of the channel as a gift for the UN 40^th Anniversary.

(Sunil W. Davidson of UNICEF was helping on the boat, and was in training for future attempt)

(Sanatan Bernard. Curchack, main handler and also on the boat, a former UN and UNDP staff member putting on the grease before Adhiratha’s swim)

During the crossing, my handlers – Sunil and Sanatan reminded me when I was swimming against the tide late in the day — “we have to keep the stroke rate up.”

Some people feel it’s impossible for the members of the UN Family to work together in harmony. We feel ••• lo ••• we know ••• the United Nations must keep taking one positive step after another. Like crossing the channel, we’ll finally reach our goal of Dynamic Peace..

Sri Chinmoy has taught me that sincerity of the mind, determination of the heart, and surrender of the results of our actions to our highest self – or God – are most important for the ultimate fulfillment.

I said at the start that I still have trouble believing that the channel crossing was achieved through this body. because I don’t fully know how or why this achievement was fulfilled through my life. But for this remarkable experience I am grateful.

(Some UN and UNICEF Colleagues including: Timothy Boakes, Hashi Roberts, Shambhu Neil Vineberg, John Charnow, Carl Tintsman)

Lastly, to those who sent me kind words and notes, I have felt and appreciated your deep identification with this experience. Sri Chinmoy has often said ••• “Not who has done something but that it is done.” This Channel Adventure belongs to all of us: The Universal Consciousness. I do want to add how grateful I was to meet the members of the Channel Swimming Association while in Great Britain. Their dedicated assistance, encouragement and support of all the swims was outstanding. They are truly noble people.

I close with a short quote from Sri Chinmoy .. “Real failure is only when we give up, never, never before. Do not give up under any circumstances. Continue! The goal is ahead of you. If you do not give up you are bound to reach your destined goal.

Thank you again for your support. – Adhiratha Keefe

Adhiratha showed all a drawing he had received from Timothy Boakes of UNICEF ( it was reproduced in UNICEF Staff news)

(M.Cassel and T.Boakes of UNICEF)

(John Charnow, Secretary Executive Board of UNICEF congratulates Adhiratha who has worked with him )

Other Local papers (especially in areas where Adhiratha had trained) gave in-depth coverage like below from the Starrett Sun of Brooklyn NY.

Wanda, Adhiratha, Jack and Moira Keefe – A proud Family

Distance Swimming champions joined Staff and Delegates

Honoring Adhiratha K. Keefe of UNICEF (l) at reception in the Dag Hammarskjold Auditorium at the UN for his Unique gift of swimming the Channel between England and France . Sri Chinmoy, leader of the Peace Meditations at the UN and head of the Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team, is at right.

(Listing of those in photo, l to r: (1) Adhiratha; (2) Karen Farnsworth and (3) Judy Killer (who placed 2nd and 3rd in this year [1985] Manhattan Island Swim);

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(4) Joe Copeland (assist. vp of the Manhattan Island Swimming Assoc);

(5) Wanda Keefe (Adhiratha’s mother);

(6) Jack Keefe (his father ) hidden in back row ;

(7) Julie Ridge (swam the English Channel in 1983, 1st person to Swim around Manhattan Island twice at the same time);

(8) Moira Keefe, his sister (hidden in back row);

(9) Benson Huggard, who Swam the Channel 6 times ;

(10) Martin McMahan, the first Connecticut person to Swim the channel; Sri Chinmoy.

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His father, Jack Keefe, is in the center (With glasses). Sri Chinmoy, leader of the Peace Meditations at the UN and head of the Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team, is at right.

Caption left – ( “these UNICEF people certainly enjoy water projects,” says the fish in this carton by HQ’s Tim Boakes.)l

Caption right- (WE did it: UNICEF Executive Director, James Grant, wearing Keefe’s goggles, merrily clasps hands with the swimmer after Keefe’s successful swim. In front of them – yet another successful UNICEF water project – is the crystal drop presented to UNICEF by the Club of Rome for the Organization’s efforts at bringing pure water to people around the world.)

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