Musical Tribute to India; P.A. Nazareth, Consul General, 1987 Mar 13

THE CONSUL GENERAL OF INDIA AT THE SRI CHINMOY PEACE MEDITATION

On 13 March 1987, Sri Chinmoy: The Peace Meditation at the United Nations offered a musical tribute to India at United Nations Headquarters in New York, with the Honourable P.A. Nazareth, Consul General of India, as special guest.

The programme of instrumental and vocal pieces included the performance by the Peace Meditation Choir of a song Sri Chinmoy composed for the occasion, dedicated to the Consul General.

Following is a statement made by the Consul General during a presentation by Sri Chinmoy, as well as some remarks by Mr. B. Ramamoorthy.

Mr. B. Ramamoorthy, Professor of Economics and Business, Consultant:

Dear friends, it is an honour to be invited to speak today at this gathering. It has been a privilege to know Mr. and Mrs. Nazareth for over 20 years. When I was teaching in a small college in Vermont, I had the pleasure of inviting them both to speak to my students. And it has also been my privilege to know Sri Chinmoy for more than 20 years.

It is with humility and a deep sense of pride that I say these few words. When Mr. Nazareth came to our small college in Vermont, he made such a deep impression on the students that after he left they used to ask, “Are we going to have that Indian speaker again on our campus?”

Mr. B. Ramamoorthy, Professor of Economics and Business, Consultant:

Sri Chinmoy welcomes the Consul General and his wife, Isabel, before the programme.

The Peace Meditation choir performs songs dedicated to India.

Then he moved, as you know, to many countries on four different continents, including Peru, the United Kingdom and of course his native India. Since he returned to New York in August 1986, he has attempted to bring both the Indian and American cultures together, organising a number of cultural programmes.

I have never seen so many cultural activities initiated by the Consul General in New York. As all of you may be aware, the fortieth anniversary of India’s independence was celebrated right here in the United Nations in January 1987.

We had two outstanding violinists, Yehudi Menuhin and L. Subramanyam. It was such a gathering that we had never seen anything like it. Now, they say that behind every man there is a woman, and here we have Isabel Nazareth, one of the most exemplary of Indian women, who not only stands behind her husband but also does all the other things that are required as a diplomat’s wife. I am very happy that both of them could be here today.

The singers perform Sri Chinmoy’s song dedicated to the Consul General.

Sri Chinmoy (presenting a plaque to Mr. Nazareth:

On behalf of the Meditation Group at the United Nations, I wish to offer you, my dear brother-friend, this gift with our appreciation, admiration and gratitude.

Sri Chinmoy presents a plaque to the Consul General.

The Consul General and his wife receive gifts from Sri Chinmoy.

The Honourable P.A. Nazareth, Consul General of India:

Sri Chinmoyji, Mr. Ramamoorthy and my dear friends, I feel really so truly honoured and so humble today when I stand here before you-because I have never been so honoured before in my whole life. I am very grateful to have been invited to the United Nations as a guest of honour. I feel so humble because I know how undeserving I am of this honour, but I accept this as a tribute being paid to India. This is truly a very moving tribute, and I would like to thank all of you very, very sincerely. If I may say so, India is deserving of this tribute because of the centuries it has managed to preserve a certain philosophical tradition, deep religious insights and very basic values. I think that, more than any other nation in the world, India believes the simple maxim that all mankind is one family. India has retained this concept and nurtured it, along with the concept of non-violence and peace, and it has brought great solace to our people and to people all over the world.

It is such a heart-warming experience for me and for others to know that right here in the United Nations we have this Meditation Group. Ordinarily the United Nations is known all over the world as a place where crisis situations are dealt with through resolutions, committees, conferences and endless speeches. I don’t think that the world is aware, and it should be made aware, that here, right within the United Nations building, there is a Group that is trying to find peace, I think, in a truly more meaningful way. Since wars are born in the minds of men, I think peace also has to be born in the minds of men.

Mr. and Mrs. Nazareth listen as the choir performs a song in the Consul General’s honour.

Indian nationals join the choir in singing the Indian national anthem.

When one meditates, when one reflects within oneself and tries to see and reach and understand what the basic purpose is of existence and of life and what it is that we are really trying to achieve here, one sees the purposelessness of war. In this century from the year 1900 to today, if one makes a very rough count, one finds that in the wars that we have created ourselves, more than 80 million people have died. This is about one million people a year, and this is a terrible comment on our own civilisation.

I think that we should reflect within ourselves as to whether or not this makes sense. On the one hand, we seem to be progressing. On the other hand, we are indulging in the most savage butchery. It is when one meditates and reflects that one begins to grow. One simile that personally appeals to me-that is taught in Indian philosophy-is of the trees in the forest. There are so many trees and most of them cannot see more than six inches beyond their area, although occasionally there is some light that comes through. But for some strange reason there are one or two trees that grow higher than all the others, just because of their own discipline or energy.

And when such a tree reaches above the tops of all the other trees, it has a vision which other trees cannot even suspect. It is a vision that looks beyond the horizon. It is a vision that does not permit any pettiness. And I think that if we can reflect and discipline ourselves, if we can allow the inner spirit to grow, we can also reach great heights of peace and universal brotherhood that all of us are longing for but cannot yet see.

This is where, I think, the role of the Guru comes. The Guru is like that one tree that has grown above all the other ones, the tree that has this inner vision and is now trying to illumine others. This I think is what Sri Chinmoy is doing, and to see so many of you here warms my heart because I see how successful Sri Chinmoy has been. Long may you live, all of you. It is not just a Meditation Group here, but it is a whole peace movement with peace concerts and peace activities. And I honestly believe that this is certainly as important as anything that is being done in the conference halls of this great and august building.

Mr. Ramamoorthy stands with his former colleague at the Indian Consulate, Sri Chinmoy, and his old friends, the Nazareths.

INDIA’S CLARION-CALL

Consul General Nazareth!

A oneness-heart of fulness-breath.

Your friend, his friend , my friend, Alan:

Divinity’S fulfilment-plan.

Indian culture’s clarion-call

To all nation-towers, short and tall.

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE .

Born on 7 April 1936, Mr. P.A. Nazareth was educated at Loyola College, Madras, and holds a Master’s degree in economics and politics from the University of Madras.

He joined the Indian Foreign Service in May 1959 and since then has served in the Indian diplomatic missions in Tokyo, Rangoon, New York, Lima, London and Accra. At London, he served as Deputy High Commissioner and in Accra he was High Commissioner of India to Ghana with concurrent accreditation as Ambassador to Liberia, Burkina Faso and Togo.

During the period June 1982 to October 1985, he was Director General of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations and in this capacity was closely associated with the organisation and handling of the Festivals of India in the United States and France.

During the period October 1985 to August 1986, he was Consul General of India, Chicago.

This information is presented as a service and does not necessarily represent the official views of the U.N. or its Agencies.

INDIA HONOURED AT U.N. UNITED NATIONS-

Nearly 100 lndian officials from the Indian consulate and the U.N. Secretariat gathered here March 13 for a special tribute to India sponsored by Sri Chinmoy: The Peace Meditation at the United Nations. India’s Consul General in New Y ork, P.A. Nazareth, and his wife were guests of honour.

Sri Chinmoy, who has been conducting peace meditations at the U.N. for the past 17 years, presented the Consul General with a plaque, and the Meditation Group singers sang a song Sri Chinmoy had composed about him.

Deeply moved, the Consul General declared: “I have never been so honoured before in my whole life. This is something I’ll never forget.” He said he accepted the honours as “a very moving tribute to India.” He also praised Sri Chinmoy’s work for peace at the United Nations and elsewhere, comparing Sri Chinmoy to “a great tree rising above the forest, trying to communicate the vision he sees to the rest of the world. “This is not just a meditation group but a whole peace movement,” the Consul General said.

“It is certainly as important as anything done in the great conference halls of the United Nations.” The programme ended with many Indian members of the audience joining the Consul General, Sri Chinmoy and the Meditation Group singers onstage to sing India’s national anthem.

– report from Anahata Nada: Dec 1986 to Mar 1987

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