Sri Chinmoy:
The Peace Meditation at the United Nations

1996

Partial List of programmes, events, countries, individuals participating in activities of Sri Chinmoy: the Peace Meditation at the United Nations.

This list is indicative of the types of activities but not exhaustive of all participation or events. Some times a consolidated or partial list sorted by subject-category, date, person or country. To be reviewed and updated. Eventually to have embedded links to actual programmes or photos where they are available

1996

U Thant Peace Award presented to Mr. Robert Gabriel Mugabe, President of Zimbabwe    –   1 January

U Thant Peace Award presented to Mr. Nelson Mandela, President of South Africa – 29 January

Farewell reception for H.E. Dr. Siddhartha Shankar Ray, Ambassador of India to the United States , attended by

• Mr. Vladimir Petrovsky,
• Ambassador Karel Kovanda of the Czech Republic to the UN, and  others  –     13 February

Members of the Peace Meditation group offered Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali 100 ideas for cost saving and improvement, after he requested staff to contribute ideas     –    7 March

Friendship Concert honouring the highest ideals of the Czech and Slovak Republics held at Lincoln Center, with remarks by

• H.E. Ambassador Karel Kovanda, Permanent Representative of the Czech Republic to the UN, and
• H.E. Ambassador Peter Tomka, Chargé d’affaires a.i. of the Permanent Mission of Slovakia to the UN   –  11 March

Mr. C. V. Narasimhan honoured at the UN for the publication of his new book highlighting his career at the UN. -. 9 March

Dinner for H.E. Ambassador Karel Kovanda, Permanent Representative of the Czech Republic, and his wife, Noemi    –   26 March

Peace Run for the United Nations, an 18-mile commemorative relay run from the site of the first UN Headquarters in Lake Success, Long Island, to New York Headquarters, attended by the Ambassador of Brunei and other representatives of delegations –  6 April

Spring concert by the Sri Chinmoy Bhajan Singers, hosted by Mrs. Manel Yvonne de Silva, wife of H.E. Ambassador H.L. de Silva, Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the UN  –    17 April

U Thant Peace Award presented to Mr. Maurice Strong, Secretary-General of the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (Rio Earth Summit) and Senior Advisor to the President of the World Bank  –    2 May

Peace Concert by Sri Chinmoy in honour of His Holiness Pope John Paul II on the occasion of his 76th birthday    –  13 May

Dinner in honour of the New York Road Runners Club      –  30 May

Peace Walk for United Nations Charter Day, held in the United Nations Garden, cosponsored by 9 Ambassadors and  Permanent Representatives to the United Nations        –   26 June

Sri Chinmoy Tennis Classic for the UN community   –  29 June

Article entitled, “Sri Chinmoy: The Peace Meditation at the United Nations – a UNICEF  Presence,” appeared in the March/April/May/June issue of UNICEF Staff News  –   June

Peace meditation, with remarks by special guest Dr. Robert Muller, Chancellor for the University for Peace   – 9 July

Sri Chinmoy’s exhibition of five million “Dream-Freedom-Peace-Birds” on display near the UN at the Jharna-Kala Gallery on East 44th Street    – August/September

Reception at the Jharna-Kala Gallery for the UN community hosted by Mrs. Edith Chimutengwende, wife of the Minister of Environment and Tourism of  Zimbabwe  –   21 August

Reception and luncheon at the Jharna-Kala Gallery hosted by H.E. Ambassador Herman Leonard de Silva, Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the UN   – 29 August

Visit to the Jharna-Kala Gallery by Mr. Vladimir Petrovsky    –  August/September (?)

Programme at the Jharna-Kala Gallery for the UN community with special guest  Mrs. Sita Gandhi-Dhupelia, granddaughter of Mahatma Gandhi, offering reminiscences of her childhood with the Mahatma, followed by a performance by the Sri Chinmoy Bhajan Singers –   6 September

U Thant Peace Award presented to Mr. C. V. Narasimhan, Former Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations (1956-78) and Chef de Cabinet to three Secretaries-General   –   10 September

Interfaith Prayer Breakfast for the opening of the 51st Session of the UN General Assembly, hosted by H.E. Ambassador Robert H. Millette, Permanent Representative of Grenada to the UN  –  11 September

Peace Walk for the UN International Day of Peace held at UN Headquarters in conjunction with Peace Walks around the world –  17 September

Sri Chinmoy gave the opening dedication at a classical music celebration in honour of the 51st Session of the UN General Assembly, hosted by H.E. Ambassador Gerardo Martinez Blanco, Permanent Representative of Honduras to the UN, held at the Lincoln Center Kaplan Penthouse  –  17 September

Concert by the Sri Chinmoy Bhajan Singers, hosted by Mrs. Frania Pantiru, wife of H.E. Ambassador Tudor Pantiru, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Moldova to the UN, held at the Jharna-Kala Gallery  –  19 September

Sri Chinmoy Bhajan Singers performed at a ceremony in honour of Mahatma Gandhi’s birth anniversary, held at the Gandhi statue in Union Square for the international community, with remarks by the Indian Foreign Minister, Consul General and Ambassador to the UN  –   2 October

Peace Walk for United Nations Day, held in the United Nations Garden, cosponsored by 11 Ambassadors and Permanent Representatives to the United Nations  –    24 October

Seven Minutes for World Peace observed at UN Headquarters and around the world    –  24 October

Sri Chinmoy Peace Race for the United Nations: Two-mile races held in over 140 cities around the globe to promote United Nations Day   –      October

UNSRC Society of Writers featured in its literary journey Reflections a poem by Sri Chinmoy entitled “The New Year, 1997”    –     Fall issue

Peace Concert at the University of South Florida, St. Petersburg, Florida, with an introduction by Ambassador Ananda Guruge of Sri Lanka, special advisor to UNESCO, with informal remarks about the Buddha at a function following the concert  –    8 November

Peace Concert at the Miami Convention Center, Miami, Florida, with an introduction by Ambassador Ananda Guruge of Sri Lanka, special advisor to UNESCO   –   9 November

Dinner for Mr. Vladimir Petrovsky, his wife, Mira, and Mr. Alexandre Gorelik at Shanghai Manor Restaurant  – 12 November

Sri Chinmoy offered a moment of silence at an Interfaith Ceremony presenting the 1996 Declaration of World Thanksgiving to Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali;

• Sri Chinmoy also presented the Secretary-General with a book after the ceremony  –   21 November

Members of the Peace Meditation group paid a courtesy call on H.E. Ambassador Anwarul Karim Chowdhury to congratulate him on his appointment as Permanent Representative of Bangladesh to the UN   – 22 November

Peace Concert by Sri Chinmoy offered at the UN, the second in a series of 50 concerts held worldwide in celebration of the Golden Jubilee Year of India’s Independence, 

• with remarks by Mr. Üner Kirdar, Senior Advisor to the Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme    –    25 November