Sri Chinmoy:
The Peace Meditation at the United Nations

U Thant Peace Award presented to Dr. Ananda Guruge, Former Ambassador of Sri Lanka to UNESCO, France and the US; Senior Special Advisor, Culture of Peace Programme, UNESCO  –   3 January

Introduction by Dr. Ananda Guruge, Special Advisor to UNESCO, at a Peace Concert held in the Okura Hotel, Takamatsu, as part of a series of 50 concerts Sri Chinmoy held worldwide in celebration of the Golden Jubilee Year of India’s Independence   – 4 January

Dinner in honour of Ambassador Lakhan Mehrotra and his family   –  2 February

Peace meditation, with readings by Sri Chinmoy from his New Year’s Prayers as well as poems from his book I Go Out, I Go In  –   4 February

Peace meditation, with readings by Sri Chinmoy from his New Year’s prayers as well as poems about Swami Vivekananda   –  7 February

Peace meditation, with readings by Sri Chinmoy from his book Science and Nature; Sri Chinmoy also taught a Bengali song he composed dedicated to the UN: “UN ekate swapan” –  11 February

Peace meditation ,with special guest Mr. C. V. Narasmihan   –   18 February

Programme for peace offered by Sri Chinmoy for staff of the United Nations Office for Project Services, with remarks by Assistant Secretary-General and Executive Director Mr. Reinhart Helmke    –   26 February

Peace Meditation, with English songs taught by Sri Chinmoy, as well as readings by Sri Chinmoy of his answers to questions about God from a third-grade class  –   28 February

U Thant Peace Award presented to Mr. Vladimir Petrovsky, Director-General of the United Nations Office at Geneva, at his residence in Geneva –  17 March

Peace meditation, in which Sri Chinmoy taught songs in both English and Bengali that he had  composed to poems by Swami Vivekananda –25 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 – 5 April

Opening ceremony of the Sri Chinmoy Oneness-Home Peace Run 1997, held on the United Nations General Assembly Plaza, with participation of UN delegates, including:

• H.E. Ambassador Pellumb Kulla, Permanent Representative of Albania to the UN;
• H.E. Ambassador Martin Andjaba, Permanent Representative of Namibia to the UN;
• H.E.Ambassador M. Nasser Al-Kidwa, Permanent Observer of Palestine to the UN;
• H.E. Ambassador Alexandre Gorelik, First Deputy Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation;
• H.E. Ambassador Matia Mulumba Semakula Kiwanuka, Permanent Representative of Uganda;
• Mr. Bratislav Jovanovi_, Deputy Permanent Representative of Yugoslavia to the UN     19 April

Spring concert by the Sri Chinmoy Bhajan Singers, hosted by H.E. Ambassador Nicolaas H. Biegman, Permanent Representative of the Netherlands to the UN    –  23 April

Sri Chinmoy offered a moment of silence at an Interfaith Celebration of Commitment to the Work of the UN,

• with guests of honour Secretary-General Kofi Annan and
• H.E. Ambassador Bill Richardson, Permanent Representative of the United States of America to the UN,
•  held at St. Bartholomew’s Church      –  25 April

Sri Chinmoy’s poetry recited during a programme at the UN – India’s Independence: Readings from Poets, with a performance by the Peace Meditation Choir  –  30 April

Dinner for Mr. Vladimir Petrovsky, Director General of the UN Office at Geneva and H.E. Ambassador Alexandre Gorelik, Deputy Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation, at Annam Brahma restaurant   –   6 May

U Thant Peace Award presented to Mr. Sudhahota Carl Lewis, 9-time Olympic gold medalist  –  7 May

Peace Concert by Sri Chinmoy offered at the UN as part of a series of 50 concerts he held worldwide in celebration of the Golden Jubilee Year of India’s Independence    –  12 May

U Thant Peace Award presented to His Holiness The Dalai Lama   –  28 May

Introduction by Dr. Ananda Guruge, Special Advisor to UNESCO, at a Peace Concert at the University of Philadelphia as part of a series of 50 concerts Sri Chinmoy held worldwide in celebration of the Golden Jubilee Year of India’s Independence    –   30 May

Function to honour Mr. Lakhan Mehrotra, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General in Cambodia    –  11 June

Dinner for H.E. Ambassador Nicolaas H. Biegman, Permanent Representative of the Netherlands to the UN, and his wife  – 16 June

Dinner and programme in honour of the 19^th Special Session of the General Assembly on the Overall Review and Implementation of Agenda 21, adopted at the Earth Summit held in Rio de Janeiro in 1992; attended by Ministers, Members of Parliament and representatives, including:

• Ms. Allison Christie, Second Secretary, Permanent Mission of the Bahamas;
• The Hon. Mrs. Sajeda Chowdhury, Minister for Environment and Forests of Bangladesh;
• H.E. Ambassador Anwarul Karim Chowdhury, Permanent Representative of Bangladesh;
• The Hon. Mr. J.E. Afful, Minister of Environment, Science and Technology, and Member of Parliament of Ghana;
• The Hon. Mr. U Ohn Gyaw, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Myanmar;
• H.E. Ambassador Win Mra, Permanent Representative of Myanmar; 
• The Hon. Mr. Valeriu Bulgari, Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Moldova;
• H.E. Mr. Berndt Ekholm, Member of Parliament of Sweden and Member of the Commissionfor Foreign Relations; (Sri Chinmoy sent an award to The Hon. Mr. Bo Kjellen, Swedish Ambassador for the Environment and international negotiator for environmental issues, head of delegation;
• The Hon. Mr. Chenhamo Chimutengwende, Minister of the Environment and Tourism of Zimbabwe (Nivedita’s husband)     –   26 June

Peace Walk for United Nations Charter Day, held in the United Nations Garden, cosponsored by 16 Ambassadors and  Permanent Representatives to the United Nations   –   30 June

Peace meditation, with special guests Dr. Robert Muller, Chancellor of the University for Peace in Costa Rica, and his wife, Barbara    –     1 July

Farewell tribute to Mr. Üner Kirdar, Senior Advisor to the Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme, on his retirement after 25 years of service to the UN  –  11 July

Sri Chinmoy Tennis Classic for the UN community  –  19-20 July

Peace meditation, followed by a talk by Ambassador Ananda Guruge of Sri Lanka, special advisor to UNESCO   –  29 July

Talk by Ambassador Ananda Guruge of Sri Lanka      –    30 July

Closing ceremony of the Sri Chinmoy Oneness-Home Peace Run, held on the Dag Hammarskjold Plaza, with participation of UN delegates –  16 August

Remarks by Ambassador Ananda Guruge of Sri Lanka at a celebration of Sri Chinmoy’s birthday. –  27 August

Interfaith Prayer Breakfast for the opening of the 52nd Session of the UN General Assembly, hosted by H.E. Ambassador Matia Mulumba Semakula Kiwanuka, Permanent Representative of Uganda to the UN   –  15 September

Peace Walk for the UN International Day of Peace held at UN Headquarters in conjunction with Peace Walks around the world –16 September

U Thant Peace Award presented to I.K. Gujral, Prime Minister of India     –  21 September

Peace Concert by Sri Chinmoy dedicated to the memory of Mother Teresa, hosted by H.E. Ambassador Anwarul Karim Chowdhury, Permanent Representative of Bangladesh to the UN  –  23 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  –  2 October

Peace Concert by Sri Chinmoy dedicated to the memory of Princess Diana, held at the United Nations  –   3 October

Meeting with President Mikhail Gorbachev and his daughter, Irina, at a Delta Airlines private lounge in JFK Airport –  19 October

Peace Walk for United Nations Day, held in the United Nations Garden, cosponsored  by 13 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

Concert by the Sri Chinmoy Bhajan Singers, hosted by Mrs. Rose Maria de Martini Herrera, wife of H.E. Ambassador Julio Armando Martini Herrera, Permanent Representative of Guatemala to the UN, in honour of the 52^nd Session of the UN General Assembly –  27 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

Dinner for Mr. Vladimir Petrovsky and his wife, Mira, and Mr. Alexandre Gorelik at Akbar Restaurant –  6 November

Dinner for Mr. Vladimir Petrovsky and his wife, Mira, at Sezchuan Empire, after the viewing of an IMAX film about the space station Mir  –    8 November

Peace Concert by Sri Chinmoy dedicated to the 52^nd Session of the UN General Assembly   –  21 November

Sri Chinmoy gave the opening dedication at a classical music celebration in honour of the 52^nd Session of the UN General Assembly, hosted by H.E. Ambassador Oscar R. de Rojas, Chairman of the Second Committee and Deputy Permanent Representative of Venezuela to the UN  –   1 December