A Comparative Timeline of World Events and the Life of Sri Chinmoy

 

                             

 

1976

 

11 JANUARY

Sri Chinmoy offered a wreath and meditated at the grave of President John F. Kennedy in Arlington National Cemetery.

12 JANUARY

Author Dame Agatha Christie (b. 1890) died.

 
 

12 JANUARY

Article about Sri Chinmoy appeared in People Magazine.

18 JANUARY

Full diplomatic relations were established between Bangladesh and Pakistan 5 years after the Bangladesh Liberation War.

 

18 JANUARY

Leonid Brezhnev and Henry Kissenger met to discuss the Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty (SALT).

 

21 JANUARY

The supersonic Concorde jet was put into service by Britain and France.

 
 

25 JANUARY

Sri Chinmoy met with Muhammad Ali in Puerto Rico and then attended one of Ali’s training sessions.

27 JANUARY

The US vetoed a UN resolution calling for an independent Palestine state.

 
 

27 JANUARY

Sri Chinmoy was named an Official Guest of Honour of the city of Caguas, Puerto Rico.

 

28 JANUARY–11 FEBRUARY

Sri Chinmoy gave a series of 7 lectures at George Washington University in Washington DC.

30 JANUARY

George Bush became director of the CIA.

 
 

31 JANUARY

Sri Chinmoy conducted his first 7-hour meditation for the public, at All Angels’ Church, Manhattan.

JANUARY

In the US, the Federal Hourly Minimum Wage was set at $2.30.

 
 

1 FEBRUARY

An article on the 7-hour meditation appeared in The New York Times.

 

17 FEBRUARY

Sri Chinmoy first played the Indian esraj.

 

20-22 FEBRUARY

Sri Chinmoy visited Canada where he gave two university lectures – in Montreal and Ottawa.

20 FEBRUARY

Muhammad Ali successfully defended his world heavyweight boxing title in Puerto Rico.

 

22 FEBRUARY

The US performed a nuclear test at Nevada Test Site.

 
 

28 FEBRUARY

Sri Chinmoy left New York for his first visit to Australia. He gave 10 lectures in Perth, Sydney, Canberra, Melbourne and Adelaide – later published in My Heart's Salutation To Australia, Part 1 and Part 2.

3 MARCH

Mozambique closed its border with Rhodesia (Zimbabwe).

 
 

3 MARCH

Sri Chinmoy met with the Lord Mayor of Perth, Western Australia, Sir Ernest Lee-Steere, and planted a rose bush for world peace at the Nedlands Memorial Rose Gardens.

5 MARCH

Britain decided to retain rule in Northern Ireland indefinitely.

 
 

10 MARCH

Sri Chinmoy first began playing the Western flute during a trip to Healesville Sanctuary outside Melbourne.

 

11 MARCH

Sri Chinmoy met with Australian Olympic middle-distance runner Ron Clarke in Melbourne.

 

12 MARCH

Sri Chinmoy met with Bishop Phillip Kennedy of Adelaide and was interviewed on This Day Tonight show, where he played his esraj on television for the first time.

 

13 MARCH

Sri Chinmoy returned to New York via Pondicherry, India, where he stayed with his family.

16 MARCH

British Prime Minister Harold Wilson announced his resignation.

 

24 MARCH

In Argentina, the military overthrew the government of Isabel Peron.

 

1 APRIL

Steve Jobs and Stephen Wozniak founded Apple Computer.

 
 

3 APRIL

A new gallery of Sri Chinmoy's paintings opened in Soho, Manhattan.

5 APRIL

James Callaghan became Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.

 
 

5 APRIL

Sri Chinmoy offered the opening meditation at an inter-religious observation of the World Day of Prayer held at the UN.

13 APRIL

The US Federal Reserve began issuing $2 bills bearing a portrait of Thomas Jefferson. The $2 series was discontinued in 1996.

 
 

13 APRIL

Sri Chinmoy offered a concert at Carnegie Hall, Manhattan.

 

21 APRIL

Sri Chinmoy offered a talk on the Buddha at the United Nations.

 

29 APRIL

Sri Chinmoy painted a 12’ x 27’ canvas called Larger than the Largest.

 

APRIL

Sri Chinmoy’s play The Sacred Fire (dedicated to the American Bicentennial) was performed at the rotunda of the Senate Office Building in Washington, DC.

 

APRIL

An entry about Sri Chinmoy appeared in Current Biography Yearbook 1976.

 

26 MAY

Sri Chinmoy received a special citation from the NY Bicentennial Commission for offerings during the Bicentennial Year.

 

7 JUNE

Sri Chinmoy met with sculptor Henry Moore at his home in Hertfordshire, England.

 

9 JUNE

Sri Chinmoy had a private meeting with Pope Paul VI at Vatican City. This was his third meeting with the Pope.

 

11-21 JUNE

Sri Chinmoy offered 6 university lectures in Switzerland, Scotland and England.

 

12 JUNE

Sri Chinmoy planted a Tree of Meditation (an Himalayan Pine) in Rieter Park, Zurich.

16 JUNE

The Soweto riots in South Africa began.

 

 

 

25 JUNE

Brian Gormley, Dean of the School of Visual Arts in NY, presented Sri Chinmoy with its ‘Contribution to the Arts’ award.

26 JUNE

The CN Tower in Toronto, the world’s tallest free-standing structure at 553m, opened to the public.

 
 

26 JUNE

Inspired by Sri Chinmoy, a group of runners set out from the Statue of Liberty on an 8,800-mile ‘Liberty Torch Relay Run’ across America to celebrate the US Bicentennial.

 

27 JUNE

Sri Chinmoy began cycling again for the first time since he came to the West.

 

JUNE

The Sacred Fire was performed for a Heritage Festival at Rockefeller Plaza in NY.

2 JULY

North and South Vietnam were officially reunited.

 

4 JULY

Bicentennial Celebrations took place across the US to mark 200 years of independence.

 

4 JULY

The Puerto Rican Socialist Party led 50,000 marchers in Philadelphia to demand a “Bicentennial without colonies” and independence for Puerto Rico.

 
 

4 JULY

Sri Chinmoy conducted a 13-hour public meditation at the Bandshell in New York’s Central Park in honour of the Bicentennial.

 

10 JULY

Sri Chinmoy offered an outdoor concert at the Damrosch Amphitheatre at New York’s Lincoln Center.

 

11 JULY

Sri Chinmoy offered the opening meditation at an ecumenical service for delegates to the Democratic National Convention and his play The Sacred Fire was performed.

15 JULY

Indonesia annexed East Timor. The act was not recognised by the UN.

 
 

16 JULY

Sri Chinmoy met with UN Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim in his office.

17 JULY

The Summer Olympics opened in Montreal.

 
 

19 JULY

Governor Hernández Colón of Puerto Rico declared Sri Chinmoy “a Distinguished Guest and Honorary Resident of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico”.

20 JULY

The Viking 1 robot spaceship made a successful, first-ever landing on Mars.

 

31 JULY

American boxer ‘Sugar’ Ray Leonard (b. 1956) won an Olympic gold medal in Montreal.

 

JULY

During the Olympic gymnastics competition, Nadia Comăneci of Romania scored 7 perfect tens and won 3 gold medals.

 

1 AUGUST

Trinidad and Tobago became a republic.

 
 

3 AUGUST

Sri Chinmoy’s song O My America was performed at the Mets vs. Montreal baseball game at Shea Stadium, NY.

 

7 AUGUST

Sri Chinmoy drew ‘The Golden Boat’, which became the emblem of the Sri Chinmoy Centres.

14 AUGUST

10,000 Protestant and Catholic women demonstrated for peace in Northern Ireland.

 
 

14 AUGUST

Sri Chinmoy received a commendation from the President’s Council on Sports and Physical Fitness for his offering to sport in the USA.

 

16 AUGUST

The Liberty Torch runners completed their historic journey on the steps of Federal Hall in Manhattan, where they were greeted by NY's Mayor Beame, Police Chief Carl Ravens and a representative of NY’s Governor Carey.

 

21 AUGUST

Sri Chinmoy offered a 7-hour public meditation at All Angels’ Church, Manhattan.

25 AUGUST

Jacques Chirac resigned as Prime Minister of France.

 
 

25 AUGUST

At a Sports Day for his students, Sri Chinmoy ran 100 metres in 14.7 sec, threw the 8-lb shot put 9.21m, the 1-kg discus 27.9m and javelin 28.19m.

 

26 AUGUST–3 SEPTEMBER

There was an exhibition of Sri Chinmoy’s original paintings at a gallery on Greene St, Manhattan.

 

27 AUGUST

On the occasion of his 45th birthday, Sri Chinmoy performed on 27 different musical instruments.

 

27 AUGUST

Queens Borough President Donald Manes declared the day 'Sri Chinmoy Day' in honour of Sri Chinmoy’s birthday. The proclamation was read out by NY City Councilman Morton Povman.

 

27 AUGUST

Mayor Abraham Beame extended the official appreciation of the people of the City of New York to Sri Chinmoy on his 45th birthday.

 

29 AUGUST

Sri Chinmoy offered the opening meditation at the annual convention of the Association for Humanistic Psychology, Princeton University Chapel.

9 SEPTEMBER

Mao Zedong, Chinese Communist Party Chairman (1949-76) died in Beijing at age 82.

 
 

17 SEPTEMBER

Sri Chinmoy and members of the UN Meditation group observed the anniversary of Dag Hammarskjöld’s death in the Meditation Room of the UN (which the Secretary-General had designed).

25 SEPTEMBER

The rock band U2 was formed in Dublin.

 

28 SEPTEMBER

Muhammad Ali defeated Ken Norton to retain his world heavyweight boxing title.

 
 

1 OCTOBER

The Great Seal of the State of California was presented to Sri Chinmoy by March Fong Eu, Secretary of State, as a “token of lasting friendship” and an exhibition of Sri Chinmoy’s paintings opened at One Embarcadero Center, San Francisco.

 

4 OCTOBER

An exhibition of Sri Chinmoy’s paintings was held in the Glasgow School of Art, Scotland in conjunction with a talk by Janaka Alan Spence.

 

16 OCTOBER

Vasant Rai performed on sarod at a private concert for Sri Chinmoy and his students.

 

24 OCTOBER

Sri Chinmoy left New York for a visit to Puerto Rico.

 

26 OCTOBER

Sri Chinmoy was named an Official Guest of Honour of Ponce, Puerto Rico by Mayor Luis Morales. He also planted a meditation tree in Ponce and offered an esraj concert at the Museo del Arte.

 

27 OCTOBER

Mayor Angel Berrios of Caguas, Puerto Rico, proclaimed the day Sri Chinmoy Day. Sri Chinmoy offered an esraj concert at the Casa Blanca Concert Hall in Caguas.

 

28 OCTOBER

Sri Chinmoy had a meeting with the President of the Puerto Rican Senate, Juan Cancel Rios; he offered a private meditation and esraj performance for the Governor of Puerto Rico, Rafael Hernández Colón, and his wife; and he offered an esraj concert at the Puerto Rico Music Conservatory.

OCTOBER

Mairead Corrigan Maguire was a co-winner of the Nobel Peace Prize for her efforts to stop the bloodshed in Northern Ireland.

 
 

1 NOVEMBER

Mayor George Moscone of San Francisco proclaimed this day ‘Sri Chinmoy Day’ in honour of Sri Chinmoy’s visit.

 

4 NOVEMBER

Sri Chinmoy attended the opening of an exhibition of his paintings in San Francisco.

 

1-7 NOVEMBER

A display of 200 of Sri Chinmoy’s artworks opened in the foyer of City Hall, Ottawa, at the invitation of Mayor Lorry Greenberg. Sri Chinmoy donated one of his paintings to the City and it subsequently hung in the office of the Mayor.

2 NOVEMBER

Jimmy Carter defeated Gerald R. Ford to become the 39th President of the USA.

 

9 NOVEMBER

The UN General Assembly approved ten resolutions condemning apartheid in South Africa.

 
 

13 NOVEMBER

Sri Chinmoy opened an exhibition of his paintings in Washington DC.

 

18 NOVEMBER

Sri Chinmoy left NY for Ottawa where he gave an esraj concert at the Museum of Man. A number of his paintings were on display for the occasion.

 

19 NOVEMBER

Sri Chinmoy returned to Room 233 of the Sheraton El Mirador Hotel in Ottawa where he had done his first painting, a red rose, two years previously.

 

28 NOVEMBER

Sri Chinmoy set tune to 300 of his poems, later published as Surrender-Lotus-Blossoms and Surrender-Rose-Blossoms.

 

NOVEMBER

A group of Sri Chinmoy’s paintings selected by Henry Geldzahler, Curator of NY’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, began a tour of America.

3 DECEMBER

Fidel Castro was elected President of Cuba.

 

7 DECEMBER

The UN Security Council endorsed Kurt Waldheim for a 2nd five-year term as UN Secretary-General.

 
 

7 DECEMBER

Sri Chinmoy offered a special meditation for judges and lawyers at the Association of the Bar of the City of New York.

 

17 DECEMBER

Sri Chinmoy’s 300th book, Aspiration-Tree, was published.

 

17 DECEMBER

Sri Chinmoy met with Abraham Beame, Mayor of the City of New York. Mayor Beame accepted Sri Chinmoy’s gift of his 300 books on behalf of the New York Public Library.

 

18 DECEMBER

Sri Chinmoy offered a special New Year’s meditation for the public at Hunter College, New York.

 

20 DECEMBER

Sri Chinmoy departed for a spiritual retreat in Miami with his students.