July 30

In Brief

Parliament of World Religions

Spiritual leader Sri Chinmoy traveled from his world headquarters in Queens, New York to Spain to open the Parliament of World Religions in Barcelona on July 13 at the Grand Hall. A crowd of 3,200 participants of all faiths traveled from North and South America, Europe, Australia and New Zealand, to what was of one of the largest events taking place during the five-month Universal Forum of Cultures in the city. The current parliament is the fourth since the event was launched in 1993 to mark the centennial celebrations of the World Parliament of Religions in Chicago, where Swami Vivekananda delivered his immortal talk. An opening prayer for oneness was followed by a peaceful performance by Sri Chinmoy on an  esraj, an Eastern stringed instrument. Winner of the 2003 Nobel Peace Prize, Iran’s Shirin Ebadio delivered the keynote address at the ceremony

Published in News India Times, July 30, 2004