Sri Chinmoy offers his second recital for the Asia Society, held at the Indian Cultural Centre in New York. His first musical performance is in June 1965, at New York’s Guggenheim Museum.
A Performance at the Indian Cultural Centre
One of my colleagues, N. C. Acharya, knew of my love for music and he asked me to give a concert. That is how my concert at the Indian Cultural Centre came about. The person in charge of the Cultural Centre donated a hall for free and the date was fixed for 20 March 1966.
Quite a few hundred people came to the concert. For me to get over one hundred people in those days was really something. But they came and they appreciated my singing.
I sang ten devotional songs in Sanskrit and Bengali, and I gave a short commentary on each one.
Published in My Consulate Years
Soulfulness and Prayerful Feelings
by Sri Chinmoy
at P.S. 86, Jamaica, New York
Very prayerfully and soulfully I sing fifty-nine songs every day. Sometimes I may make mistakes, but my soulfulness is there. It takes me exactly an hour. I sing each song twice, but three or four songs I sing three times. I sing these fifty-nine songs every day at three-thirty, four o’clock or four-thirty in the morning — not after four-thirty. I do cycling in my meditative consciousness while singing. Before that I meditate for about two hours. Then, at six o’clock, I disappear. I go with Vinaya to the airport to meditate while I walk inside the terminal.
I never miss even a single day singing these fifty-nine songs! I like them; I enjoy them. I may make mistakes, as you are seeing, but my soulfulness does not worry about the melody. Most of the songs I know well and I sing correctly, but there are a few that I sing incorrectly. I know I am making mistakes, but I remain very prayerful and soulful, so at that time God forgives me.
If you cannot carry a tune, or if you forget the melody, think of your soulfulness and your prayerful feelings. Then there will be no problem.
Published in Only One Power
The Chinmoy Beena
by Sri Chinmoy
Aspiration-Ground, Jamaica, New York
I like the Chinmoy Beena more than any other instrument! That has become my most favourite. What I need — sweetness — it has. What I need — splendour — it has. I get such a sonorous feeling from that instrument.
Ravi Shankar liked that instrument very much, so I played it for him. He immediately said that it had to be named “Chinmoy Beena.”
Every morning, the very first thing I do is meditate, meditate. Then I play our Invocation. After “The Invocation” I play “My Lord Beloved Supreme.” Then I practise five or six instruments. First is the sitar, which I play for such a long time. Then I play the Chinese erhu. It melts my heart! Then I play a big, round, white Chinese instrument. After that I play the Chinmoy Beena, and some days the Western flute. How nicely I play the Western flute at home! Then, after a few hours, I play the cello.
Like that, daily I play seven to eight instruments at different hours. Three or four I play one after another, consecutively. I start with the sitar, and then, other instruments I play.
When I do cycling for half an hour, either I listen to my songs or to Tagore’s songs, or to other great performers. Half an hour passes by almost in the twinkling of an eye when I hear the music of superlative Indian singers. They literally melt my heart.
Note: Pandit Ravi Shankar asked Sri Chinmoy to call this instrument Chinmoy Beena on 10 October 2002, following the Master’s soulful performance for Ravi Shankar at P.S. 86 in Jamaica, New York.
Published in His Compassion is Everything to Us