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4 JANUARY

Sri Chinmoy returned to New York from Miami.

5 JANUARY

Kenyan President Jomo Kenyatta disbanded parliament.

7 JANUARY

Sri Chinmoy met with Robert Muller, Director and Deputy to the Under-Secretary-General for Inter-Agency Affairs and Co-ordination at the UN.

19 JANUARY

Snow fell in Miami for the first time in its history.

19 JANUARY

The world’s largest gathering of human beings – 12.7 million people – took place at the Kumbha Mela religious festival in Allahabad, India.

20 JANUARY

Jimmy Carter was sworn in as President of the USA.

20 JANUARY

Sri Chinmoy was a guest at the Inaugural Day Prayer Service, held at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC.

21 JANUARY

Sri Chinmoy held a memorial programme for U Thant at the UN on the anniversary of his birth.

26 JANUARY

Sri Chinmoy visited the CN Tower in Toronto and offered an esraj concert at the University of Toronto.

27 JANUARY

President Carter pardoned almost 10,000 Vietnam War draft evaders.

5 FEBRUARY

Sri Chinmoy composed 7 songs dedicated to the United Nations.

6 FEBRUARY

The Silver Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II of England.

8 FEBRUARY

An earthquake measuring 5.0 struck San Francisco.

16 FEBRUARY

The USSR performed a nuclear test at Sary Shagan in Kazakhstan, USSR.

16 FEBRUARY–17 JULY

Sri Chinmoy gave 12 lectures at US universities on the East Coast.

17 FEBRUARY

Sri Chinmoy received a letter of greeting from Walter F. Mondale, Vice-President of the US.

18 FEBRUARY

A bronze bust of U Thant was presented to Sri Chinmoy by prominent UN official Robert Muller and sculptor Domenico Mazzone.

19 FEBRUARY

France performed a nuclear test at Mururoa Atoll in the Pacific.

23-25 FEBRUARY

Sri Chinmoy visited Puerto Rico.

2 MARCH

Sri Chinmoy offered a meditation and esraj concert at Rockland County Community College.

5 MARCH

Sri Chinmoy offered a public meditation and esraj concert at Loyola College, Montreal.

6 MARCH

Sri Chinmoy offered a public meditation and esraj concert at the University of Laval, Quebec City.

7 MARCH

Sri Chinmoy met with UN Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim and offered him his book on U Thant.

8 MARCH

Sri Chinmoy offered a meditation and esraj concert at Columbia University, NY.

9 MARCH

Sri Chinmoy offered a meditation and esraj concert at Queens College, NY.

10 MARCH

The rings of Uranus were discovered.

11 MARCH

Sri Chinmoy was interviewed by Brian Saxton, the BBC’s UN correspondent.

12 MARCH

Egypt’s President Anwar Sadat pledged to regain Arab territory from Israel.

15 MARCH

Sri Chinmoy cooked a 22-course meal for 465 of his students.

16 MARCH

President Carter pleaded for a Palestinian homeland.

16 MARCH

Sri Chinmoy read a selection of his poetry at New York University.

19 MARCH

France performed a nuclear test at Mururoa Atoll.

21 MARCH

Sri Chinmoy received a letter of appreciation from Paul O’Dwyer, President of the City Council of NY.

22 MARCH

Indira Gandhi revoked Emergency rule and resigned as Prime Minister of India.

24 MARCH

Morarji Desai became Prime Minister of India.

24 MARCH

Sri Chinmoy appeared on WNBC-TV’s ‘The First Estate: Religion in Review’ hosted by Russell Barber.

25 MARCH

Sri Chinmoy offered a public concert at the Ethical Culture Society of New York.

28 MARCH

The film ‘Rocky’ won an Academy Award.

28 MARCH

Sri Chinmoy played his esraj on ‘This Morning Show’, Channel 3 TV, Hartford, Connecticut.

29 MARCH

Sri Chinmoy offered a meditation and esraj concert at the State University of NY at New Paltz.

4 APRIL

Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and President Jimmy Carter held their first meeting.

5 APRIL

The US performed a nuclear test at Nevada Test Site.

8 APRIL

Sri Chinmoy was a guest on the ‘Steve Powers Show’, WMCA Radio, NY.

13 APRIL

Sri Chinmoy offered a 13-hour meditation.

15 APRIL

Sri Chinmoy offered a public meditation at Hunter College, NY.

16 APRIL

The first Apple II personal computer was introduced at the West Coast Computer Faire.

18 APRIL

The 81st Boston Marathon was won by Jerome Drayton of Canada in 2:14:46 and Miki Gorman of California in 2:48:33.

21 APRIL

Zia ur-Rahman was appointed President of Bangladesh.

21 APRIL

Brendan T. Byrne, Governor of New Jersey, wrote to Sri Chinmoy to congratulate him on the completion of his 300th book.

23 APRIL

Czechoslovakian chess master Vastimil Hort played 201 games simultaneously and only lost ten.

24 APRIL

Sri Chinmoy was interviewed a second time by Russell Barber on NBC-TV’s ‘The First Estate: Religion in Review’.

25 APRIL

The USSR performed a nuclear test at Semipalitinsk in Eastern Kazakhstan, USSR.

27 APRIL

Bloody riots took place in Soweto, South Africa.

30 APRIL

Sri Chinmoy painted a 13 x 70-foot canvas, titled ‘C.K.G. Transcends’, in 2 hours and 29 minutes at JFK High School, NY.

1 MAY

Chantal Langlacé of France set a new women’s marathon record of 2:35:15.4.

3 MAY

Sri Chinmoy painted a special 6 x 8-foot work to honour the United Nations.

4 MAY

Sri Chinmoy gave a concert at Pace University, White Plains.

14 MAY

Sri Chinmoy offered an esraj concert at Buffalo State University.

15 MAY

Sri Chinmoy offered a concert at the State University of NY in Fredonia.

19 MAY

The final run of the Paris to Istanbul Orient Express (begun in 1883) left Paris.

23 MAY

President Carter presented an environment message to Congress.

23 MAY

Sri Chinmoy and his students offered a concert at New York’s Town Hall.

24 MAY

USSR President Podgorny resigned.

25 MAY

The US performed a nuclear test at Nevada Test Site.

25 MAY

The film ‘Star Wars’ opened and became the highest grossing film of all time.

26 MAY

George Willig ‘The Human Fly‘ climbed the 110-story South Tower of the New York City World Trade Center.

28-29 MAY

Sri Chinmoy cycled 175 miles in the 24-hour Pepsi-Cola Bicycle Marathon held in Central Park, and 135 of his students also participated in the event, which attracted a field of 9,000 cyclists.

29 MAY

The USSR performed a nuclear test at Semipalitinsk in Eastern Kazakhstan, USSR.

30 MAY

Articles about the Pepsi-Cola Bicycle Marathon appeared in The New York Times and the New York Daily News. Both articles mentioned the contribution of Sri Chinmoy and his team.

3 JUNE

Sri Chinmoy gave an outdoor concert at Damrosch Amphitheater, Lincoln Center, NY.

6 JUNE

The Washington Post reported that the US had developed a neutron bomb.

7 JUNE

Sri Chinmoy hosted a programme to honour the UN Security and Safety Service.

11 JUNE

Sri Chinmoy’s first public flute performance, Greenwich Public Library, Connecticut.

13 JUNE

Sri Chinmoy took up the game of tennis.

16 JUNE

Leonid Brezhnev was named President of the USSR.

17 JUNE

Sri Chinmoy offered a concert at the North Shore Unitarian Church in Plandome, NY.

18 JUNE

Sri Chinmoy offered concerts at Cape Cod Community College, Hyannis, Massachusetts, and at Salve Regina College in Newport, Rhode Island.

21 JUNE

Menachem Begin became Prime Minister of Israel.

21 JUNE

Sri Chinmoy offered a concert and talk at Trinity Church, Boston.

22 JUNE

Sri Chinmoy offered a concert at Rutgers University, Newark, NJ.

25 JUNE

Sri Chinmoy offered a concert at Southampton Community College, Long Island, NY.

26 JUNE

Elvis Presley gave his last-ever concert.

27 JUNE

Sri Chinmoy offered a concert at Western Connecticut State College, Danbury, CT.

28 JUNE

Sri Chinmoy offered a concert at Brooklyn College, NY.

JUNE

Guillermo Villas won the men’s singles title at the French Open.

1-20 JULY

Sri Chinmoy offered 100 talks, published as Everest-Aspiration.

1-31 JULY

Sri Chinmoy offered 28 concerts at universities and colleges, during which he performed on esraj, flute, violin, cello and harmonium.

2 JULY

Bjorn Borg defeated Jimmy Connors to win the men’s singles title at Wimbledon.

4 JULY

Sri Chinmoy and his students participated in an Independence Day Service on the theme of human rights, held at Trinity Church, NY.

5 JULY

Pakistan’s army under General Mohammad Zia ul-Haq seized power.

7 JULY

The US successfully tested a neutron bomb.

11 JULY

The Medal of Freedom was awarded posthumously to Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.

13 JULY

The New York City area was hit by a 25-hour blackout.

17 JULY

In Washington, Sri Chinmoy was interviewed in Bengali by Voice of America. The interview was broadcast throughout India and Bangladesh.

20 JULY

The UN Security Council voted to admit Vietnam to the UN.

23 JULY

Junius Richard Jayewardene was elected Prime Minister of Sri Lanka.

26 JULY

The USSR performed an underground nuclear test.

29 JULY

Sri Chinmoy offered a commemorative tribute to Dag Hammarskjöld at the UN.

31 JULY

Sri Chinmoy completed the last in a special series of 28 concerts given during the month of July in the NY metropolitan area and Washington DC.

3 AUGUST

Archbishop Makarios (b. 1913), President of Cyprus, died.

4 AUGUST

The US performed a nuclear test at Nevada Test Site.

13 AUGUST

Sri Chinmoy completed 630 rhyming poems in 24 hours, published as A Soulful Cry Versus a Fruitful Smile.

16 AUGUST

Elvis Presley (b. 1935), the ‘King’ of rock-n-roll, died.

19 AUGUST

Comedian Groucho Marx died at age 86.

19 AUGUST

The USSR performed a nuclear test at Sary Shagan, USSR.

27 AUGUST

Sri Chinmoy’s 46th birthday. Queens Borough President Donald Manes proclaimed ‘Sri Chinmoy Day’ for the second consecutive year. Councilman Povman presented Sri Chinmoy with the proclamation.

31 AUGUST

Sri Chinmoy completed 401 rhyming poems, later published as From the Source to the Source.

1 SEPTEMBER

The USSR performed a nuclear test at Novaya Zemlya, USSR.

10 SEPTEMBER

Sri Chinmoy painted ‘Journey’s Battle-Victory’, a 13 x 25-foot canvas, in 47 minutes.

10 SEPTEMBER

Christa Vahlensieck of Germany set a new world record in the women’s marathon of 2:34:47.5.

11 SEPTEMBER

Guillermo Villas defeated Jimmy Connors to win the men’s singles title at the US Open.

12 SEPTEMBER

In South Africa, political dissident Steven Biko died in police custody. His death led to international protests and a UN-imposed arms embargo on South Africa.

15 SEPTEMBER

The US performed a nuclear test at Nevada Test Site.

16 SEPTEMBER

The United Nations Meditation Group dedicated a small island in the East River adjacent to the UN as ‘U Thant Island’ in memory of the late Secretary-General. U Thant’s daughter was in attendance. Hugh Carey, Governor of New York, commended this initiative.

21 SEPTEMBER

Sri Chinmoy received the World Gratitude Day plaque from Edna Lemle, founder of the organisation.

23 SEPTEMBER

Sri Chinmoy observed the 80th birthday of Pope Paul VI at the UN.

28 SEPTEMBER

Sri Chinmoy held a reception for Mayor Beame of New York at the Sri Chinmoy art exhibition in Grand Central Station.

29 SEPTEMBER

Sri Chinmoy met with Muhammad Ali in New York on the morning of his world heavyweight championship fight with Earnie Shavers. Ali later won the fight in 15 rounds.

30 SEPTEMBER

A photograph of Sri Chinmoy meditating with Muhammad Ali appeared in The New York Times.

30 SEPTEMBER

The USSR performed a nuclear test at Novaya Zemlya, USSR.

SEPTEMBER

Sri Chinmoy’s canvas ‘Journey’s Battle-Victory’ was displayed as a billboard near Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco as part of an exhibition of 17 works commissioned by the Eyes and Ears Foundation in conjunction with the Museum of Modern Art, SF.

1 OCTOBER

Sri Chinmoy went to the Meadowlands Stadium in New Jersey to watch the famed Brazilian soccer champion Pele play his last game.

2 OCTOBER

The first public Sri Chinmoy Race was held in Greenwich, Connecticut. The distance was 10.5 miles. There were 150 participants.

4 OCTOBER

Sri Chinmoy offered a programme in honour of US President Jimmy Carter at the UN.

7 OCTOBER

Sri Chinmoy met with Lillian Carter, mother of the US President, in Americus, Georgia, and then offered a concert in her honour.

14 OCTOBER

Singer-Actor Bing Crosby (b. 1903) died.

15 OCTOBER

Don Ritchie ran 100 miles in 11:30:51, setting a new world record.

18 OCTOBER

Sri Chinmoy offered a concert at Carnegie Recital Hall in Manhattan.

22 OCTOBER

During a reception held at the UN for Olympic and world class runners, the president of the New York City Road Runners Club, Fred Lebow, presented Sri Chinmoy with a special medal of appreciation for his services to running. Sri Chinmoy’s song ‘Marathon’ was performed for the first time before an audience of international runners, including Lasse Viren, Chantal Langlace, Miki Gorman, Frank Shorter, Bill Rodgers and Ron Hill.

23 OCTOBER

The 8th New York City Marathon was won by Bill Rodgers in 2:11:38 and Miki Gorman in 2:43:10.

24 OCTOBER

On the occasion of United Nations Day, Sri Chinmoy received a Distinguished Service Award from the United Nations Association of the USA.

24-27 OCTOBER

Sri Chinmoy visited Puerto Rico.

25 OCTOBER

Sri Chinmoy attended the Colgate-Borinquen Tennis Classic and watched Billie Jean King playing with Rosita Casals, grandniece of maestro Pablo Casals.

26 OCTOBER

The US performed a nuclear test at Nevada Test Site.

28 OCTOBER

Sri Chinmoy received a letter of greeting from US Secretary of State Cyrus Vance.

29 OCTOBER

The USSR performed a nuclear test at Semipalitinsk, USSR.

31 OCTOBER

Composer Leonard Bernstein wrote to Sri Chinmoy, calling him “a miraculous model of the abundance in the creative life that we lesser mortals seek.”

1 NOVEMBER

President Carter raised the US minimum wage to $3.35/hour, effective 1981.

4 NOVEMBER

The UN Security Council proclaimed a weapons embargo on South Africa.

6-10 NOVEMBER

Sri Chinmoy visited San Francisco.

8 NOVEMBER

Sri Chinmoy was reunited with Lakhan L. Mehrotra, Consul-General of India in San Francisco and formerly his boss at the Indian Consulate in New York.

9 NOVEMBER

Mayor George Moscone declared ‘Sri Chinmoy Day’ in San Francisco for the third consecutive year.

12 NOVEMBER

France performed a nuclear test at Mururoa Atoll, Pacific.

14 NOVEMBER

Swami Srila Prabhupada, founded of the Hare Krishna movement, died.

15 NOVEMBER

Sri Chinmoy met with Carlos P. Romulo, Foreign Minister of the Philippines and offered a concert at the School of Visual Arts in Manhattan.

18 NOVEMBER

Sri Chinmoy had composed a total of 2,733 songs to this date.

19 NOVEMBER

President Anwar Sadat of Egypt became the first Arab leader to visit Israel. Libya dropped diplomatic relations with Egypt.

20 NOVEMBER

President Sadat became the first Arab leader to address the Israeli Knesset.

22 NOVEMBER

British Airways inaugurated regular London to New York City supersonic Concorde service.

24 NOVEMBER

France performed a nuclear test at Mururoa Atoll, Pacific.

24 NOVEMBER

Sri Chinmoy offered his first harpsichord concert. He played 46 of his Bengali songs.

27 NOVEMBER

Sri Chinmoy received an award from the Kissena Cycling Club in Queens for his encouragement of cycling.

29 NOVEMBER

Sri Chinmoy offered the opening meditation at a programme in honour of Martin Luther King, Jr. sponsored by the United Nations Meditation Group. The guest of honour was Dr King’s wife, Coretta Scott King.

NOVEMBER

Sri Chinmoy offered 10 concerts on the East and West coasts.

5 DECEMBER

Egypt broke diplomatic relations with Syria, Libya, Algeria, Iraq and South Yemen.

10 DECEMBER

Human Rights Day. The USSR placed 20 prominent dissidents under house arrest.

17 DECEMBER

France performed a nuclear test at Mururoa Atoll, Pacific.

18 DECEMBER

Sri Chinmoy offered his New Year’s meditation at Columbia University.

25 DECEMBER

Comedian Charles Chaplin died at age 88.

26 DECEMBER

The USSR performed a nuclear test at Semipalitinsk, USSR.

30 DECEMBER

Sri Chinmoy offered a public meditation at Admiralty House, Bermuda.

DECEMBER

Vitas Gerulaitis won the men’s singles title and Evonne Goolagong won the women’s singles title at the Australian Open.

DECEMBER

Pope Paul VI sent Sri Chinmoy a Christmas card written in his own hand.

During 1977

The Jane Goodall Institute for Wildlife Rescue, Education and Conservation was founded in San Francisco.

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.

1 JANUARY

Communist troops in Cambodia launched an offensive which in 117 days collapsed the Khmer Republic.

3 JANUARY

Sri Chinmoy met with C.V. Narasimhan, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Inter-Agency Affairs.  

20 JANUARY

The Senate of Puerto Rico unanimously passed a proclamation to honour Sri Chinmoy's visit to the Senate floor.

23 JANUARY

Sri Chinmoy received a certificate of merit from North American Mentor poetry magazine. 

JANUARY

Bob Dylan released 'Blood on the Tracks' album.

3 FEBRUARY

Sri Chinmoy completed 4,000 paintings.

9 FEBRUARY

Sri Chinmoy offered his first 7-hour meditation.

11 FEBRUARY

Margaret Thatcher was elected leader of the Tory party in England.

19 FEBRUARY

Sri Chinmoy completed 7,000 paintings.

24 FEBRUARY

In Nepal, Birendra was crowned king. He came to the throne on 31 January 1972.

26 FEBRUARY

Sri Chinmoy painted 1,000 paintings in 21 hours to complete his 10,000 paintings since he began on 19 November 1974.

8 MARCH

The UN began observing International Women’s Day.

10 MARCH

The Shinkansen (Bullet Train) opened between Osaka and Fukuoka.

21 MARCH

Sri Chinmoy offered a meditation and lecture at Earth Day ceremonies in Battery Park, New York.

25 MARCH

King Faisal of Saudi Arabia was assassinated.

25 MARCH

Sri Chinmoy offered a tribute to the Prophet Mohammed at the United Nations.

28 MARCH

A new American flag was flown over the Capitol Building in Washington, DC in honour of Sri Chinmoy’s 11th year in the West. The flag was then sent to Senator Lowell Weicker, Jr. of Connecticut who presented it to Sri Chinmoy.

31 MARCH

Opening of an exhibition of Sri Chinmoy’s paintings on Wooster St in Soho, NY.

MARCH

The Sri Chinmoy Centre was accredited as a non-governmental organisation (NGO) at the United Nations. Sri Chinmoy served as its representative to the UN.

5 APRIL

Death of Chiang Kai-shek (b. 1887), President of the Republic of China.

11 APRIL

Sri Chinmoy created 11 large paintings (4’x8’) dedicated to the soul of America.

12 APRIL

Sri Chinmoy’s paintings for America were displayed at Columbia University.

13 APRIL

Civil War erupted in Beirut, Lebanon.

16 APRIL-9 JUNE

Sri Chinmoy offered 7 lectures at Harvard Divinity School.

17 APRIL

The government of Cambodia surrendered to the Khmer Rouge, led by Pol Pot. He ruled Cambodia until 1979. An estimated 1.7 million people were killed under Khmer Rouge.

17 APRIL

Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan (b. 1888), Indian philosopher and president, died. He had been awarded the 1975 Templeton Prize for progress in Religion.

21 APRIL

Bill Rodgers (USA) won the Boston Marathon in 2:09:55, breaking the American Record.

28 APRIL

Sri Chinmoy met with American artist Peter Max.

28 APRIL

Sri Chinmoy painted a 9’x16’ canvas.

29 APRIL

The last US forces pulled out of Vietnam.

30 APRIL

The Fall of Saigon. The Vietnam War ended as Communist forces seized Saigon. South Vietnam surrendered unconditionally. Saigon was renamed Ho Chi Minh City.

3 MAY

Sri Chinmoy gave a talk at Naval Air Station, Willow Grove, Pennsylvania, on The Quintessence of Patriotism.

6 MAY

Sri Chinmoy left for a two-week stay with his family in Pondicherry, South India.

7 MAY

President Ford declared an end to the ‘Vietnam Era’.

16 MAY

India annexed the principality of Sikkim.

16 MAY

Mayor Longo of Bristol, Connecticut, named a new variety of chrysanthemum ‘The Honorable Sri Chinmoy’.

19 MAY - 17 JUNE

Exhibition of Sri Chinmoy’s paintings at the Musee del Arte, Ponce, Puerto Rico.

22 MAY

Sri Chinmoy offered a programme dedicated to the Buddha, at the United Nations.

25 MAY

Sri Chinmoy offered the opening meditation at the International Conference on Transpersonal Psychology in Iceland.

5 JUNE

The Suez Canal re-opened for the first time after the Six-Day War.

15 JUNE

Sri Chinmoy offered his first 13-hour meditation on the occasion of Father’s Day.

25 JUNE

Prime Minister Indira Gandhi declared a state of emergency in India.

25 JUNE

Mozambique became an independent state, ending nearly five centuries of Portuguese rule.

27 JUNE

Sri Chinmoy completed 27,000 paintings.

5 JULY

Arthur Ashe became the first African-American to win a Wimbledon singles title as he defeated Jimmy Connors.

8 JULY

At the invitation of Sufi leader Pir Vilayat Khan, Sri Chinmoy led a meditation session at a Sufi retreat in Willow, New York.

11 JULY

Archaeologists in China unearthed an army of 8,000 life-size terracotta warriors created more than 2,000 years earlier for the Emperor Qin Shi Huangdi. A farmer had uncovered the first of the figures in 1974.

17 JULY

A US Apollo Spaceship docked with a Soviet Soyuz Spacecraft in orbit in the first superpower linkup of its kind.

24 JULY

President Ford proclaimed this day as a National Day of Prayer.

24 JULY

Sri Chinmoy meditated on stage with religious leaders from various faiths at the National Day of Prayer observance held at the Church Center for the United Nations.

JULY

Zakir Hussain and John McLaughlin co-founded the Indian jazz band Shakti.

JULY

President Ford appointed Daniel Patrick Moynihan as ambassador to the UN.

11-17 AUGUST

The first World Masters Track & Field Games was held in Toronto, Canada.

15 AUGUST

President Mujibar Rahman of Bangladesh was killed during a military coup.

27 AUGUST

Haile Selassie I (b. 1882), Ethiopian emperor, died.

27 AUGUST

On the occasion of his 44th birthday, Sri Chinmoy performed on 27 different musical instruments.

29 AUGUST

Eamon de Valera (b. 1882), third President of Ireland, died.

5 SEPTEMBER

Czech tennis star Martina Navratilova asked for political asylum in New York City.

12 SEPTEMBER

Sri Chinmoy completed 44,000 paintings.

16 SEPTEMBER

Papua New Guinea gained independence from Australia.

28 SEPTEMBER

The first public Sri Chinmoy Race was held: 7 miles in Stamford, Connecticut.

1 OCTOBER

‘Thrilla in Manila’ - Muhammad Ali defeated Joe Frazier for the heavyweight boxing title.

3 OCTOBER

Sri Chinmoy completed his 100,000th painting since he began on 19 November 1974.

11 OCTOBER

NBC aired the first episode of Saturday Night Live.

13 OCTOBER

Mayor Joseph Alioto of San Francisco proclaimed the day Sri Chinmoy Day in honour of Sri Chinmoy’s visit.

24 OCTOBER

Sri Chinmoy conducted the opening meditation at the Fifth World Spiritual Summit held in NY in honour of UN Day. Also in attendance was Mother Teresa.

1 NOVEMBER

Sri Chinmoy wrote 843 poems in 24 hours, published in a single volume called Transcendence-Perfection.

11 NOVEMBER

The Governor-General of Australia dissolved the elected government of Prime Minister Gough Whitlam.

16 NOVEMBER

Sri Chinmoy completed 16,031 paintings in a 24-hour period.

22 NOVEMBER

Juan Carlos 1 was declared the King of Spain following the death of Francisco Franco.

22 NOVEMBER

Sri Chinmoy spontaneously set to music and sang 200 Bengali poems (published as Pole-Star Promise-Light, Parts 1-4).

28 NOVEMBER

East Timor proclaimed independence from Portugal.

29 NOVEMBER

The name ‘Micro-soft’ was used in a letter by Bill Gates for the first time.

7 DECEMBER

Indonesia invaded East Timor. Some 600,000 were left dead after a prolonged war.

18 DECEMBER

Paul O’Dwyer, New York City Council president, presented Sri Chinmoy with the Bronze Medal of the City of New York.

20 DECEMBER

Sri Chinmoy spontaneously set to music and sang 99 English poems from his volume Transcendence-Perfection.

During 1975

Smallpox was eradicated in India and Bangladesh.

During 1975

The world population passed the 4 billion mark.

During 1975

An entry for Sri Chinmoy (under ‘Ghose, Chinmoy’) appeared in The New Columbia Encyclopedia.

2 JANUARY

Mayor Luis Antonio Morales presented Sri Chinmoy with the Key to the City of Ponce, Puerto Rico. 

3 JANUARY

Bob Dylan and The Band began a two-month US concert tour.

9 JANUARY

Sri Chinmoy embarked on a 50-state university lecture tour of the US, lecturing in 11 states in the month of January.   The entire 50 lectures, delivered over the next 10 months, were published as Fifty Freedom-Boats To One Golden Shore.

JANUARY

Sri Chinmoy’s meditations were broadcast daily on 13 radio stations across the United State.  

31 JANUARY

Ian Thompson (GBR) set a new marathon record of 2:09:12.0.

2 FEBRUARY

Sri Chinmoy wrote 208 poems in 22 hours  as part of a new 1,000-poem series called The Golden Boat.

4 FEBRUARY

Mao Tse-tung proclaimed a new ‘Cultural Revolution’ in China.

13 FEBRUARY

Alexander Solzhenitsyn was exiled from the USSR.

22 FEBRUARY

Pakistan officially recognised Bangladesh.

28 FEBRUARY

The US and Egypt re-established diplomatic relations after a 7-year break.

1 MARCH

A grand jury in Washington DC concluded that President Nixon was involved in the Watergate cover-up.

2 MARCH

Roberta Flack won a Grammy Award for her song ‘Killing Me Softly’.

4 MARCH

The first issue of People Magazine appeared.

8 MARCH

Charles de Gaulle Airport opened outside of Paris.

16-29 MARCH

Sri Chinmoy offered 16 lectures at universities in Canada, later published as My Maple Leaves.

17 MARCH

Arab oil ministers, with the exception of Libya, announced the end of the oil embargo on the US.

MARCH

The Mahavishnu Orchestra released their album ‘Apocalypse’ inspired by Sri Chinmoy’s poem of the same name.

2 APRIL

French President Georges Pompidou died in Paris at age 62.

4 APRIL

The Mayor of Mt Vernon, New York, August P. Patrillo, presented Sri Chinmoy with the Key to the City.

5 APRIL

The Mayor of Kingston, New York, Francis R. Koenig, presented Sri Chinmoy with the Key to the City.

6 APRIL

ABBA won the Eurovision Song Contest in Brighton, England.

10 APRIL

Golda Meir announced her resignation as Prime Minister of Israel. She was replaced by Yitzhak Rabin.

13 APRIL

The tenth anniversary of Sri Chinmoy’s arrival in the West.  He celebrated by cooking 10 separate dishes for 400 of his students. 

29 APRIL

Sri Chinmoy wrote 360 poems in 24 hours.  They were later published as The Goal is Won.

1 MAY

The US Federal Hourly Minimum Wage was set at $2.00 per hour.

7 MAY

West German Chancellor Willy Brandt resigned.

8 MAY

In Canada the government of Pierre Trudeau fell.

8 MAY

Mayor Catherine C. Reynolds of West Hartfield, Connecticut, proclaimed the day ‘Sri Chinmoy Day’ in honour of Sri Chinmoy’s visit.

8 MAY

Mayor Frank J. Longo Sr. of Bristol, Connecticut, proclaimed the day ‘Bristol-India Day’ in honour of Sri Chinmoy’s visit and presented him with the Key to the City.

18 MAY

India became the 6th nation to explode an atomic bomb.

19 MAY

Valerie Giscard d’Estaingwon the French presidential elections.

27 MAY

President d’Estaing of France nominated Jacques Chirac to serve as Prime Minister.

31 MAY

Israel and Syria signed an agreement on the Golan Heights.

3 JUNE

The last American forces left Laos.

12 JUNE

The Governor of Puerto Rico, Rafael Hernández Colón, presented Sri Chinmoy with a plaque honouring his service to the island.

24 JUNE–21 JULY

Sri Chinmoy gave 21 lectures at universities and other venues in England, Scotland, Ireland, Italy, Switzerland, Sweden, France, Wales and Iceland.  During his tour, he also wrote 1,000 poems, later published as Europe-Blossoms.

27 JUNE

President Nixon arrived in Moscow for his 3rd summit meeting.

27 JUNE

In Chile, General Augusto Pinochet proclaimed himself ‘Supreme Chief of the Nation’.

29 JUNE

The Russian ballet dancer Mikhail Baryshnikov defected in Toronto.

JUNE

Edward C. Berberich of the US recited Pi to 1,505 decimal places from memory.

1 JULY

Sri Chinmoy met with the President of Ireland, Erskine Childers, in Dublin. 

1 JULY

Juan D. Peron, President of Argentina, died. He was succeeded by his third wife, Isabel.

8 JULY

Pierre Trudeau’s liberal party won the Canadian parliamentary elections.

15 JULY

Greek troops and the Greek Cypriot National Guard staged a military coup in Cyprus and Archbishop-President Makarios was compelled to flee.

20 JULY

Turkey invaded Cyprus.

22 JULY

Sri Chinmoy met with the President of Iceland, Dr. Kristjan Eldjarn, in Reykjavik. 

30 JULY

The Prime Ministers of Greece and Turkey, plus the British Foreign Secretary, signed a peace agreement to settle the Cyprus crisis.

JULY

UNICEF selected three quotations by Sri Chinmoy for its 1975 calendar. 

7 AUGUST

French stuntman Philippe Petit walked a tightrope strung between the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York.

8 AUGUST

President Nixon announced he would resign his office at 12pm on August 9 following damaging revelations in the Watergate scandal.

9 AUGUST

President Nixon’s resignation took effect. Gerald R. Ford was sworn in as the 38th US President.

14 AUGUST

The Turkish army mounted a 2nd full-scale offensive in Cyprus, despite peace talks in Geneva. 37% of Cyprus came under Turkish military occupation.

27 AUGUST

On the occasion of his 43rd birthday,   Sri Chinmoy performed the first act of his play The Son about Jesus Christ. 

4 SEPTEMBER

The US and the German Democratic Republic established diplomatic relations.

8 SEPTEMBER

President Ford pardoned former President Nixon.

12 SEPTEMBER

Haile Selassie I of Ethiopia was deposed by the military.

2 OCTOBER

Brazilian soccer legend Pelé came out of retirement.

9 OCTOBER

Czech-born businessman Oskar Schindler, credited with saving 1,200 Jews during the Holocaust, died in Frankfurt.

13 OCTOBER

Ed Sullivan, longtime television host, died in New York City at age 72.

27 OCTOBER

Chantal Langlace of France set a new female marathon record of 2:46:24.

29 OCTOBER

Sri Chinmoy completed his 50-state lecture tour of the US with a lecture in Alaska. 

30 OCTOBER

Muhammad Ali and George Foreman held their ‘Rumble in the Jungle’ boxing match in Zaire. Ali knocked out Foreman in the 8th round.

OCTOBER

Sri Chinmoy’s book The Inner Promise was published by Simon & Schuster, New York.

10 NOVEMBER

Sri Chinmoy completed his 200th book since 1970. 

12 NOVEMBER

South Africa was suspended from the UN General Assembly over its racial policies.

13 NOVEMBER

Yasser Arafat addressed the UN General Assembly.

15-21 NOVEMBER

Sri Chinmoy offered 4 public meditations in Eastern Canada. 

18 NOVEMBER

Sri Chinmoy planted an oak tree at Federal Parkland, Ottawa, Canada as an offering to the soul of Canada. 

19 NOVEMBER

Sri Chinmoy commenced his artistic expression. He called his creations Jharna-Kala, meaning ‘fountain-art’ in Bengali.

22 NOVEMBER

The UN General Assembly recognised Palestine’s right to sovereignty and national independence.

23-24 NOVEMBER

US President Gerald Ford attended a summit in Vladivostok , USSR with Soviet President Brezhnev. They reached a tentative agreement to limit the number of nuclear weapons.

25 NOVEMBER

The Irish Republican Army was outlawed in Britain after a spate of violent attacks.

25 NOVEMBER

U Thant (b. 1909) Burmese diplomat and former UN Secretary-General died in New York at age 66.

26 NOVEMBER

Sri Chinmoy observed the passing of former UN Secretary-General U Thant with a special meditation at the UN Church Center Chapel. 

28 NOVEMBER

Sri Chinmoy composed O My America, America’s spiritual theme song. 

1 DECEMBER

Jackie Hansen of the USA set a new women’s world record in the marathon of 2:43:54.

10 DECEMBER

Sri Chinmoy completed his first 1,000 paintings and drawings.

11 DECEMBER

In Chile, General Pinochet took the title President of the Republic.

19 DECEMBER

Nelson A. Rockefeller was sworn in as the 41st Vice-President of the US.

28 DECEMBER

The first exhibit of Sri Chinmoy’s art Jharna-Kala was held in Hollis, Queens, New York. 

31 DECEMBER

Sri Chinmoy offered a 7-hour performance of 100 of his new Bengali songs. 

1 JANUARY

The European Union admitted Britain, Ireland and Denmark.

8 JANUARY

The trial of Watergate burglars began in Washington, DC.

14 JANUARY

Elvis Presley gave a concert in Hawaii. It was the first worldwide telecast by an entertainer.

15 JANUARY

President Richard Nixon announced the suspension of all US offensive action in North Vietnam.

20 JANUARY

President Nixon was inaugurated for his second term.

22 JANUARY

Former US President Lyndon B. Johnson (held office 1963-69) died at age 64.

27 JANUARY

The first issue of Meditation at the United Nations magazine was published in New York.

27 JANUARY

A cease-fire officially went into effect in the Vietnam.

28 JANUARY

Peace Accords were signed in Paris between the US, North Vietnam, South Vietnam and South Vietnamese revolutionaries.

14 FEBRUARY-7 MARCH

Sri Chinmoy gave a series of 4 lectures on Kundalini Yoga at New York University. These were published the next year in Kundalini: The Mother-Power.

22 FEBRUARY

The US and Communist China agreed to establish liaison offices.

MARCH

The Mahavishnu Orchestra released the album Birds of Fire. The title is from Sri Chinmoy’s poem ‘Revelation’.

3 MARCH

Singer Roberta Flack received a Grammy Award for ‘The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face’.

7 MARCH

Sheikh Mujibar Rahman (1920-1975) was elected first Prime Minister of Bangladesh.

17 MARCH

Pink Floyd released their album ‘Dark Side of the Moon’ in the US.

23 MARCH

The US performed a nuclear test at Nevada Test Site.

23 MARCH-20 JUNE

Sri Chinmoy wrote a series of 1,000 poems,  later published as The Dance of Life.

28 MARCH-2 MAY

Sri Chinmoy gave a series of 6 lectures at Columbia University, New York.

29 MARCH

The last US troops left South Vietnam, ending America’s direct military involvement in the Vietnamese War. The War had resulted in the deaths of 58,167 Americans, 1.1 million North Vietnamese and Viet Cong and 2 million civilians.

APRIL

Mother Teresa was awarded the inaugural Templeton Prize for Progress in Religion.

3 APRIL

The first handheld cellular phone call was made by Martin Cooper in New York City.

4 APRIL

A ribbon cutting ceremony was held to mark the completion of the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center. They became the tallest buildings in the world.

15 APRIL

An article about Sri Chinmoy appeared in The New York Times.

3 MAY

The Sears Tower in Chicago was completed. It became the tallest building in the world, surpassing the World Trade Center Towers.

25 MAY

Former United Nations Secretary-General U Thant attended the première of Sri Chinmoy’s play Siddhartha Becomes the Buddha in White Plains, New York.

30 MAY

Sri Chinmoy dedicated a Meditation Tree at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco.

30 MAY

Erskine Childers (1905-1974) was elected as the 4th President of Ireland.

11 JUNE-4 JULY

Sri Chinmoy gave a series of 11 lectures at universities in England, Scotland, Ireland, Switzerland and Germany. They were published the following year in My Rose Petals, Part 2.

15 JUNE

Sri Chinmoy had a private meeting with President Eamon de Valera of Ireland.

19 JUNE

President Nixon met with Russia’s leader Leonid Brezhnev in the White House.

27 JUNE

Sri Chinmoy’s second audience with Pope Paul VI at the Vatican.

JULY

Mahavishnu John McLaughlin and Carlos Santana released the album Love Devotion Surrender in the US. The title is drawn from Sri Chinmoy’s writings.

10 JULY

The Bahamas became independent after three centuries of British colonial rule.

19 JULY

France resumed nuclear tests at Mururoa Atoll over the protests of Australia and New Zealand.

28 JULY

The Summer Jam at Watkins Glen, a massive rock festival, attracted over 600,000 fans.

AUGUST

The Mahavishnu Orchestra released the album Between Nothingness and Eternity. The title is from a poem by Sri Chinmoy of the same name.

27 AUGUST

Sri Chinmoy held an 8-hour meditation in New York to celebrate his 42nd birthday.

28 AUGUST

USSR performed an underground nuclear test, while France performed another nuclear test at Muruora Island.

20 SEPTEMBER

Tennis star Billie Jean King defeated Bobby Riggs in straight sets in the nationally televised ‘The Battle of the Sexes’ tournament in Houston, Texas.

20 SEPTEMBER

Sri Chinmoy and legendary sitar player Ravi Shankar met for the first time at the home of Mahavishnu John McLaughlin in Queens, New York.

22 SEPTEMBER

Henry Kissinger (b. 1923) was sworn in as US Secretary of State.

2 OCTOBER

Sri Chinmoy offered a programme in honour of Mahatma Gandhi at the United Nations.

6 OCTOBER

The Yom Kippur Arab-Israeli War began.

7 OCTOBER

Sri Chinmoy wrote 150 poems in 24 hours. 

17 OCTOBER

The Arab States imposed an oil embargo against countries supporting Israel, triggering an energy crisis.

17 OCTOBER

Ustad Ali Akbar Khan gave a private concert on sarod for Sri Chinmoy and his students in Queens, New York.

OCTOBER-NOVEMBER

Sri Chinmoy completed a second series of 1,000 poems for the year.  It was published the following year as The Wings of Light.

20 OCTOBER

Queen Elizabeth II opened the Sydney Opera House.

22 OCTOBER

Pablo Casals, Spanish cellist, conductor and composer, died in Puerto Rico at age 96.

26 OCTOBER

Sri Chinmoy offered a tribute to President John F. Kennedy of the USA and Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru of India at the United Nations.

6 NOVEMBER

Abraham D. Beame (1906-2001) was elected Mayor of New York City.

11 NOVEMBER

Egypt and Israel signed a US-sponsored cease-fire accord.

28 DECEMBER

The Mayor of San Juan, Puerto Rico, Carlos Romero Barceló, presented Sri Chinmoy with the Key to the City. 

During 1973

Sri Chinmoy wrote full-length plays on Sri Krishna, Sri Ramachandra, the Buddha, Sri Chaitanya, the Christ and Sri Ramakrishna.

During 1973

Sri Chinmoy’s Commentary on the Bhagavad Gita was published by Rudolph Steiner, New York.

During 1973

Sri Chinmoy’s book of essays about Indian luminaries, Mother India’s Lighthouse, was published by Rudolph Steiner, New York.

During 1973

Sri Chinmoy’s book The Supreme and His Four Children was published by Fleet Press Corp., New York.

SPRING

The publication of Sri Chinmoy’s first book in the West: Meditations: Food for the Soul.

3 MARCH-28 MAY

Sri Chinmoy offered a series of 21 lectures at US universities, including 4 lectures on the Bhagavad Gita at New York University.

6 MARCH

The Beatles released Let It Be in the UK.

14 APRIL

Inauguration of the United Nations Meditation Group. Sri Chinmoy was invited to be its director and to offer twice-weekly meditations for delegates and staff members. The name was changed to ‘Sri Chinmoy: The Peace Meditation at the United Nations’ several years later.

30 APRIL

President Nixon announced the US was invading Cambodia to disrupt North Vietnam army base areas.

1 MAY

Students at Kent State University rioted in protest of the invasion. Campus protests broke out across the nation.

4 MAY

Four students at Kent State University shot dead by the National Guard during a peaceful rally.

8 MAY

Anti-war protests took place across the US and around the world.

9 MAY

100,000 protestors marched on Washington, DC.

12 MAY

Start of a series entitled Talks from the Peace Room which Sri Chinmoy gave at the United Nations Church Centre. He gave 5 short talks in this series in May and June.

28 JUNE

Muhammad Ali went before the Supreme Court regarding his refusal to be conscripted for the Vietnam War.

29 JUNE

US troops began pulling out of Cambodia.

7 JULY

Sri Chinmoy held the first Sports Day at Alley Pond Park, New York. This marked the beginning of athletics in the Sri Chinmoy Centres.

13 JULY

The publication of Sri Chinmoy’s second book: My Ivy League Leaves. containing many of his university lectures.

15 JULY

Sri Chinmoy gave a lecture to the United Nations World Youth Congress entitled The Garland of Nation-Souls. This was his first lecture at the United Nations.

7 AUGUST

Israel, Jordan and Egypt agreed to a cease-fire.

26 AUGUST

Nationwide women’s strike for equality took place in the US.

15 SEPTEMBER

US-backed coup in Chile.

SEPTEMBER

Black September in Jordan, with 13 days of fighting and 2,000 dead as King Hussein moved to quash Palestinian elements and restore the monarchy’s rule.

27 SEPTEMBER

Cease-fire accord signed in Cairo between the Jordanian Army and Palestinian guerrillas by King Hussein and Yasser Arafat.

7 OCTOBER

President Nixon proposed a cease-fire in Indochina and the withdrawal of troops from Vietnam.

7-9 OCTOBER

Sri Chinmoy offered 4 lectures at universities in Canada. These were later published in Eastern Light For The Western Mind.

10 OCTOBER

Fiji proclaimed its independence from Britain.

9 NOVEMBER

Charles de Gaulle, President of France from 1959-1969, died.

9 NOVEMBER-2 DECEMBER

Sri Chinmoy’s first European Tour. He offered 16 lectures at universities and colleges in England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, France and Switzerland. These were published the next year in My Rose Petals, Part 1.

12 NOVEMBER

A cyclone hit East Pakistan (Bangladesh) killing an estimated 300,000 people.

20 NOVEMBER

The UN General Assembly accepted membership of The People’s Republic of China.

23 NOVEMBER

George Harrison released My Sweet Lord in the US.

DECEMBER

Sri Chinmoy’s first commercially published book entitled Yoga and the Spiritual Life was released by Tower Publications, New York.

DECEMBER

Meditations: Food for the Soul was published by Harper & Row, New York.

7 FEBRUARY

The Beatles
began their first American tour.

25 FEBRUARY

Cassius Clay (later Muhammad Ali) became world heavyweight boxing champion by defeating Sonny Liston.

13 APRIL

At the age of 32, Chinmoy Kumar Ghose
came to the West. He arrived at New York’s JFK Airport.

22 APRIL

The New York World’s Fair opened in Queens. It featured the futuristic Unisphere.

27 MAY

India’s first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, died.

12 JUNE

In South Africa, Nelson Mandela was convicted of treason and sentenced to life imprisonment. He was moved to a jail cell on Robben Island.

18 JULY

Race riots erupted in New York City.

7 AUGUST

Congress passed Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, giving President Johnson broad military powers in North Vietnam. The resolution amounted to a declaration of war.

10-24 OCTOBER

The Summer Olympics was held in Tokyo.

14 OCTOBER

Civil rights leader, Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for advocating a policy of non-violence.

21 NOVEMBER

New York’s Verrazano-Narrows Bridge opened. It was the world’s longest suspension bridge at the time.

3 DECEMBER

Police arrested 824 students at the University of California at Berkley after they staged a massive sit-in.