States-Connecticut

Connecticut (CT). The 5th state to join the Union in 1788

Connecticut factoids: The capital of Connecticut is Hartford; its largest city is Bridgeport. Today’s population in Connecticut is approximately 3.68 million (averaging around 761 people per square mile). Connecticut’s state tree is the ‘Charter Oak’; its state flower is the ‘Mountain Laurel’; and its state bird the ‘American Robin’. Connecticut’s State Motto is: “Qui Transtulit Sustinet” (He Who Transplanted Still Sustains).

Activities of Sri Chinmoy in Connecticut (see page for activities in other states)

Note: Sri Chinmoy often traveled to Connecticut from his home in N.Y. to meet with his students for their weekly meditations. The activities listed here are mostly (though not all) public events and do not give justice to the sweet, endearing events that occurred frequently.

1968

• December 4, 1968. Sri Chinmoy delivers a lecture —a momentus first at an American university — entitled “God’s Dream-Boat and Man’s Life-Boat” at Yale University in New Haven, CT.

1969

• April 14, 1969. Sri Chinmoy delivers a lecture entitled “How to Please God” at the University of Bridgeport, in Bridgeport, CT.
• April 19, 1969. Sri Chinmoy delivers a lecture entitled “The Secret of Inner Peace” at the University of Connecticut (UConn) at Storrs in Storrs, CT.
• July 1, 1969. The inauguration of the “Connecticut Sri Chinmoy Centre” in Wilton, CT.

1970

• April 8, 1970. Sri Chinmoy delivers a lecture entitled “The Inner Freedom” at Fairfield University in Fairfield, CT.

1971

• December 8, 1971. Sri Chinmoy delivers a lecture entitled “‘The Brahman of the Upanishads” at Yale University in New Haven, CT.

1972

• February 11, 1972. Sri Chinmoy delivers a lecture entitled “Existence, Non-Existence, and the Source’” at the University of Connecticut (UConn) at Storrs in Storrs, CT.

• August 27, 1972. Sri Chinmoy celebrates his 41st birthday with a large group of international students in Norwalk, CT.

1973

• Sri Chinmoy appears on the 12:00 noon news on the Dick Bertel Show, Channel 3, WTIC-TV, in Hartford, CT.

1974

• January 14, 1974. Sri Chinmoy delivers a lecture entitled “Self-Examination” at the St Thomas Aquinas Chapel at the University of Connecticut (UConn) at Storrs in Storrs, CT. Note: this university had offered a credited course on Sri Chinmoy’s Philosophy in 1973
  • Q&As from that event was published in Fifty Freedom-Boats to One Golden Shore, Part 1 
    • Question: How can a person be sure that he really has aspiration?
    • Question: When we find ourselves encountering difficulties in the spiritual life, is the best thing just to surrender to God’s Will and leave it all up to Him?
    • Question: What is the cause of ignorance?
• January 22, 1974. Sri Chinmoy has a lengthy interview (nearly 30 questions/answers) on WRVR’s ‘Connections’ programme in Connecticut. One of the many intriquing Q&A is:
  • Interviewer: What was your first impression of Americans?
• January 27, 1974. Sri Chinmoy holds a public meditation in Stamford, CT.
• March 11, 1974. Sri Chinmoy offers a public meditation at Greenwich Public Library, in Greenwich, CT.
• May 8, 1974. Sri Chinmoy is interviewed by two reporters on a Connecticut television programme in Hartford, CT. Read the first question here (and following questions #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, and #8) transcript here.

1975

• May 16, 1975. By Proclamation the Mayor of Bristol, CT, Frank J. Longo, a chrysanthemum flower is named ‘The Honourable Sri Chinmoy’.
• June 14, 1975. Sri Chinmoy holds a 7-hour outdoor meditation at the Connecticut Centre in Norwalk, CT. for his newer students.
• July 26, 1975. Sri Chinmoy holds a public meditation at 7:30 p.m. on the Greenwich Civic Center, Greenwich, CT.
• August 11, 1975. Sri Chinmoy asks members of his Connecticut Centre to give him a spiritual word, and he then spontaneously recites a poem based on the word. The poems are later published in his book, Silence-Seed and Sound-Fruit.

1977

• March 28, 1977. Sri Chinmoy plays the esraj on ‘This Morning Show’, Channel 3 TV, broadcast from Hartford, CT.
• June 11, 1977. Sri Chinmoy offers his first public flute performance, in Greenwich, CT.
• July 1977. As part of his epic 20-day 100-talk series, published as Everest-Aspiration (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4). Several of these talks were given in Connecticut. These talks of Sri Chinmoy’s are entitled:
  • “I Wish to be Free ” on July 9, 1977 at Norwalk High School in Norwalk, CT.
  • On 18 July 1977, the following nine (9) talks were given en route while traveling to Connecticut:
    • In the Human World
    • Our Beloved Supreme
    • God’s Compassion Flows, God’s Justice Grows
    • To Live in the Desire-World
    • I was a Student of Prayer
    • I Wanted to Tell God
    • I Lived Only Twice
    • I Shall Sing Today
    • The Purpose of Human Life 
  • as well as the following three (3) talks at the Sri Chinmoy Centre in Norwalk, CT
    • What More Can I Give You?
    • Divine Pilgrimage
    • Lord of My Life, Friend of My Heart

• • “Are You the Lamp of God?” at 9:40 p.m. on July 20, 1977 at the Greenwich Public Library in Greenwich, CT.

1978

• August 27, 1978. After several significant events in New York City, in the evening Sri Chinmoy and a large group of his international students travel to to the Greenwich Civic Center in Greenwich, CT. for an evening celebration of his 47th birthday.
• September 24, 1979. The SCMT holds the Sri Chinmoy 10-Mile Race in Greenwich, CT.
  • Sri Chinmoy participates and completes the 10-miles in 1:45:22
• November 26, 1978. The SCMT holds the Sri Chinmoy 10-Mile Race in New Canaan, CT.
  • Sri Chinmoy participates and completes the 10-miles in 1:28:18

1979

• June 8-10, 1979. Sixty members of the Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team begin a 300-mile relay run through Connecticut, USA, lasting approximately 44 hours. It is called ‘The Constitution State Relay Run’ and is held to honour Sri Chinmoy’s 10 years of service to the people of Connecticut. At one point, Sri Chinmoy runs with the runners carrying the flag.
• June 10, 1979. After joining the above relay run, Sri Chinmoy offers a public concert and meditation at the Greenwich Library in Greenwich, CT.
• July 25, 1979. Sri Chinmoy offers a Concert at 7 p.m. at Robert E. Fitch High School in Groton, CT.
• July 29, 1979. The SCMT holds their first Sri Chinmoy Triathlon in Groton, CT.
• September 23, 1979. The SCMT holds the Sri Chinmoy 10-Mile Race in Greenwich, CT.
  • Sri Chinmoy participates and completes the 10-miles in 1:23:47 (8:23 pace)

1980

• March 30, 1980. The SCMT holds the Sri Chinmoy 7-mile Race in Fairfield, CT.
  • Sri Chinmoy participates in the race completing 7-miles in 51:18.
• November 1-2, 1980. The SCMT organizes the first Sri Chinmoy 24-Hour Race in Greenwich, CT.

1981

• March 27, 1981. Sri Chinmoy delivers a lecture entitled “The Vision-Dawn” at Yale University in New Haven, CT.
• March 29, 1981. At the Sri Chinmoy Race in Westport, CT., Sri Chinmoy runs a personal best for 2 miles in 13:42 (6:51 per mile pace).
• September 26-27, 1981. The SCMT organizes the second Sri Chinmoy 24-Hour Race in Greenwich, CT.
  • Sri Chinmoy starts the runners off at 8 a.m. — and the following day along with Ted Corbitt, known as the “the father of long distance running”, conducts the awards ceremony.

1982

• May 25, 1982. Sri Chinmoy delivers a lecture entitled “Truth’” at Yale University in New Haven, CT.
  • 50 books authored by Sri Chinmoy are presented to the Yale Divinity School

1984

• August 27, 1984. Celebrating his 53rd birthday with his students, Sri Chinmoy offers a concert —which includes improvisations on the synthesizer, esraj and sitar— at a private function at the Stamford High School in Stamford, CT.

1985

• July 27, 1985. The SCMT puts on their first Sri Chinmoy Masters Games —track and field events for those age 50 and older — it is held at Greenwich High School in Greenwich, CT.
• December 4, 1985. An article appears about Sri Chinmoy in the largest daily newspaper in Connecticut, the Hartford Courant, entitled “A Guru’s Quiet Quest”.
• December 5, 1985. Sri Chinmoy offers a Peace Concert at the Bushnell Memorial Hall in Hartford, CT.

1986

• April 19, 1986. On this day, Sri Chinmoy offers two peace concerts and delivers two lectures entitled
  • “God’s Most Treasured Gift’” at the University of Connecticut (UConn) in the afternoon at Storrs in Storrs, CT.
  • “The Way to Abiding Peace” at Wesleyan University in the evening in Middletown, CT.

1987

• March 29, 1987. Sri Chinmoy offers a Peace Concert with a piano performance at High School in Stamford, CT.

1988

• March 1, 1988. Sri Chinmoy offers two pipe organ recitals (listen to the two recordings here) in Connecticut
  • A morning recital is held at the First United Church of Christ Congregational in Milford, CT.
  • An afternoon organ recital at Woolsey Hall at Yale University in New Haven
    • Between those two events Sri Chinmoy demonstrates weightlifting 155-lbs and is interviewed on The Fairfield Exchange, a Norwalk-based television show.
    • The organ recital at Yale is followed by
      • an interview with the New Haven Register.
      • a television interview at the college station at the University of Bridgeport.

1989

• February 26, 1989. Sri Chinmoy offers a Peace Concert including an organ performance and delivers a lecture entitled “Concentration” at the Dwight Chapel at Yale University in New Haven, CT.

1990

• August 27, 1990. After a full day of his 59th birthday celebrations in New York, Sri Chinmoy with a large group of his international students enjoy a private evening function at Westhill High School in Stamford, CT.
• September 8, 1990. Sri Chinmoy offers a Peace Concert at the Palace Theatre in New Haven, CT.

1992

• In May, Sri Chinmoy offers seven (7) Peace Concerts which he entitled ‘Peace: Divinity’s Dream on Earth’ . The third, on May 9, 1992, is held at Yale University in New Haven, CT. Listen to the CD…

1993

• An exhibition of Sri Chinmoy’s Jharna-Kala paintings opens at the State Capitol Building in Stamford, CT.

1997

• March 28, 1997. Sri Chinmoy offers a Peace Concert at Yale University in New Haven, CT.

1998

• After several weightlifting feats in Connecticut, Sri Chinmoy is interviewed for the New Haven Register
  • Reporter: You lifted heavy things like planes and elephants many years ago. What made you resume it again now?
  • Reporter: Is lifting a plane different from lifting anything else?
  • Reporter: Does that mean that this 13,000-pound plane was easier to lift than the elephant?
  • Reporter: What are you trying to prove when you do these things publicly?

2003

• May 7, 2003. Sri Chinmoy lifts Yale University professors as part of his ‘Lifting Up the World with a Oneness-Heart’ programme, at Yale University in New Haven, CT, USA.

******

Listen to the melody Sri Chinmoy set for name ‘Connecticut’

(read more about these on the 50-state songs page)

********

Among the many songs Sri Chinmoy composed on America, his adopted country, this one is perhaps the most powerful:

America, America, America!
Great you are, good you are,
Brave you are, kind you are.
O my America, America.
Your Heaven-freedom is earth’s aspiration-choice.
With you, in you, is God-Hour’s Victory-Voice.

—Sri Chinmoy
(see https://www.srichinmoysongs.com/america-great-you-are-good-you-are)

The song “America! Great You Are, Good You Are” recording, below, as performed by the Sri Chinmoy Choir:

********

Return to page with activites in other States  //  // Go to Devotionsongs.com home