The Chinmoy Beena15
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.”16
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.
