Lifting Up the World With a Oneness-Heart

Mr. Devashishu Torpy, Master of Ceremonies

We are extremely happy and extremely grateful to welcome you here today to the Lifting Up the World With a Oneness-Heart Award programme. Sri Chinmoy has travelled throughout the length and the breadth of the globe to honour in his own unique way men and women of inspiration and dedication from all walks of life. In appreciation and gratitude for their world-serving contributions, he has presented this signal award to presidents, prime ministers, members of parliament, religious leaders from all faiths, Nobel laureates, outstanding artists, musicians, poets and athletes. Sri Chinmoy also wishes to honour citizens on the grassroots level who are serving others in extraordinary ways. Through their lives of devoted self-offering, all of our highly esteemed honorees, including each of you who has so kindly come here today, have raised up the standard of humanity far beyond our imagination’s flight.

In the same way that a star sports player here at the University of Cambridge is lifted up out of joy and enthusiasm by his fellow teammates, so too, Sri Chinmoy, in a spirit of sincere gratitude, lifts each recipient overhead from the honorary platform. The very first person to receive this award in 1988 was the legendary Bill Pearl, five-time Mr. Universe and Best Built Man of the Century. The 2,000th person to receive the Lifting Up the World With a Oneness-Heart Award was President Nelson Mandela and the 6,000th individual was the great Muhammad Ali.

Each one of our guests here today is offering something most significant through his or her own unique endeavours. Here, at the University of Cambridge, you are serving not only the students but the whole of humanity.

We are very grateful that you have come here today. Sri Chinmoy and all of us present offer you our most heartfelt welcome and congratulate you on soon receiving the Lifting Up the World With a Oneness-Heart Award.

We are very, very grateful to our host here today, Professor Sir Patrick Bateson. May I invite Professor Bateson to come up and say a few words of welcome.

Official Welcome to Sri Chinmoy from the Provost Sir Patrick Bateson

I want to welcome you all here to this College and I should say that this is Sri Chinmoy’s ninth visit to the University of Cambridge. In 1997, he planted a tree in memory of Sri Aurobindo, who was at this College back at the end of the nineteenth century.

The tree is an extraordinarily beautiful tree. It is called the Dove Tree because in the late spring when it flowers, it looks as though it is full of white doves. It is also called the Pocket Handkerchief Tree, not so romantically.

I am delighted that Sri Chinmoy has come here again and very honoured that he should be here. I just want to say welcome to you all and thank you for coming.