Category: News

News #104: Sri Chinmoy Christmas Dash – Christchurch, NZ

Posted on by Yatkara

Sri Chinmoy Self-Transcendence Christmas Dash 2025 – 10km and Kids 3.2km

The Sri Chinmoy Self-Transcendence Christmas Dash – 10 km & Kids 3.2 km brought runners, families, and supporters to South Hagley Park in Christchurch on 30 November 2025. This festive event blended athletic challenge with community joy, encouraging participants to embrace self-improvement through movement and shared celebration.

Throughout the morning, athletes enjoyed a flat three-lap 10 km route while younger runners completed a single 3.2 km loop. Early arrivals warmed up near Deans Ave and Riccarton Ave before making their way to the start line. Thanks to the relaxed and friendly atmosphere, newcomers and experienced runners alike felt welcomed and supported.

On the Course: 10 km & Kids 3.2 km

South Hagley Park provided an ideal setting for the event. The entire course stayed within the park’s pathways, allowing runners to share the space with walkers, families, and cyclists. Because the area stayed open to the public, the race naturally gained a cheerful, community-focused feel.

Adults and teens raced the main 10 km distance, while children took part in the shorter 3.2 km dash. Parents were allowed to accompany their kids, which made the event even more inclusive. Festive outfits, friendly encouragement, and post-race smiles added warmth to the entire morning. As finishers crossed the line, volunteers and supporters offered applause, creating a joyful closing to the running season.

Results – Full Finish Times

The 2025 edition included personal bests and strong performances from athletes of many age groups. Each finisher contributed to the uplifting spirit that defines the Christmas Dash.

Complete results for all runners are available in the official results file: Results PDF

Photo Gallery – Highlights from the Event

These photos show runners of all ages giving their best, celebrating with family, and enjoying the festive atmosphere.

Experience the race through our lens: View Gallery

Why the Dash Matters

The Sri Chinmoy Self-Transcendence Christmas Dash reflects the philosophy of the Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team: progress through consistent effort and joy. Unlike races focused solely on competition, this event invites everyone — regardless of pace — to participate, improve, and feel uplifted.    

For many runners, it serves as a meaningful end-of-year challenge. For children, it may be the start of a lifelong love for running. And for families, it becomes a shared tradition filled with encouragement and warmth.

Other Sri Chinmoy NZ Events

Throughout 2025, the Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team held several events across New Zealand. Earlier in the year, Christchurch hosted the Self-Transcendence 100 km & 50 km Ultras, offering a demanding endurance challenge. The Spring Half Marathon & 10 km also drew many runners seeking personal progress. Additional local races supported community participation and fitness throughout the year.

Explore More

For more information about sports events, visit the official website: www.srichinmoyraces.org.
To learn more about Sri Chinmoy, please visit: www.srichinmoy.org.

News #103: Sri Chinmoy National Capital Swim 2025 – Canberra 10 km Challenge

Posted on by Yatkara

Sri Chinmoy National Capital Swim 2025 - Canberra 10 km Challenge

On 30 November 2025, the Sri Chinmoy National Capital Swim brought swimmers from across Australia together for a full 10 km crossing of Lake Burley Griffin in Canberra. The race tests endurance, spirit, and heart. 

Weather, Water & Waves

At dawn, the lake surface was like glass — calm and inviting. Yet by afternoon, the wind rose sharply, capsizing kayaks and stirring rain showers across the finish area. The change made the swim far tougher than anyone expected. 

Still, many persevered. The early calm and sudden challenge made every stroke — from first to last — a test of resolve and resilience.

Standout Performances

  • Michael Pranckl completed the 10 km in 2:39:19, the fastest solo time — 11 minutes ahead of the next solo finisher — and won the M50–59 category. 

  • Veteran swimmer Murray Chapman (M60–69) finished in 2:51:07, marking one of the oldest high-ranking solo finishes in the event. 

  • On the women’s side, Louisa Jeffery surged ahead to finish in 2:54:54, claiming the top spot among female solo swimmers. 

Team relays also saw strong performance: the all-female squad Bronte Babes clocked 2:32:20, earning top position among female relay teams. Mixed-gender and all-male relay divisions also saw tight finishes and spirited effort. 

Every swimmer who started the race — from seasoned veterans to first-timers — showed dedication; many battled wind, waves, and fatigue to reach the finish.

More Than a Race — A Community Celebration

The Sri Chinmoy Swim is not just a competition — it’s a gathering of water-lovers, nature-lovers, and supporters. Safety crews in kayaks, volunteer paddlers, organizers, and cheering friends helped each swimmer in their journey. Their efforts ensured that even under unpredictable weather, the event remained safe, supportive, and full of goodwill.

As the wind whipped and rain threatened, supportive cheers from paddlers and helpers made a difference. The collective spirit kept the race alive — reminding everyone that beyond timing and trophies, the community matters.

Results, Photos & Past Races

Why This Swim Inspires

Whether you’re an open-water veteran or just curious, this swim shows how determination + community support + nature’s unpredictability = a meaningful race. It proves success isn’t just speed — it’s courage, heart, and the willingness to finish what you start. After all, the lake doesn’t care about times. But the swimmers? They care. And their stories — of effort, joy, challenge, and camaraderie — are what make the Sri Chinmoy Swim more than a race.

Explore More

For more information about sports events, visit the official website: www.srichinmoyraces.org.
To learn more about Sri Chinmoy, please visit: www.srichinmoy.org.

News #102: Sri Chinmoy Tan Team Relays, Melbourne

Posted on by Yatkara

Start of the Melbourne Tan Team Relays race with runners taking off

The Melbourne Tan Team Relays took place on 23 November 2025 at the iconic Tan Track around the Botanic Gardens. The event welcomed both solo runners and relay teams, under the banner of the global Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team (SCMT).

Race formats & distances

Runners could choose from the following options:

  • Solo — 1 lap: 4 km
  • Solo — 3 laps: 12 km
  • Solo Marathon — 11 laps: 42.1 km
  • Team Relay Marathon — 4-person teams running a total of 42.1 km, passing a baton each lap

This setup allowed newcomers and experienced runners alike to join — whether for a short run, a 12 km challenge, or a full marathon or relay effort.

Results & photos

About Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team — vision & legacy

SCMT began in 1977, founded by Sri Chinmoy. Its mission is to unite physical fitness with inner growth. Over decades, SCMT has grown into a global network hosting hundreds of events — from short runs to the world-famous 3100-mile race, the longest certified footrace on the planet. Through its races, SCMT promotes not just endurance, but unity, personal growth, and the joy of self-transcendence.

Why the 2025 Tan Team Relays matter

The 2025 Tan Team Relays show that SCMT’s spirit lives on. The mix of solo runs and team relay, short and long distances, made the event inclusive. It welcomed competitive runners and community participants with equal warmth. The race captured the SCMT ethos: pushing physical limits while embracing unity and inner peace.

Whether someone ran 4 km, 12 km, a full marathon, or joined a relay — every finish counts. Events like this renew SCMT’s global tradition, connecting runners in Melbourne with a worldwide community of endurance, friendship, and growth.

We look forward to seeing more runners, new teams, and continuing this journey of growth, strength, and joy in 2026 and beyond.

Explore More

For more information about sports events, visit the official website: www.srichinmoyraces.org.
To learn more about Sri Chinmoy, please visit: www.srichinmoy.org.

News #101: Jharna-Kala Art Exhibition at Kiskunfélegyháza Elementary School

Posted on by Yatkara

Jharna-Kala Art Exhibition Kiskunfélegyháza – children celebrate Sri Chinmoy paintings

On 28 November 2025, an elementary school in Kiskunfélegyháza, Hungary, welcomed seven original Jharna-Kala paintings by Sri Chinmoy. The children had personally chosen these works from an earlier exhibition. Around 200 pupils participated in the welcoming programme and greeted the visiting disciples with beautiful performances. The atmosphere was warm, joyful and deeply heartfelt.

The paintings are now permanently displayed in the school corridors and classrooms, offering daily inspiration to students and teachers alike.

Who Was Sri Chinmoy?

Sri Chinmoy (1931–2007) was known as a spiritual teacher, poet, musician and artist. He lectured at universities such as Harvard, Yale, Oxford and Cambridge, and served the United Nations for nearly forty years through meditation programmes and cultural events. He founded the Sri Chinmoy Oneness-Home Peace Run (1987), now the world’s longest peace-torch relay, covering more than 150 countries.

The Birth of Jharna-Kala – Fountain-Art

Sri Chinmoy began painting on 19 November 1974 in Ottawa, Canada. He named his spontaneous style “Jharna-Kala” – Bengali for “fountain-art”. Without any formal training, he created over 140,000 acrylic paintings and nearly 16 million bird drawings, often at incredible speed (up to 1,000 drawings in a single sitting). He described the process as meditation in motion: the brush simply flowed from inner silence.

Global Reach of Jharna-Kala Art Exhibition

His works have been exhibited in major venues worldwide:

  • Carrousel du Louvre, Paris
  • United Nations Headquarters, New York and Geneva
  • Parliament buildings in Australia, Canada, Ukraine and many other countries
  • UNESCO headquarters, Paris

Permanent collections exist in museums and schools across continents.

Why Children Love Jharna-Kala Paintings

Sri Chinmoy believed that children naturally feel the soul’s joy in art. The bright colours, flowing lines and peaceful energy of Jharna-Kala speak directly to young hearts. In Kiskunfélegyháza, the students themselves selected the seven paintings that now adorn their school – a beautiful example of how Sri Chinmoy’s art continues to inspire the next generation.

A Permanent Gift to the School

The seven paintings will remain at the school indefinitely. They serve as daily reminders of beauty, peace and inner possibility for hundreds of children and their teachers.

A quiet, heartfelt event – seven paintings now light up a Hungarian school every day. Thank you, Kiskunfélegyháza!

Explore More

For more information about Sri Chinmoy Art, visit the official website: www.srichinmoyart.org.
To learn more about Sri Chinmoy, please visit: www.srichinmoy.org.

News #100: Agnikana’s Group Concert in Subotica – Angelic Voices of Peace

Posted on by Yatkara

Agnikana’s Group Concert in Subotica 2025 – angelic voices on stage

On 21 November 2025, a local Subotica newspaper published a stunning two-page article about the recent Agnikana’s Group concert. Journalist D. Cupac – who has never attended a meditation class – wrote with astonishing depth and poetry. Below is the complete English translation of her article.

The Original Article – “Angelic Voices Captivated Subotica”

Subotica Newspapers – 21 November 2025 Author: D. Cupac

Agnikana’s Group Performed in Our City
Angelic Voices Captivated Subotica

At a time when footsteps often run ahead of thoughts, and the hectic rhythm of life drowns out the subtle music of the soul, there exists a musical ensemble whose sound resists modern norms. Agnikana’s group opens a doorway into a different, magical world—far from the gloom of everyday life, mystical and enchanting. In that world, the moment pauses like the flame of a candle flickering in silence, carrying a unique message from the heart.

The sounds created by these exceptional women resonate with sincere dedication, woven through with profound spiritual warmth.

With confident performances, Agnikana’s group guides listeners inward to a landscape where each note becomes a bridge to hidden depths. Their melodies—soft as a whisper yet powerful as a shared breath—invite the audience to stop for a moment and truly listen within. They do not win over listeners with stage spectacle, but with sincerity, and therein lies their greatest strength. The people of Subotica experienced this at the beginning of the month, when they were delighted by the inspired concert given by this all-female musical ensemble in the Great Hall of Subotica City Hall.

Admirers from Canada, the United States, the Netherlands, Poland, Republika Srpska, Hungary, and Macedonia joined local guests to enjoy this unique musical event. Seven women—excellent musicians from Slovakia and the Czech Republic, led by Agnikana Senkyrova from Zlín in the Czech Republic—brought to our city a special magic that will long be remembered.

Agnikana’s group, a female vocal-instrumental ensemble founded in 1997, is fully devoted to performing the music of Sri Chinmoy. They held their first concert the same year and have since performed more than 200 times across Europe, Asia, and North America.

They have released four CDs so far: Bhagaban, In My Heart-Sky, Dream Always Dream, and Premalocker. Their goal while singing is to create and maintain an atmosphere of harmony, peace, purity, and spirituality. They hope that each listener will receive as many meditative qualities from the songs as possible, while also appreciating their melodies.

All the songs they perform were composed by their meditation teacher, Sri Chinmoy, and are sung in the original Bengali or English. They believe that music is a great enchanter, capable of opening every heart regardless of language. True understanding comes when listeners feel the music with their hearts—when they discover within it a sea of peace and an all-embracing silence.

The members often emphasize that—except Bhoiravi from Vienna—they are not professional musicians or singers. Yet their music reaches the deepest corners of the soul, sometimes bringing listeners to tears or to insights about themselves. What unites them and gives them strength, inspiration, and a unique, unquenchable spark is not music alone but their shared search for truth through meditation—an inseparable part of their lives.

Another philosophy they share is the pursuit of constant progress and self-transcendence. Each day can be the beginning of something new, more fulfilling, and truer. There is no reason for a person to remain at yesterday’s point; the goal for tomorrow is always to move forward, even with a small step.

An interesting fact about this group is that all the members have completed at least one marathon (42.6 km). Not because they are professional athletes, but because of their aspiration and desire to achieve what once seemed impossible. Their success reflects a basic human truth: if you truly want something, there is no reason you cannot achieve it.

The musicians said that our fairy-tale-like, multicultural city completely took their breath away. Subotica impressed them with its beauty and its unique Art Nouveau architecture. They expressed a strong wish to return soon to this peaceful, charming city that preserves the spirit and warmth of Balkan hospitality.

Who Was Sri Chinmoy?

Sri Chinmoy was a spiritual teacher, philosopher, author, artist, and athlete who lived in New York from 1964 until his passing in 2007. He was born in 1931 in Bangladesh.

He devoted his life tirelessly to promoting peace, harmony, and oneness among people. He travelled widely, delivering lectures at major universities such as Harvard, Cambridge, Princeton, Yale, Oxford, and Tokyo.

In his creative work, he expressed deep appreciation for the unity of the world. This theme permeated his millions of bird drawings—symbols of inspiration—and appeared equally in his poetry, prose, music, and art.

The idea of oneness was the unmistakable foundation of all his activities, whether in painting, music, lectures, cultural events, or sponsoring sports programs. For decades, he dedicatedly served the United Nations, considering himself an instrument of global harmony.

Oneness in everything, oneness for everyone.

Today, several thousand of Sri Chinmoy’s disciples around the world work together to improve their lives through meditation, sports, music, literature, and self-development. He also founded one of the largest global sporting events—the Peace Run. Every two years, the relay travels across continents, carrying a message of peace, harmony, and friendship.

Sri Chinmoy lit the first peace torch on April 27, 1987, in New York, launching what is now known as the Sri Chinmoy Oneness-Home Peace Run, which circles the globe. It offered humanity a new way to express its timeless yearning for peace.

Since its beginning, the Peace Run has travelled through 150 countries, touching the lives of millions. People from all walks of life have taken the torch into their hands, offering their wishes for a better and brighter future.

Learn More & Listen