In 1974, two years before Sri Chinmoy visited Australia, he composed his soulful tribute to the island-continent, entitled ‘My Salutation to the Soul of Australia’. During February 1976, the month preceding his arrival in Australia, Sri Chinmoy was consciously preparing for his visit. He would have been diligently working on the ten lectures he was to deliver in five major capital cities; on February 19, in a radio interview on WRNW in New York, Sri Chinmoy explained the reason for his upcoming visit; and on February 20, whilst on a bus trip to Canada, Sri Chinmoy composed the song ‘O My Australia’. It is also interesting to note that on February 17, Sri Chinmoy first began playing the esraj – the instrument he chose to play publicly for the first time in Australia. Here is a day-by-day account of this historic tour:

 

MARCH 1ST
 
    MARCH 1ST 1976   “As soon as the plane landed at the airport in Perth, the soul of Australia and I began our inner colloquy.… ‘In India, every day we hear about cricket between Australia and India…. I will play a game where nobody will win or lose…. Here there is no competition; there is no rivalry. It is all oneness. It is our oneness-game. I have come here to devotedly offer my light to you.’” — Sri Chinmoy (Dec. 2, 1991) Read more...  
 

Sri Chinmoy arrives in Perth, the capital of the state of Western Australia, late in the evening after a marathon series of connecting flights from New York. His journey includes a short stopover in San Francisco, then on to Honolulu and across the Pacific Ocean to Sydney, eventually arriving in Perth 2½ hours behind schedule.

 
 

 

MARCH 2ND
 
     MARCH 2ND 1976   Ian Cairns: “How do you continue to meditate? Do you just do it by yourself or do you have some school...?”

Sri Chinmoy: “Some surfers come to you because you are an authority on that subject. They know that if they come to you, they will be able to learn everything in a very convincing manner. Again, there have been a few experienced and talented human beings, like Tagore and others, who didn’t go to school. But we can’t say that they are not men of wisdom. No, they are. But these are exceptions.”

 
 

Sri Chinmoy meets with world champion surfer Ian Cairns, who subsequently attended one of Sri Chinmoy’s public meditations, in Perth.

 
   
         
 

Sri Chinmoy meets with Aboriginal poet Jack Davis in Perth.

 
   
  MARCH 2ND 1976   “Visiting guru Sri Chinmoy ... says people can be pure, perfect, peaceful, divine and right by talking to God. This, he says, can be done by praying, meditating and believing in the link between us and God.” — Daily News  
 

Sri Chinmoy is interviewed at ‘Flame-Waves’ restaurant in Perth by a reporter from the Daily News and the article appears in the final edition of the newspaper the same day.

 
 
  MARCH 2ND 1976   Prior to his first lecture in Australia, Sri Chinmoy offers his most soulful gratitude to the Dean of Perth: “This morning I had the golden opportunity to be blessed by his august presence. His heart's magnanimity has touched the very depths of my heart. With all the sincerity at my command I pray to the Christ-consciousness to grant Mother Earth a few more sincere seekers and sincere lovers of mankind like the Dean of Perth, so that our planet earth can have a better peace, a more fulfilling heart and a more satisfying reality.”  
 

Sri Chinmoy meets with the Anglican Dean of Perth, the Rev John Cornish, at St George’s Cathedral in Perth. Their meeting is covered by The West Australian and an article appears in the newspaper the next day. 

 
   
  MARCH 2ND 1976   “My dear Australian sisters and brothers, you are all welcome in my house. My house is my heart, my heart of aspiration and my heart of dedication. My heart of aspiration shall love the divine in you and my heart of dedication shall love the Supreme in you.” — Sri Chinmoy  
 

Sri Chinmoy delivers his first lecture in Australia, entitled ‘Aspiration’, that evening at St George’s Cathedral in Perth. It draws over 500 people and after seating space ran out, many seekers sat cross-legged on the floor.

 
 

 

MARCH 3RD
 
    MARCH 3RD 1976   “I think a person such as yourself, who is so humble in himself, giving light to people in so-called prominent positions, probably reminds them to be more humble and more dedicated to the thing they’re serving rather than themselves.” — The Right Hon. Ernest Lee-Steere, Lord Mayor of Perth  
 

Sri Chinmoy meets with the Lord Mayor of Perth, the Right Hon. Earnest Lee-Steere, who arranged a small reception at his chambers in Perth.

 
   
      “There are very few flowers in God's creation that please God to the greatest extent. The rose is one of those, along with the lotus. Rose and lotus: these are the two mystical flowers. These are the two flowers in God’s Heart-Garden that please Him most. The fragrance and beauty of this rose will come from Perth, Australia and go directly to the Heart of God the Creator and God the creation.” — Sri Chinmoy  
 

Sri Chinmoy meets with Mayor Charles Smith of Nedlands and plants a rose bush for world peace at the Nedlands Memorial Rose Gardens in Perth. After the ceremony, Mayor Smith invites Sri Chinmoy back to his council chambers for refreshments.

 
   
  “Dear seekers, dear sisters and brothers, I am also a seeker like you. We all are in one Boat. Our Goal is one: the Golden Shore of the Beyond. Here we are all members of the same divine family … seekers of the Eternal Truth walking along Eternity’s Shore.” — Sri Chinmoy  
 

Sri Chinmoy holds a lunchtime meditation at the Seekers’ Centre in Perth. He gives a short talk and answers questions from the audience. Sri Chinmoy commented on the sincere and receptive group of seekers who were assembled there.

 
   
    “Philosophy and spirituality belong to the domain of knowledge, whereas Yoga belongs to the domain of wisdom. I am extremely happy to learn that the motto of this august university is ‘Seek Wisdom.’ ” — Sri Chinmoy  
 

Sri Chinmoy delivers a lecture, entitled ‘Philosophy, Spirituality and Yoga’, in Winthrop Hall at the University of Western Australia in Perth, where he also plays the esraj for the first time in concert. The event attracts around 700 people, the largest audience in Australia.

 
 

 

MARCH 4TH
 
    MARCH 4TH 1976      
 

Sri Chinmoy spontaneously plays his first extemporaneous keyboard improvisation at Flame-Waves restaurant in Perth. It later becomes Side A of the LP album, ‘Improvisations’.

 
 
  MARCH 4TH 1976   MARCH 4TH 1976      
 

Sri Chinmoy visits Yanchep National Park, north of Perth. There, Sri Chinmoy sees Australian marsupials for the first time. He delights in seeing the kangaroos and blesses one of the oldest koalas in the park, 17-year-old ‘Nobby’.

 
 
  MARCH 4TH 1976   As Sri Chinmoy composed his music, with ducks and black swans walking around him, he jokingly commented: “Oi, I have become Saint Francis! These are my friends – take a picture.” — Sri Chinmoy  
 

Sri Chinmoy writes Bengali songs while seated beside the beautiful spring-fed lake, Loch McNess, at Yanchep National Park. When he arrives at the grassy slope beside the lake, he comments, “This is the sort of place I need in New York.”

 
 
  MARCH 4TH 1976      
 

Sri Chinmoy creates seven acrylic Jharna-Kala paintings in Perth, which he presents to the Perth Centre.

 
 
         
 

Sri Chinmoy departs Perth at 11 p.m. for a plane trip across the Australian continent to Sydney, capital of the state of New South Wales, on the east coast.

 
 

 

MARCH 5TH
 
           
 

Sri Chinmoy arrives in Sydney at Kingsford Smith Airport in the early morning.

 
 
  MARCH 5TH 1976      
 

Sri Chinmoy holds a mid-day, public meditation at the University of Sydney.

 
 
  MARCH 5TH 1976   MARCH 5TH 1976      
 

Sri Chinmoy meets with his students at the hotel where he is staying and walks down to the park by the waters of Sydney Harbour.

 
 
  MARCH 5TH 1976      
 

Sri Chinmoy delivers a lecture, entitled ‘Aspiration and Realisation’, at the Town Hall in Sydney. Some 400-500 people attend the meeting at which all his Australian disciples sang the ‘Invocation’ together for the first time.

 
 

 

MARCH 6TH
 
    MARCH 6TH 1976   MARCH 6TH 1976      
 

Sri Chinmoy visits Taronga Zoo, Australia’s oldest zoo, on the northern side of Sydney Harbour.

 
 
  MARCH 6TH 1976  
“Right now fear, doubt, anxiety, tension and disharmony are reigning supreme. But there shall come a time when this world of ours will be flooded with peace. Who is going to bring about that radical change? It will be you: you and your sisters and brothers, who are an extension of your reality-existence. It will be you and your oneness-heart, which is spread throughout the length and breadth of the world.” — Sri Chinmoy
 
 

Sri Chinmoy meets with Reverend Ted Noffs, who introduces him to the audience before his historic evening lecture, entitled ‘Peace’, at the Wayside Chapel in the heart of the Kings Cross area in Sydney.

 
 
  MARCH 6TH 1976   MARCH 6TH 1976   MARCH 6TH 1976  
MARCH 6TH 1976
   
 

Sri Chinmoy and his students visit Luna Park, a 1930s-style funfair and amusement park, at Milsons Point in Sydney. There, he enthusiastically participates on the rides and visits the sideshows.

 
 
  MARCH 6TH 1976   MARCH 6TH 1976    
 

Sri Chinmoy and his students go ten-pin bowling at Rushcutters Bay Bowl in Sydney.

 
 

 

MARCH 7TH
 
    MARCH 7TH 1976      
 

Sri Chinmoy creates seven Jharna-Kala chalk sketches in Sydney, which he presents to the Sydney Centre.

 
   
  MARCH 7TH 1976   MARCH 7TH 1976   MARCH 7TH 1976    
 

Sri Chinmoy visits the home of the Australian film and TV actor-singer Barry Crocker and his wife Dene in Sydney’s forested northern suburbs for a picnic with his students.

 
   
  MARCH 7TH 1976        
 

Sri Chinmoy makes the first recording of his esraj music at Tin Pan Alley Music studios in Sydney. He was the first person to record an album there. The vinyl LP record, which also contains vocal tracks, is subsequently released as ‘Peace-Light-Delight’.

 
   
  MARCH 7TH 1976   MARCH 7TH 1976        
 

Sri Chinmoy takes an evening boat cruise on Sydney Harbour aboard the Captain Cook ferry and gives a talk on the ‘Golden Boat’, which is recorded by ABC Radio. The captain allows Sri Chinmoy to steer the ferry for a time.

 
 

 

MARCH 8TH
 
    MARCH 8TH 1976   “When a seeker makes considerable progress in his spiritual life, he comes to realise this eternal Now. He establishes a free access to this sole Reality, the eternal Now.” — Sri Chinmoy  
 

Sri Chinmoy takes an early morning car journey to the nation’s capital Canberra to hold a meditation and deliver a lecture, entitled ‘The Eternal Seeker’, at the Australian National University.

 
 

 

MARCH 9TH
 
    MARCH 9TH 1976   “In each seeker, there is a promise to God, a promise to the inner Reality, to the Highest Reality, that he will become a perfect, unconditional instrument of God to play the inimitable role God has created for him.” — Sri Chinmoy  
 

Sri Chinmoy takes an early morning flight to Melbourne, the capital of the state of Victoria, before delivering a lunchtime lecture, entitled ‘The Reality Within’, in the Open Stage Theatre at the State College of Melbourne.

 
   
  MARCH 9TH 1976      
 

Sri Chinmoy creates seven Jharna-Kala pen drawings in Melbourne, which he presents to the Melbourne Centre.

 
 

 

MARCH 10TH
 
    MARCH 10TH 1976   MARCH 10TH 1976    
 

Sri Chinmoy and his students take a coach ride to Healesville Sanctuary on the outskirts of Melbourne. It is on this journey that Sri Chinmoy first learns to play the Western flute. Read article…

 
   
  MARCH 10TH 1976   “The seeker starts with simplicity and goes along the road of sincerity, purity and divinity. Inside divinity, at every moment he realises a Goal, a Goal that is constantly transcending its own Infinity, Eternity and Immortality.” — Sri Chinmoy  
 

Sri Chinmoy delivers a lecture, entitled ‘Simplicity, Sincerity, Purity and Divinity’, at the Melbourne Assembly Hall.

 
 

 

MARCH 11TH
 
    MARCH 11TH 1976   Excerpt from a letter in 1999: “I have extremely fond memories of my meeting with Sri Chinmoy in 1976. In the intervening 23 years his work for peace has shown how one person can have such a positive and profound effect on so many people’s lives.” — Ron Clarke  
 

Sri Chinmoy meets with Ron Clarke, Australia’s great Olympic middle-distance runner and former holder of 17 world records. Sri Chinmoy also composes a song dedicated to him.

 
 
  MARCH 11TH 1976   MARCH 11TH 1976   MARCH 11TH 1976    
 

On his last morning in Melbourne, Sri Chinmoy and his students visit Olympic Park, which was the venue for the Olympic Games in 1956. Here Sri Chinmoy runs a few laps, jumps hurdles and uses the broad jump pit. He also visits the Beaurepaire Centre swimming pool adjacent to the stadium.

 
 
  MARCH 11TH 1976   “There is no happiness in mere seeing. There is no happiness in mere feeling. There is no happiness in mere achieving. Happiness can be found only in our conscious surrender to God’s Will.” — Sri Chinmoy  
 

Sri Chinmoy holds a public meditation and delivers a lunchtime lecture, entitled ‘Happiness’, in the Robert Blackwood Memorial Hall at Monash University in Melbourne.

 
 
         
 

Sri Chinmoy departs Melbourne in the early afternoon by plane bound for Adelaide, the capital of the state of South Australia and the final city on his Australian tour. He arrives at Adelaide airport at 4:30 p.m.

 
 
  MARCH 11TH 1976   “Spirituality is simplicity, sincerity, purity and humility. A simple life helps the seeker grow. A sincere life helps the seeker fly and dive. A pure life helps the seeker become one with God’s Vision and God’s transcendental Reality. A humble life helps the seeker embrace the length and breadth of the entire world.” — Sri Chinmoy  
 

Sri Chinmoy holds an evening meditation and delivers a lecture, entitled ‘Spirituality’, at Brougham Place Congregational Church in North Adelaide. Later, he visits the newly established Adelaide Centre.

 
 

 

MARCH 12TH
 
           
 

A morning press conference is held at Sri Chinmoy’s hotel in Adelaide, where he sings ‘O My Australia’ and plays his esraj. Later that evening, it goes to air on the Channel 7 news — the first time his esraj playing had been broadcast on television anywhere in the world.

 
   
  MARCH 12TH 1976   “What you are offering is very simple. They aren’t things to learn, intellectual things. It is an attitude of the heart.” — Bishop Phillip Kennedy, Catholic Bishop of Adelaide  
 

Sri Chinmoy meets with Bishop Phillip Kennedy, the Catholic Bishop of Adelaide.

 
 
  MARCH 12TH 1976      
 

Sri Chinmoy is driven to Government House, where he is the luncheon guest of the Governor of South Australia, Sir Mark Oliphant.

 
   
         
 

Sri Chinmoy visits Adelaide’s ABC TV studios in the afternoon to tape an interview for ‘This Day Tonight’ evening programme.

 
 
  MARCH 12TH 1976   “Tomorrow when I leave Australia, I shall leave behind my soulful gratitude, my ever-growing gratitude, for here I have been given ample opportunity to be of devoted service to the sincere and genuine seekers. Nothing gives me more joy, delight and sense of satisfaction than to be of service to sincere seekers.” — Sri Chinmoy  
 

Sri Chinmoy delivers an evening lecture, entitled ‘Possession and Satisfaction’, in the Napier Lecture Theatre at the University of Adelaide. The lecture hall is full to capacity.

 
 
  MARCH 12TH 1976   MARCH 12TH 1976  
 

Sri Chinmoy creates four large acrylic Jharna-Kala paintings and seven pen sketches at the Adelaide Centre.

 
 

 

MARCH 13TH
 
    MARCH 13TH 1976   “Geography taught me that Australia is vast, a very vast continent. On my arrival I most sincerely felt that Australia is not only vast, but also one; not only one, but also illumining; not only illumining, but also fulfilling. Vastness, kindness, magnanimity, a sense of responsibility: all these things I have felt right from the beginning in the soul of Australia.”Sri Chinmoy  
 

Sri Chinmoy concludes his first Australian tour, flying out of Adelaide in the early morning to Perth on the west coast for a connecting flight to Madras in India. From there, he goes on to Pondicherry for a short stay with his family before returning to New York.