Chinmaya Mission Timeline
The year 2001 marked 50 years of the Chinmaya Movement that Pujya Gurudev sparked with his first Jnana Yajna in 1951. To celebrate the Swarna Mahotsav (golden jubilee,) Chinmaya Mission commemorated Gurudev’s invaluable contribution to humanity with varied yearlong activities. Then came the finale called Chinmaya Vishwa Sammelan from 24-31…Read More
On 14 April 2001, Guruji Swami Tejomayananda dedicated the Chinmaya Heritage Centre to Gurudev’s memory at the Mission’s birthplace – No. 2, 13th Avenue, Harrington Road, Chetpet, Chennai. Spread across 400,000 square feet, this cultural and spiritual landmark was built with deep gratitude. Its many facilities make it a hub…Read More
When a massive 7.9-magnitude earthquake struck Gujarat on 26 January 2001, Chinmaya Mission adopted Bhavpur village where 2,500 residents were left homeless after 500 houses collapsed. Within a month, the Mission built nearly 500 modular row houses using lightweight, corrugated FRP (fiber-reinforced plastic) sheets. This material not only allowed rapid…Read More
To honor and support the heroes who had defended India under extreme conditions during the Kargil War (May-July 1999), the members of Chinmaya Mission worldwide collected Rs. 63 lakhs and offered that as a “small donation” towards the Army Central Welfare Fund. Guruji presented the amount as a humble “thank…Read More
The Central Chinmaya Vanaprastha Sansthan (CCVS), established in early 1998 with the motto “Graceful Aging through Spiritual Living,” was highlighted by Guruji as a key grassroots initiative of the Mission. Headquartered in Allahabad (now Prayagraj), CCVS embodies the vision “A joyous journey towards liberation,” a vision inspired by Gurudev’s early…Read More
On 4 May 1997, Guruji inaugurated the CCWU – Chinmaya Centre of World Understanding in Delhi, India. Gurudev had selected that special name for Chinmaya Mission Delhi not just because it was the capital of India; it was a spiritual portal to many places of pilgrimage including Sidhbari and Uttarkashi.…Read More
Continuing the focus on value-based education, on 6 June 1996, in the presence of Guruji, Chinmaya International Residential School (CIRS) was inaugurated by the President of the ‘Divine Life Society’, Swami Chidananda. The school began with 96 students in grades 5–8 and has grown into a premier institution, now hosting…Read More
March 1996 brought the first publication of Chinmaya Udghosh (CU) as the international youth magazine of Chinmaya Yuva Kendra (CHYK), the global youth wing of Chinmaya Mission. Br. Abhay Chaitanya (now Swami Abhedananda, CM South Africa) proposed the idea of a youth-focused magazine, which was presented to Guruji Swami Tejomayananda…Read More
Three weeks after Gurudev’s Mahasamadhi, on 22 August 1993, the CCMT trustees unanimously resolved to appoint His Holiness Swami Tejomayananda as the Chairman of the Central Chinmaya Mission Trust and the Spiritual Head of Chinmaya Mission worldwide, with immediate effect. When someone asked Swami Tejomayananda how it felt to be…Read More
At Sharp Memorial Hospital in San Diego, California, on 3 August 1993, after forty-two years of tireless service as a towering figure of the Hindu Renaissance, Gurudev Swami Chinmayananda (1916–1993) departed from his physical body to shine forever as the Infinite Presence. His body, which had served as a living…Read More