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A Marathon of Multilevel Impact
At the Tata Mumbai Marathon 2023, held on Sunday, 15 January, Chinmaya Mission was recognised as the third-highest fundraising NGO among over 250 organisations, raising more than ₹2.56 crore.
The Dream Run of 5.9 km distance was covered by a 100-strong Chinmaya team holding placards and banners highlighting the various activities of CCMT, including education and CVV. Chinmaya Mission also championed multilevel initiatives in women empowerment, healthcare, and environmental conservation.
Chinmaya Seva during COVID
To fight COVID-19, Chinmaya Mission stood as an army, providing relief in many ways since March 2020. On 8 May 2021, to combat another wave of the pandemic in India, Swami Swaroopananda’s call, “Each One Reach One” stirred everyone to great seva. Widespread efforts to offer support to both the public and the Indian government (Central and State) through testing kits, life-saving medications, diagnostic and life-saving equipment, protective gear, and mental health expertise poured in.
Chants for Worldwide Healing
To inspire, connect, and reassure the pandemic-trapped, physically-distanced world, a 24-hour online Hanuman Chalisa chanting programme, Sanjeevan Hanuman, was organised from 7 April 2020 to 8 April 2020, concluding at 9:30 PM IST. On the Hanuman Jayanti day, after Pujya Guruji chanted the Hanuman Chalisa followed by Swami Swaroopananda, devotees from 45 countries chanted fervently, one after another, as 3,25,000 viewed and prayed along.
A Joyful Vedantic Training
Hosted at Sandeepany Sadhanalya, Mumbai 'Vedanta Ramanam' camp for over 240 Swamins, Brahmacharins and Sevaks, assembled from different parts of the world. To conduct the camp, Guruji had chosen 15 topics of Vedantic significance - from the Shastra Grantha to Jivanmukti Ananda. Discourses, group discussions, presentations, prayers, and other activities kept the congregation in the realm of deep reflection, practice, and service.
A Mission embodying Peace
The Dr. Nagendra Singh International Peace Award was awarded to Chinmaya Mission on 24 November 2018, honoring its longstanding work in education, youth empowerment, and rural development. The award was conferred by Shri Venkaiah Naidu, Vice President of India, in a special ceremony hosted by Rastra Nirmaan and the International Goodwill Society of India (IGSI) at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi. Swami Prakarshananda accepted the award on behalf of Chinmaya Mission in front of a select audience of 2000 dignitaries.
A Golden Fusion Concert
With 6000 voices chanting “Om” and energising the Nehru Indoor Stadium in Chennai, a unique concert on Lord Siva and the environment began on 19 October 2018. Called “Jhabhanga Da Dash,” it marked the first time that six Grammy artists from four countries joined hands to spread the universal message - Vasudhaiva Kutumabakam (the whole universe is one family). The concert was organised by Chinmaya Vidyalaya Chennai to commemorate a golden milestone of 50 years of the Chinmaya Education Movement.
Kerala Flood Relief Efforts
During the unprecedented Kerala floods in August 2018, Chinmaya Mission responded immediately. From parents and students of Chinmaya Vidyalayas to teachers and staff of CVV and CIF, the Mission joined hands in rescue. Raising donationns globally, Chinmaya Mission helped facilitate evacuations, provided medical aid, and distributed food and essential supplies to those in need.
The Largest Chinmaya Mission Temple
Chinmaya Sri Vidya Sri Lalitha PanchayatanaTemple, the largest temple to be built by Chinmaya Mission, was inaugurated on the sacred Sankara Jayanti, 20 April 2018. Guruji consecrated the shrine in a large gathering of devotees and acharyas. The 90-foot tall temple with a nine-foot-tall idol of Sri Lalitha Devi as the presiding deity is majestically constructed on a three-acre land on the Tirupati-Kadapa Highway, Andhra Pradesh. The temple architecture blends ancient Chola, Pallava, and Vijayanagara styles.
Leadership Succession
After serving as its global head for 23 years, on 19 January 2017, at the Tapovan Auditorium of Sandeepany Sadhanalaya, Mumbai, Guruji Swami Tejomayananda formally handed over the leadership of Chinmaya Mission to Swami Swaroopananda. Guruji expressed his heartfelt gratitude to all during the ceremony. Affirming “Ever in His Service, Ever at His Feet,” he concluded, “This is not a farewell; this is a thanksgiving.”
Pioneering Holistic Higher Education
Conceptualised during Gurudev's birth centenary year in 2016, Chinmaya Vishwa Vidhyapeeth (CVV) gained its status as a deemed-to-be university in the 'de novo' category on 16 January 2017. CVV is a deemed university dedicated to Sanskrit and Indian Knowledge Traditions, including Performing Arts, established under the de novo category to preserve cultural heritage, with campuses at Chinmaya International Foundation (CIF) in Veliyanad, Kerala, and Chinmaya Naada Bindu (CNB) in Kolwan, Maharashtra.