Recently I became inspired from reading a new book: “Rabindranath Tagore: The Moon of Bengal’s Heart.”, about the Indian poet Rabindranath Tagore, the first non European to win the Nobel Prize for literature in 1913. This book was released August 2011 which coincided with Tagore’s 150th Birth Anniversary year.
As a student of Sri Chinmoy, we would often meet great and good people from all walks of life and through Sri Chinmoy’s love for them, we would get to know of and love them also. Although I obviously never met this great Bengali poet and song-writer, Sri Chinmoy spoke of his tremendous love and admiration of Tagore and he himself listened to Bengali vocalists singing songs by Tagore almost daily.
On Sri Chinmoy’s path I am fortunate to be in Gandharva Loka – a wonderful international orchestra with many varied instrumental musicians – as part of the accompanying choir. This August whilst performing in New York, we honoured this love-connection between Sri Chinmoy and Tagore’s souls and their respective birth anniversaries by performing songs by Sri Chinmoy about Tagore and also joining a talented and soulful Bengali singer to sing a few of Tagore’s own compositions. I had such a beautiful meditative experience whilst singing these songs. The feeling arising from bringing forth this music was very deep and soulful.
Once home in Auckland again, I continued reading Sri Chinmoy’s new book which is a collection of his talks and writings about Tagore and finding new inspiration and love for this extraordinary soul. The Auckland Sri Chinmoy Centre shortly upon everyone’s return home, set off on one of our “Joy Weekends” where we gather together in nature to enjoy a weekend of spiritual inspiration through singing, meditating together, good food, sports/running, joy and laughter and putting on spiritual plays. I found myself inspired by a short story of Tagore as a young boy from Sri Chinmoy’s book and put this together as a play for the weekend away. Such a sweet and touching story was Sri Chinmoy’s reflections on Tagore’s talent at even a tender age. We ended our play by inviting all our friends to join us in singing a beautiful song of Tagore’s Ananda Loke – meaning The Abode of Delight.
I find on Sri Chinmoy’s Path of meditation and spiritual fulfilment that I often find myself doing all kinds of varied things out of the norm. Two months ago I knew very little of Tagore, and now through a collection of Sri Chinmoy’s reflections and tributes to this great soul in India’s music and poetry heritage, I find myself once again inspired in a new way… and eager to discover what will come along next in my spiritual life of finding happiness, joy and delight from within my true Self.
Hridayinee Williams
