Mayor Filner welcomes a peace filled exhibition to kick off the new year

Morgan M. Hurley | Downtown Editor

The New Year kicked off harmoniously this year at City Hall, as Mayor Bob Filner welcomed an exhibition of color prints from the late, world-renown artist, Sri Chinmoy on Wednesday, Jan. 2.

Called “Paintings for World Harmony,” the 22 prints are duplicates of a similar exhibition of Chinmoy’s real paintings that have been on display at the United Nations, the Louvre and other galleries around the world. The prints will be on exhibition through Jan. 16.

Born in Bengal, India, Chinmoy spent much of his adult life in New York City, and over his life painted over 140,000 works of art dedicated to fostering peace and harmony around the world.

“Many of the paintings are inscribed with messages such as ‘hope,’ ‘world harmony,’ ‘dream’ … and other inspiring phrases that the artist utilized to convey a climate of peace,” said a press release. “The viewer is drawn into a world far from the stress induced environment that surrounds our day to day lives and is embraced by a brilliant display of creative inspiration.”

Ms. Ranjana Ghose, curator of Chinmoy’s huge catalog of art, spoke at length at the ceremony, offering insight to the artist, his dream for peace, his art work, and also named a large number of well known supporters of both his art and his wish to instill peace around the world.

Chinmoy is also known for founding the World Harmony Run in 1987, which, according to its website, is the “world’s largest global torch relay,” and that it seeks “to strengthen international friendship and understanding.”

In the relay, participants from all over the world pass a flaming torch from hand to hand as a symbol of harmony, while running through over 100 nations around the globe, including the 48 contiguous United States.  The relay rotates back to the United States every two years and is currently next scheduled to pass through San Diego in June of 2014.

Runners from more than a dozen countries were present at the exhibition opening, greeting Mayor Filner individually at the microphone and stating which country they represented.

Filner was then presented with a “Torch Bearer Award” by Salil Wilson, executive director of the World Harmony Run. The mayor began his remarks by greeting the overflowing crowd in several languages, which was met by cheers in the audience.

“Thank you for bringing this incredible exhibition of Sri Chinmoy’s beautiful artworks to us,” Mayor Filner said at the event. “The prospect for world peace and world harmony come from individuals … we all have to feel in our minds, our hearts and our souls to work for these goals. As you know, it is art and music [that] allow us to bring words of peace into our souls, into our beings.”

The City of San Diego was also presented with a signed and numbered, 19” x 25” framed print, called “Soul Birds / Aspiration Birds.”  The mayor said it would be the first item to be hung on the wall in his new office.

“We all have a common objective, and that is what this art represents,” Mayor Filner said after receiving the print.

He then presented a proclamation to the group.

“I want to present you with this proclamation from the City of San Diego to thank Sri Chinmoy, the founder of the World-Harmony Run, and all of you for bringing this exhibition to us,” he said. “We are proclaiming today in the City of San Diego World-Harmony Run day to thank you for the privilege of being able to show Sri Chinmoy’s paintings here in our City Hall.”

The exhibition of Chinmoy’s work will be on display in the main lobby of City Hall through Jan. 16, located at the Civic Center Downtown, at 202 C Street #10. For more information about the World Harmony Run, visit worldharmonyrun.org. To learn more about Sri Chinmoy and his life and work, visit srichinmoy.org.