Celebration of the First International Day of Happiness – Launch of The Jewels of Happiness Celebrity Audio Book 2013 Mar 19 - Historical Repository for Sri Chinmoy: The Peace Meditation at the United Nations

Celebration of the First International Day of Happiness – Launch of The Jewels of Happiness Celebrity Audio Book 2013 Mar 19

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Celebration of the First International Day of Happiness

Featuring the Launch of The Jewels of Happiness Celebrity Audio Book by Sri Chinmoy – with chapters read by Desmond Tutu, Carl Lewis and Roberta Flack

New York. 19 March. Aware that the increase of happiness depends also strongly on the training of one’s own spirit, the United Nations SRC Society of Writers sponsored the launch of an audio book by Sri Chinmoy on the eve of the first UN International Day of Happiness at the United Nations Headquarters in New York (19 March). Among the 17 outstanding individuals who read a chapter of the new audio book The Jewels of Happiness are Nobel Peace Laureate Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Grammy Award winning singer and songwriter Roberta Flack, Olympic legend Carl Lewis, Tony and Emmy award winning actress Judith Light and Russian singer and superstar Boris Grebenshikov.

The Jewels of Happiness presents selected writings of Indian born Sri Chinmoy, who offered twice-weekly peace meditations for delegates and staff at the United Nations for 37 years. He also initiated global programmes to foster peace and happiness including the Peace Run – named now World Harmony Run – , the world’s largest relay run for international friendship and peace. The chapters of the celebrity audio book containing prose and poems deal with qualities and virtues whose development is necessary to gain lasting happiness. For more information please visit: www.jewelsofhappiness.com

Over 500 United Nations ambassadors, delegates, staff and members of NGOs were present at the launch. “These sweet gems of wisdom by my dear friend Sri Chinmoy are timeless truths full of encouragement, love and goodness,” Nobel Peace Laureate, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, said in a video message. “Sri Chinmoy was a pioneer in forging a grand alliance of hearts and minds for the culture of peace,“ said Anwarul Chowdhury, Special Advisor and Ambassador of Bangladesh to the United Nations for many years, in his introduction.

Renowned composer Philip Glass performed on the piano while Cathy Oerter, co-founder of Art of the Olympians and wife of legendary Olympian Al Oerter, and Ashrita Furman, holder of the most Guinness World Records, read from the book live. A special message from peace activist Ela Gandhi, granddaughter of Mahatma Gandhi, and former Member of Parliament in South Africa, was also read out.

The audio book is available on itunes and audible.com and its proceeds will go to charities for children worldwide: Nelson Mandela Childrens Fund, Philani Nutrition and Development Project in South Africa and Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity.

Background

According to the first World Happiness Report prepared for a United Nations conference on Happiness in 2012, income explains only about one twentieth of the variation in happiness within nations, and across countries it explains about one eighth of the documented variation. As the report describes, crucial other factors which lead to happiness, are mental health and individual values. For example, people who care more about other people are also themselves on average happier. Studies of psychologists and neuroscientists show that training in altruism increases a person’s happiness.

Aware that the increase of happiness depends also strongly on the training of one’s own spirit, in celebration of the first UN International Day of Happiness the United Nations SRC Society of Writers sponsored the launch of The Jewels of Happiness Audio Book written by peace visionary Sri Chinmoy. On 19 March, one day before the UN International Day of Happiness, the new release was presented at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, with live readings by selected luminary-readers from the CD. The audio book contains 14 chapters read by 17 individuals including Nobel Peace Laureate Archbishop Desmond Tutu, singer and songwriter Roberta Flack, Olympic legend Carl Lewis, actress Judith Light and singer Boris Grebenshikov, who all have shared close ties with Sri Chinmoy. www.jewelsofhappiness.com

The Jewels of Happiness presents selected writings of Sri Chinmoy, who offered twice-weekly peace meditations for delegates and staff at the United Nations for 37 years and initiated global programmes to foster peace and happiness including the Peace Run, the world’s largest relay run for international friendship and peace. The celebrity audio book offers a treasure-chest of wisdom through short sections full of insight, practical exercises and charming aphorisms, which uplift the reader’s spirit. The chapters of the book deal with qualities and virtues whose development is necessary to gain lasting happiness – peace, love, joy, hope, wisdom, patience, enthusiasm, power, simplicity, sincerity, humility, gratitude, and self-transcendence.

Sri Chinmoy provides insight for self-improvement as well as practical inspiration for our everyday lives. He was born in East Bengal, India (now Bangladesh) and moved to New York in 1964, where he lived until his passing in 2007.

To download selections of the audio book – free for media purposes – please go to:

http://media.aspiration.us/Jewels_of_Happiness.zip

user: media
password: media7

Includes: the Prologue of The Jewels of Happiness Audio Book read by Anwarul Chowdhury, Special Advisor and Ambassador of Bangladesh to the United Nations for many years, as well as the chapters on Peace read by Desmond Tutu, Love read by Roberta Flack and Happiness read by Eric and Kathryn Petersen.

The Jewels of Happiness

By Sri Chinmoy

Talking Book –Readers

Section	Reader Name
Introduction	Amb. Anwarul Chowdhury
Preface	Archbishop Desmond Tutu
Peace	Archbishop Desmond Tutu
Love	Roberta Flack
Joy	Michael Walden
Hope	Amb. Davidson Hepburn
Wisdom	Prof. Charles Johnson
Patience	Cathy Oerter
Enthusiasm	Ashrita Furman
Power	Bill and Judy Pearl
Simplicity	Boris Grebenshikov
Sincerity	Judith Light
Humility	Prof. Shawn Wong
Gratitude	Khaliah Ali
Self-Transcendence	Carl Lewis
Epilogue Happiness	Eric and Kathryn Petersen

Photos with Captions

of The Jewels of Happiness Audio Book Launch

Cathy Oerter

reads a section of The Jewels of Happiness Audio Book_19 March 2013

Cathy Oerter, co-founder of Art of the Olympians and wife of legendary Olympian Al Oerter, reads from The Jewels of Happiness Audio Book by Sri Chinmoy on the eve of the first UN International Day of Happiness at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. The audio book contains prose and poems by Indian born Sri Chinmoy, who offered twice-weekly peace meditations for delegates and staff at the United Nations for 37 years. The chapters of the audio book read by celebrities including Nobel Peace Laureate Archbishop Desmond Tutu deal with qualities and virtues whose development is necessary to gain lasting happiness. Its proceeds will go to charities for children worldwide: Nelson Mandela Childrens Fund, Philani Nutrition and Development Project in South Africa and Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity. Photo taken by Bhashwar Hart

Ashrita Furman

reads a section of The Jewels of Happiness Audio Book_19 March 2013

Ashrita Furman, holder of the most Guinness World Records, reads from The Jewels of Happiness Audio Book by Sri Chinmoy on the eve of the first UN International Day of Happiness at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. The audio book contains prose and poems by Indian born Sri Chinmoy, who offered twice-weekly peace meditations for delegates and staff at the United Nations for 37 years. The chapters of the audio book read by celebrities including Nobel Peace Laureate Archbishop Desmond Tutu deal with qualities and virtues whose development is necessary to gain lasting happiness. Its proceeds will go to charities for children worldwide: Nelson Mandela Childrens Fund, Philani Nutrition and Development Project in South Africa and Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity. Photo taken by Bhashwar Hart

Ambassador Anwarul Chowdhury

introduces The Jewels of Happiness Audio Book_19 March 2013

Anwarul Chowdhury, Special Advisor and Ambassador of Bangladesh to the United Nations for many years, introduces The Jewels of Happiness Audio Book by Sri Chinmoy on the eve of the first UN International Day of Happiness at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. The audio book contains prose and poems by Indian born Sri Chinmoy, who offered twice-weekly peace meditations for delegates and staff at the United Nations for 37 years. The chapters of the audio book read by celebrities including Nobel Peace Laureate Archbishop Desmond Tutu deal with qualities and virtues whose development is necessary to gain lasting happiness. Its proceeds will go to charities for children worldwide: Nelson Mandela Childrens Fund, Philani Nutrition and Development Project in South Africa and Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity. Photo taken by Bhashwar Hart

All photos taken by Bhashwar Hart on 19 March 2013 at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. Distribution, publishing, printing and archiving of photos and text are free without any rights.

Photo # 3919: (group shot)

Pictured left to right: Ranjana Ghose, Cathy Oerter, Philip Glass, Ambassador Anwarul Chowdhury, Mrs. Mariam Chowdhury, Eric Peterson, Ashrita Furman gather on stage at the United Nations to celebrate the first International Day of Happiness and Sri Chinmoy's 'The Jewels of Happiness' audio book launch held at the United Nations.

Photos

Ranjana Ghose, Curator and Director of the Jharna-Kala Art Foundation offers renowned composer and pianist Philip Glass a glass etching of the artwork of Sri Chinmoy after his heartful piano performance during the celebration of the first International Day of Happiness and Sri Chinmoy’s ‘The Jewels of Happiness’ audio book launch held at the United Nations.

Photo 4006:

Cathy Oerter, co-founder of Art of the Olympians along with her late husband, legendary four-time Olympic gold-medalist Al Oerter,(right) reads from ‘The Jewels of Happiness’ and shares children’s prize-winning artwork on the theme of happiness during the celebration of the first International Day of Happiness and Sri Chinmoy’s ‘The Jewels of Happiness’ audio book launch held at the United Nations.

Photo 4031:

Ranjana Ghose, Curator and Director of the Jharna-Kala Art Foundation offers UN Under-Secretary-General and High Representative Ambassador Anwarul Chowdhury a glass etching of the artwork of Sri Chinmoy celebrate the first International Day of Happiness and Sri Chinmoy’s ‘The Jewels of Happiness’ audio book launch held at the United Nations.

Photo 6122:

Legendary composer and pianist Philip Glass performs at the United Nations in celebration of the first International Day of Happiness and Sri Chinmoy’s ‘The Jewels of Happiness’ audio book launch.

Photo 6164:

The Peace Meditation Singers share happiness songs at the United Nations in celebration of the first International Day of Happiness and Sri Chinmoy’s ‘The Jewels of Happiness’ audio book launch.