Born Chinmoy Kumar Ghose in a small village of Shakpura in East Bengal on August 27, 1931, Sri Chinmoy was the youngest of seven children. In the year 1944, after both his parents had passed away, 12 year-old Chinmoy entered the Sri Aurobindo Ashram, a spiritual community near Pondicherry in South India where he spent the next twenty years in spiritual practice, practising athletics, writing poetry, essays and spiritual songs.
Sri Chinmoy’s life was active and creative in various fields. His vast output spans the domains of music, poetry, painting, literature, sports and even weight-lifting. He also travelled throughout the world to offer free peace concerts, gave lectures and public meditations, met with his students, and discussed spirituality with world and community leaders.