Live from the road July 26, 2020 | The Sri Chinmoy Oneness-Home Peace Run

This is a painting of Prometheus, who according to the ancient Greek myths, stole fire from the gods and gave it to humanity. According to the famous mythologist, Joseph Campbell, similar myths are found in many ancient cultures. Light and fire are brought to humanity and significantly, in many of those stories, the fire is passed from one person to another (or one creature to another) in a relay. As Sri Chinmoy, the founder of the Peace Run said: "Everything goes from one to the many. A seed becomes a plant; then it becomes a tree and finally the tree produces countless fruits". We have seen over the past 33 years, how the Peace Run acts as a catalyst, awakening the fire within: awakening that inner yearning for Peace in the world. As we carry the torch and pass it from one person to another, there is a tangible inspiration that is kindled in each heart.

Simone and Paula have been running along the Atlantic coast in Portugal this past week.

In 1995, her Majesty the Queen used the Peace Run torch to light a beacon in London, to celebrate 50 years of Peace since the end of World War II. Sri Chinmoy reminds us that:
'Peace does not mean the absence of war.
Peace means the presence of harmony,
Love, oneness and satisfaction.
Peace means a flood of love
In the world-family'

In 2018 the Peace Run ran along 'The Long Walk' - a path that runs up to Windsor Castle. The 1908 Olympic Marathon started here at Windsor Castle.

This week we are presenting a new project. In Japan, at Kansai University, students have been following the activities of the European Peace Run this year as part of their English language studies. The students have been invited to reflect on the Peace Run and produce messages and posters for a country of their choice or for the team.

There will be posters and messages throughout this report from Japanese students.

Knowledge, happiness, friendship: all these, like the torch, are passed from one person to another. Children around the world are invited to hold the torch and offer their own silent prayer for Peace.

Baroness Flather holds the Peace Torch at the House of Lords by the river Thames in 2007. Shreela Flather and Sri Chinmoy were good friends. Baroness Flather was the Mayor of the Royal Borough of Windsor, and served as a Justice for the Peace 1971-1990. She became a Member of Parliament and is the first Asian woman to receive a peerage. Her tireless dedication to the betterment of humanity can be seen in her work for women's rights, refugees, race relations and the youth.

Purupriya has been running with her faithful puppy in Slovenia.

The Chairman of Carmarthenshire County Council in Wales, Cllr Peter Hughes Griffiths, holds the Peace Torch in 2016.

The secret to success in England is the daily observance of tea. This happens at four in the afternoon, and requires some freshly baked scones, jam and the finest piping hot tea. With these ingredients, anyone is able to run his or her miles on the Peace Run.

Here we find Penny and Cliff, who live in South Africa, showing their oneness with the English Peace Run.

This is a photograph from a Peace Run several years ago in Cambridge. Penny and Cliff were living in Cambridge at that time.

All they are saying is: Give Peace A Chance!

Ice cream is another popular treat on summer Peace Runs.

The Peace Run visited the Beatles Museum in Liverpool in 2018, where they have recreated John Lennon's room. It was in this room that he composed 'Imagine' - a song that we often hear in connection with Peace.

In Wales, modern day Peace runners meet some soldiers from the 1940's.

Dima is running in Russia. He lives in Kaliningrad, which enjoys a wonderful coatline along the Baltic Sea.

Believe it or not, this is an English beach. This photograph was taken on the 2011 Peace Run in Cornwall.

Prabhavati (far right) and Charana (with the yellow flower in his lapel) are the main organisers of the Peace Run in Wales. Wales has welcomed the Peace Run on numerous occasions, and is a country dedicated to the ideal of Peace.

The legend of Robin Hood is known around the world.

England is described by the famous poet William Blake as 'This green and pleasant land'. This is the river Cam in Cambridge.

Over the years, the Peace Run has planted trees around the world. This is a tree in Queenswood Country Park and Arboretum planted in 2011.

This tree was planted in the Harcourt Arboretum, south of Oxford.

Rasmivan has been running in his hometown of Bristol. In the background you can see the famous Clifden Bridge, an iconic Victorian feat of engineering. The Clifden bridge crosses the river Avon.

Thamara has been running in Brazil.

Over the 33 years of Peace Run visits to the UK, the runners have been invited to bring the torch to several Cathedrals and churches. This is Wells cathedral in Somerset. This is the earliest cathedral in the UK built in the Gothic style.

Hereford Cathedral.

St Davids Cathedral in Wales.

The Dean of Brecon Cathedral in Wales.

Canterbury Cathedral.

The Peace Run has also visited Coventry Cathedral, Westminster Abbey, Westminster Cathedral, Lincoln Cathedral, St Mary's Cathedral in Wrexham and several more.

Chichester Cathedral on the south coast of England.

Canterbury Cathedral.

York Minster.

A big team gathered at York Minster.

The founder of the Peace Run, Sri Chinmoy, met with the Princess of Wales in May 1997, at her residence in London.

Jana from the Czech Republic answers some questions from these young children in Wales.

Sometimes its not easy to create Peace in an atmosphere of excitement.

Igor is one of our runners on the team from the Ukraine.

Shyamala coordinates the Peace Run in Scotland. She was born in Cornwall, the very south west part of England, which is famous for its stories of pirates.

The late Dipavajan, European coordinator of the Peace Run, finding his own way through the rainy streets of Birmingham.

The late Dan Coffey, a champion ultra distance runner.

There are several statues of Sri Chinmoy, the founder of the Peace Run, around the world. This statue is in the National Botanic Garden of Wales near Carmarthen.

The ancient stones of Stonehenge.

King Arthur and the knights of the round table. There are several theories about where King Arthur lived: some say Wales, some say England, some say Scotland.

Excalibur. Can you draw it from the earth?

Looking at this 5000 year old structure of stones can make one very contemplative.

Drinking tea has made Great Britain a successful nation. Our second secret is to keep everyone off the grass. But we couldn't stop the two chaps in the picture below!

The standing stones at Avebury.

This statue is situated in Cardiff Bay, by the Welsh Parliament building. Standing with the statue is the sculptor, Kaivalya Torpy. The sculpture is designed to invite passers by to come and hold the Peace Torch, and dedicate a few moments to silent meditation.

In 2011 a special Peace Run was organised which started at the northernmost tip of Scotland, John O'Groats and ended ......

.... and ended at the southernmost tip of England, at Lands End in Cornwall.

Tudor houses in Lavenham, England.

Tower Bridge in London.

Rasmivan from Bristol is one of the few people who have run a whole 7 month European Peace Run. He has done it twice!

Ken Radford and his wife at the Eden Centre in 2011. Ken received the Torch Bearer Award from the Peace Run for his service to the community and his People and Gardens project near St Austell.

Five roundabouts on a roundabout - a wonderful navigation challenge for our European neighbours.

Dinner Ladies for Peace.

Peace is friendship.

The White Horse.

Running across Westminster Bridge over a decade ago.

The torches run on lampoil, which has to be topped up carefully every now and then.

Jana is on our international virtual team - running in London.

On her run, Jana came across an old acquaintance, Encarna from Spain. Visibly inspired by the virtual Peace Run, Encarna says she will offer special prayers for the Peace Run.

Czech girl power running through the English country lanes in 2011.

The beautiful University grounds of Oxford.

The Peace Run coordinators in Oxford, Dr Piyasi Morris and Dr Sarvosmi Morris welcome the team to their home for dinner in 2018.

Baridhi (right) is our runner in Bulgaria. here he is running with his friend Hrishikesh.

Palash running along the Ridgeway in Oxfordshire, 2017.

Apaguha holds the torch under a waterfall in Wales.

Garga has been running in and around his hometown of Bristol. After a 2 kilometre swim in Marine lake, he ran 3 kilometres along the coastal path called 'poets walk', named after Coleridge and Tennyson who both have connections to the nearby town of Clevedon.

Purushottama Boris Grebenshikov, the famous Russian singer and songwriter, holds the Peace Torch in Hyde Park in 2008.

Bhuvaneshwari with the torch at the House of Lords in Westminster.

Sukhada is our Russian runner on the team.

Wales is famous for its singers, especially male voice choirs. Members of the Burry Port Male Choir pass the Peace torch on 13th March 2016, at the inauguration of the Peace Statue in the National Botanic Gardens.

The Corran singers in Laugharne, Wales, greet the Peace Run with a song.

There is always the spontaneous element of the Peace Run, where we just meet people along the route. Here the team crossed paths with the famous actress, Helena Bonham Carter CBE in Hampstead, London. She and her children were fascinated to learn about the Peace Run.

The Yorkshire dales.

This is a statue of Richard the Lionheart outside the Palace of Westminster. Although he was the king of England at the end of the 12th Century, he spent most of his life abroad leading armies.

Member of Parliament, Steve Pound, came to a school in Ealing, London to inspire the children to carry the torch. He spoke very highly of Sri Chinmoy and his initiatives.

Children in Wales warming up before their Peace run.

You never know when you might be called up for Peace Run duty.

Suswara has been running this week.

Paramanyu from Russia running in Snowdonia a few years ago.

The Peace runners take part in a public race in Wales.

Running across Millenium Bridge with St Paul's Cathedral in the background.

Yes, we have surfing in England!

The Peace Museum in Bradford, Yorkshire.

William Shakespeare.

The Peace Run team outside Shakespeare's birthplace in Stratford upon Avon.

There are many obstacles on the Peace Run.

Sudhahota Carl Lewis and Baroness Flather at a special event 'A Moments Peace', which was held in London at the beginning of the 2012 Olympic Games.

Former Olympic athletes gather for 'A Moments Peace'.

Kristina is running in Serbia.

Jovana is running in Serbia.

Kings College, Cambridge.

Lord Elis Thomas, a long time patron of the Peace Run.

Running through the streets of London in 2008 (at that time it was known as The World Harmony Run).

Running through Picadilly Circus.

This week in Bristol, Kokila came across this message inscribed on the road.

Bristol has been dedicated as a Sri Chinmoy Peace Blossom City.

French British oneness. Runners from Great Britain (left) and runners from France (right) hold the torch together by the old Severn and Wye bridge which connects England and Wales. The bridge was dedicated as a Sri Chinmoy Peace Bridge in 1991.

Running across the Peace Bridge.

In 2018 Tomasz from Slovenia carries the torch up Snowdon, the highest mountain in Wales.

The celebrated English poet, John Keats.

Hadrians wall, built by the Romans to defend against the Scots.

The closing ceremony of the European Peace Run in 2006 at the British Museum in London.

Kristina met this young man picking up litter in Serbia. They both mistakenly assumed that the other person was not Serbian, and spoke in English for some time.

Kristina came across this turtle on her run.

Oxford University.

Sri Chinmoy (right) at the inauguration of the Sri Chinmoy Peace Mile in Oxford in May 1987, the same year that the Peace Run was inaugurated.

It was in Oxford that Sir Roger bannister broke the 4 minute mile.

Dipavajan and other members of the team on the track where Roger Bannister broke the 4 minute barrier.

Samviraja is running in Padova, Italy.

Satyamurthi is running in Milan, Italy.

Bella Italia!

Running along the Serpentine lake in Hyde Park, 2008.

Sharada is the Peace Run coordinator in Cambridge.

Dr John Barber has welcomed Sri Chinmoy and the Peace Run on several occasions to Cambridge.

Cambridge.

The Mathematical Bridge in Cambridge.

The famous Welsh poet, Dylan Thomas.

The Peace Run met the granddaughter of Dylan Thomas in Laugharne, 2016.

A Roman soldier in Wales holds the toch.

Estela and Roxana are running in Iceland. Estela is Spanish and Roxana is Romanian.

Kepha Nabothi Ligate sends his greetings from Tanzania. A safari guide, he helped carry the Torch up to Kilimanjaro in 2013 and joined the Peace Run in Arusha again in 2019.

The Harry Potter Castle in North England.

Zuzka (Czech), Edwige (France) and Eniko (Hungary).

Abhejali from Czech has been a long time Peace runner - and is also an ultra distance swimmer. Here she is holding the torch and saying a prayer before swimming across the English Channel.

The rough waters at Dover!

Shankara (far right) is on our virtual team this week. This photo is from a special Peace Run in 2009, connecting England and France.

Angikar from Serbia holds the torch before his English Channel ultra-triathlon Dover-Heidelberg. Behind are the famous white cliffs of Dover at Shakespeare beach.

Welsh refeshments - tea and bara bread.

The iconic Welsh dragon.

The national flower of Wales is the daffodil. William Wordsworth immortalised the daffodil in his poem: I wandered lonely as a cloud That floats on high o'er vales and hills, When all at once I saw a crowd, A host, of golden daffodils; Beside the lake, beneath the trees, Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.