Visiting Chittagong Home of Meditation and Yoga Guru Sri Chinmoy

 

Visiting the Chittagong Home of

Meditation and Yoga Guru Sri Chinmoy

By

Sachi (Sabyasachi) Ghosh Dastidar

 

            For several years we’ve heard of Sri Chinmoy, a world famous guru or teaching meditation and yoga. Sri Chimmoy is also known for writing English and Bengali songs and poems, and composing thousands of songs. Sri Chinmoy Ghose grew up in Purba (East) Sakprura in Bokkhali Police Station of Chittagong District of East Bengal, now Bangladesh. Unknowingly, we became close to Sri Chinmoy, especially became close to some of his followers like Dr. Pedersen, Mr. De Angelo. Mr. Islam, Ms. Banerji, Mr. Bach, and many others. For a long time, we wanted to visit his home in Chittagong, and this time I was able to rent a car to take me to his ancestral home. The journey to Purba Sakhpura was through a narrow-yet-long road, that not only gave birth to Chinmoy Ghose, but also many luminaries of Bengal and India, many of whom participated actively not only promoting Indian philosophy, but also for India’s independence against British Colonial oppression.

            Journey was through a narrow road surrounded by post-monsoon green of Bengal. Our journey was helped by Mr. Kishore Ghosh who was connected with me by Mr. Islam of Chittagong, and a devotee of Sri Chinmoy. Chinmoy home now sits by itself, no one lives there. This was an extended family. Next to Sri Chinmoy Ghose home lives his only surviving cousin and his wife: Mr. & Mrs. Swapan Kumar and Supriya Ghosh. They were wonderful hosts to me and rest of the folks traveling with me, and offered us a wonderful tour and Bengali lunch with vegetable and fish curry, typical of Chittagong. Mr. Swapan Ghosh is the youngest son of Chinmoy’s older uncle. On a separate notebook Mr. Swapan keeps track of Sri Chinmoy visitors to their village. On the right side of the building entrance was a shrine which came under attack by Islamists during Bangladesh independence war in 1971, and later further damaged by a storm.

            The area is all green, as most of Bangladesh, especially after monsoon rain. Locals gave us a tour of a Hindu shrine, a new building for social event, and more. A pond next to the new building looked nice, and traditional. On our way back from Purba Sakpura, we were given a tour of Chittagong’s famous Hindu and traditional shrines, some going back to a millennium.

 

Sri Chinmoy Presenting Citation to Ghosh Dastidars 

 

Painting by Sri Chinmoy Presented to this Writer

 

Road to Sri Chinmoy Ghosh Ancestral Home

 

Mr. & Mrs. Swapan Kumar and Supriya Ghosh, Cousin & Wife of Sri Chinmoy

 

Greenery of Ghosh Home

 

Back Entrance to Sri Chinmoy Home

 

Path to Chinmoy Ghosh Home Entrance

Place of a Former Shrine

 

Sri Chinmoy Ghosh Home with Red Tin Roof, on Left

 

Entry of Swapan Ghosh home, and Chinmoy Home on Left

 

Path to Home

 

Sri Chinmoy Ancestral Home 

The Traditional Pond