Palmerston North pupils visited by international peace relay team

Pupils were given the chance to carry the flaming torch and join in the peace run as it came through Palmerston North. Photo / Supplied

A flaming torch which has been carried through 155 countries over the past 30 plus years visited several Palmerston North schools last month.

The torch, carried by volunteers running the Sri Chinmoy Oneness-Home Peace Run Relay for Peace, visited Palmerston North on Tuesday, February 21, stopping in at schools to give pupils the chance to see the torch up close and share their learning about the need for peace in the world.

Schools visited on the day included Awapuni, Taonui, Lytton St, North St and Apiti School. The seven members of the peace focused tour began their Aotearoa New Zealand relay in Auckland on February 13, travelling to various towns and cities in the North Island including Hamilton, Te Kuiti, New Plymouth, Whangaui, Taihape and Taupō as well as Palmerston North.

The tour honours the teachings of Sri Chinmoy, an Indian spiritual leader and meditation advocate who was born in 1931 in what is now known as Bangladesh.

In 1964 he moved to New York in the United States to work as a clerk at the Indian Consulate but soon changed paths, opening a meditation centre in Queens where his philosophies of vegetarianism and meditation, along with the importance of extreme physical activity to help achieve spiritual enlightenment, soon attracted hundreds of followers.

In his later years, he became well-known for his weightlifting skills, often being photographed lifting famous people including world peace figures like Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu.

In 1987 he founded the World Harmony Run, which is now known as the Sri Chinmoy Oneness-Home Peace Run. He founded it as a way to promote and encourage international friendship and understanding - the underpinnings of peace.

While visiting schools in Palmerston North the relay runners talked to pupils about their reasons for being part of the run and how peace begins within ourselves. Youngsters had the opportunity to carry the flaming torch and join in with the runners.