Swami Chinmayananda’s love for classical music and dance was legendary. ‘Music is the Ornamentation of Silence’, he said, and ‘the art of listening to Indian classical music is itself Meditation.’

Most Chinmaya Mission centres have Bhajan classes as one of their activities, and many centres have groups of devotees who get together every week to sing the glories of the Lord. This regular activity led to the birth of Chinmaya Swaranjali, the music wing of Chinmaya Mission, Mumbai on the birthday of Swami Tejomayananda, the global head of Chinmaya Mission, in 2003.

Chinmaya Swaranjali has now become one of the integral grass root activities of the Mission due to the passionate involvement of musical-minded devotees. Weekly sessions at Mahim, Mumbai, of classical and devotional group singing focused on performances, was a regular feature. This was a weekly battery charger for the attending members. The group started singing in temples & homes, in public functions including fund-raisers as well as being featured in a TV Show. Devotion and talent were found wedded to each other in these members and they sang with joy and abandon with the love for God.

The need for such performing groups slowly gave birth to more groups, one in Thane and another in Vashi, Navi Mumbai. By 2007, other centres in the country came into being, including Goa, Pune, Delhi and the National Capital Region. Through their website, Chinmaya Swaranjali started connecting with centres out of India too, and soon, a group came alive in London, followed by some groups in Chinmaya Mission Centres in USA, Australia and New Zealand.

With its explosive success, Chinmaya Swaranjali remains dedicated to building new and dynamic groups throughout the globe. Trained Sevaks and devotees are readily available to provide guidelines and helpful suggestions for start-up, planning and staging performances.