"I Transform India Transforms" Chinmaya Mission's transformation movement


by Shrutee K/DNS

Mumbai, December 19, 2015: Enlightenment, enthusiasm and eagerness to transform India by transforming the individual was the order of the day at Sri Shanmukhananda Chandrasekhara Saraswati Auditorium on December 19, 2015. Chinmaya Mission brought together India’s most meaningful voices to set the country’s transformation spirit in action. Determined to bring about a movement, Chinmaya Mission spearheaded ‘I transform, India transforms’, a leadership conclave which opened on an impactful note with a video message from Shri Devendra Fadnavis, Hon. Chief Minister of Maharashtra. He said, “We need the population to be charged with a feeling to develop the country, that's when the pace of development will increase manifold. India has the advantage of demography, democracy and demand based on which the next global destination for manufacturing can be India. We have an ancient culture that inculcates values and virtues in our population, and organisations like Chinmaya Mission are rightly taking this initiative to begin the transformation from within to transform the country.”

Held at one of Mumbai’s most iconic auditoriums, ‘I transform, India transforms’ proved to be a confluence of visionary voices from the fields of politics, business, literature, science, social sector as well as spirituality including:

      Shri Kumar Mangalam Birla, Chairman, Aditya Birla Group: On Leadership Excellence
      Dr. Swati Piramal, Vice Chairman, Piramal Enterprises Ltd: On leading through Scientific Transformation
      Amish, Author, Shiva Trilogy and The Scion of Ikshvaku: On transformation based on Culture
      Swami Tejomayananda, Global Head, Chinmaya Mission: Spiritual insights on Self-Transformation
      Swami Swatmananda, Resident Acharya, Chinmaya Mission Mumbai: On the movement ‘Transforming Indians to transform India’.

The common string across each of these voices was their belief in individual transformation which would lead to a nation-wide movement. It was diversity at its best in the audience as well that comprised India’s youth, professionals, entrepreneurs, homemakers, change-makers and followers of Chinmaya Mission.

The first speaker for the morning, Shri Kumar Mangalam Birla, Chairman, Aditya Birla Group, shared his views ‘On Leadership Excellence’. Based on his learnings from the Gita, he listed the Group’s core values of integrity, commitment, speed, seamlessness and passion. Mr. Birla said, “It is how leaders act that eventually defines the company. The management made extra effort to demonstrate our commitment to our values by practicing them. Bringing in change or sending across a powerful message is a multi-layered process in any institution.” On how the Group defines passion, Mr Birla explained, “A missionary zeal arising out of emotional engagement with an organisation that makes work joyful and inspires each one to give his or her best. Relentless pursuit of growth and objectives with the highest levels of energy and enthusiasm that is voluntary and spontaneous.”

In her impassioned address that brought out the facets of leading through Scientific Transformation, Dr. Swati Piramal, Vice Chairman, Piramal Enterprises Ltd, compared the battle at Kurukshetra as a metaphor for an ordeal that each person must go through for progress. She said, “Leadership in action includes ideas such as a call to adventure, crossing the threshold, the hero's journey, an elixir, and the gift.” Dr. Piramal explained these ideas using the life examples of icons such as Steve Jobs, Julius Caesar, APJ Abdul Kalam, Srinivasa Ramanujan​, and more.​ As the host of the event and speaking on the essence of Transforming Indians to transform India, Swami Swatmananda, Resident Acharya, Chinmaya Mission Mumbai pointed out the seven levels of transformation. He said, “These are physical fitness, emotional peace, intellectual clarity, spiritual strength, dynamic patriotism, cultural pride and a global vision.” ​

Touching upon leading a transformation based on culture, author Amish of Shiva Trilogy and The Scion of Ikshvaku fame, emphasised the importance of swadharma and how we can follow it using the example of Valmiki. He said, “The important lesson that Ratnakar learnt to transform into Valmiki was that only he can control his swadharma, his own personal dharma, no one else.” Amish highlighted that once Valmiki took charge of his own swadharma, he became one of the greatest rishis of India. He continues, “Valmiki didn't just transform the India of his time but continues to transform the India of today through the story he wrote.” Thrilled at the unanimous impact created at the grand event, Chinmaya Mission’s Global Head Swami Tejomayananda simplified the process of transformation by explaining that it begins with a moment of inspiration. He said, “All of us have these moments but it’s only when the inspiration is followed by hard work that complete transformation takes place.” Clarifying that a spiritual experience does not exclude daily life, he said, “Spirituality is the most dynamic thing. It is the practice of examining each and every experience of life and learning from it.”

While creating a ripple of change by reaching as many individuals as possible, the powerful conclave served another great cause, that of contributing proceeds from its donor passes towards the Chinmaya Transformation Scholarship for deserving students, workshops to empower the youth on ‘seven levels of transformation’ and for farmers’ relief in Maharashtra.


Committed to serving humanity and propagating peace through the principles and teachings of Vedanta, Chinmaya Mission has initiated a suite of initiatives in the upcoming year, 2016, which marks the birth centenary of Chinmaya Mission’s founder and visionary, Swami Chinmayananda.

The conclave was dedicated to Swami Chinmayananda who personified his life mission of empowering individuals and bringing about a collective change through teachings of Vedanta.  Through this transformation movement of the 21st century, Chinmaya Mission is leaving no stone unturned in making every Indian uphold the transformative spirit of ‘India is what we the people make it’. Chinmaya Mission’s programme of ‘Transforming Indians to Transform India’ took shape back in 2013. In the past six months, the Mission has conducted over 950 workshops starting with a national road-show-cum-rally launched on May 8, 2015 in Kerala, which after traversing the length and breadth of India, will conclude in May 2016.

About Chinmaya Mission: Chinmaya Mission believes in inner transformation of individuals resulting in a happy world around them.  Through the knowledge of Vedanta, it empowers the lives of people to face the modern life challenges of stress, anxiety etc. Established in India in 1953, Chinmaya Mission is a global spiritual organisation engaged in the dissemination of Vedanta & the science of the self as expounded the Bhagavad Gita. True to its principle – “To give maximum happiness to maximum people for maximum time”, Chinmaya Mission is at the forefront of serving humanity while enabling Inner Transformation. There are more than 300 centres of Chinmaya Mission in 25 countries with over 30 centres in North America. In India it serves through 225 centres, more than 85 schools, 7 colleges, rural development in 1000 villages, 50 temples, hospitals, old age homes, orphanages and many other social initiatives.

About I Transform India Transforms: I Transform, India Transforms is a leadership conclave by Chinmaya Mission Mumbai aimed to empower individuals with inner strength, higher vision and a spirit of service, enabling a national transformation and an emergence of India as a global super-power. The program is based on the vision: 'You change and the world around you will change.' Chinmaya Mission had launched the ‘Transforming Indians to Transform India’ in 2013. Over the last 6 months, the mission conducted over 950 workshops with a national road-show-cum-rally launched on 8th May 2015 in Kerala, which after traversing the length and breadth of India will conclude on 31st December 2015.


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