Question: What is the main message that you would like to give to the people of Japan through your concert here?

Sri Chinmoy: Each time I perform, I dedicate my Peace Concert to someone who I feel is responsible for world peace. This time I have chosen President Gorbachev. Today’s Peace Concert I am offering to him.

This is the message that I will be giving this evening to the audience: “Today’s Peace Concert I am most lovingly and most gratefully dedicating to President Gorbachev, whose Perestroika_-Vision-Light ended the Cold War and sowed peace-seeds inside the heart-garden of the world-home for the transformation of the human mind and the perfection of human life. “About a year ago — to be precise, ten months and twenty-three days ago — President Gorbachev came to visit Japan, Beauty’s Land and Duty’s Hand. At a dinner in the Emperor’s Palace his oneness-heart voiced forth, ‘Our countries and peoples are neighbours. Our ties are many centuries old. There are many historical documents testifying to the mutual attraction between the Russians and the Japanese.’ “At the same dinner, the unparalleled peace-lover in him also proclaimed, ‘Allow me also to express the wish that the presciently chosen name of the era of Your Majesty’s rule — _Heisei, which means “achievement of universal peace” — may also come true in relations between the Soviet Union and Japan.’

“May the morning light of Japan and the serving heart of President Gorbachev together grow and glow to accelerate the perfection-promise of humanity.”⁹ This is the message I shall offer this evening.