In March of 1998, Sri Chinmoy traveled to South Africa to meet President Nelson Mandela and offer him the Lifting Up the World with a Oneness-Heart award.
He and the President had met a number of times, both in South Africa and New York and had deep admiration for one another.
“It is a very rare gift indeed for humankind to be blessed with such a selfless individual who has dedicated his entire life to the service of world peace … Your work has inspired spiritual growth, resilience and well-being, especially in view of the present and unprecedented onslaughts against humankind … Yours is a voice of reason that we must all heed.”
– President Nelson Mandela