World Harmony Run stops in Mobile

MOBILE, Ala. (WALA) - An international torch relay for world peace and harmony stopped in Mobile Friday morning. The students at Council Traditional School greeted the runners.

Al Stokes, Chief of Staff to Mobile Mayor, received the harmony torch and issued a proclamation.

The World Harmony Run began in 1987. Since then, five million people have participated worldwide. The torch relay has also received endorsements from many world figures like Mother Theresa, President Mikhail Gorbachev and President Nelson Mandela as well as members of Congress, governors and mayors.

Carl Lewis, 9-time Olympic Gold-Medalist, said, “By carrying the Torch, you will be bridging cultural and social barriers, and all the boundaries that separate nation from nation.  You will be the living proof of the ancient vision of having a beautiful and harmonious world.”

The torch relay is stopping in all 50 states over four months. The last stop is New York City in mid-august. An estimated 50,000 children in over 1,000 cities and towns on the 10,000-mile United States route are expected to participate.

The World Harmony Run was inspired by the visionary Sri Chinmoy as a way to give citizens a dynamic way to express their own hopes and dreams for a more harmonious world.  An athlete, philosopher, artist, musician and poet, Sri Chinmoy dedicated his life to advancing the ideals of world harmony and said, “If we have perseverance, then that is our first step towards world harmony.”

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