By Ramya Kailas

Pujya Gurudev Swami Chinmayananda’s grand vision was the revival of Indian culture. The cornerstone of this vision was a higher learning institution that would revive Indian knowledge coupled with modern technology and educational approaches. With this in view, in 2016, the Chinmaya Vishwavidyapeeth (CVV) was born.

The Chinmaya University, as it is often colloquially known, works to create core values, share the vision of the rishis, and sculpt new leaders who—with knowledge of Indian heritage—can selflessly serve society. In sum, the university’s mission is to blend the time-tested wisdom of India with contemporary knowledge so graduates will not only become leaders of extraordinary achievement but will create a brighter future for society.

In January 2021, Pujya Swami Swaroopanandaji initiated the global Chinmaya Mission Family to engage in a Crowdfunding campaign for CVV. The campaign brings to life Gurudev’s aspiration to build a new state-of-the-art campus over 40 acres of land in Kerala. It also supports life-changing opportunities for deserving students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds to study at Chinmaya University.

Following a five-week intensive campaign, on October 15, Vijaya Dashami Day, the campaign concluded with over 10,000 donors who contributed over $4,600,000 for CVV!

As the campaign rolled out across the globe, in the U.S., plans were afoot to kickstart the campaign on May 8. However, this was postponed on account of the unexpected Covid crisis in India. In May 2021, Chinmaya Education Foundation (CEF) was created as a formal non-profit to facilitate crowdfunding donations in the U.S.

On July 23, on Guru Purnima Day, Chinmaya Mission West’s CVV Project Team–including Swami Ishwarananda, Shri Vivek Gupta, and nine Chinmaya Setu Karis–mobilized ALL Chinmaya Mission centers in the U.S. to contribute to this vision.

On September 10, Vinayak Chaturthi Day, the team began the campaign with an initial goal to raise $3,000,000 for CVV, with the participation of over 900 Chinmaya Ambassadors (fundraisers) from across North America. Following a five-week intensive campaign, on October 15, Vijaya Dashami Day, the campaign concluded with over 10,000 donors who contributed over $4,600,000 for CVV! The initial goal was not only reached but greatly surpassed (and still growing with generous contributions)!

This success could not have been possible without the contributions of all our generous and passionate ambassadors/donors, the inspiring leadership of our Swamijis and Acharyas, and of course, the blessings of our loving Gurudev Swami Chinmayananda. We also have immense gratitude for Swami Swaroopanandaji, and our India team (AppaRao Mukkamala, Jagdish Peswani, and N.M. Sundar, among others) for their inspiration and constant guidance.

Our sincere gratitude and pranaams to our dear Swami Ishwarananda (CM Los Angeles) and Shri Vivek Gupta (CM Niagara Falls) for leading this project to fruition and supporting the project team every step of the way!

We sincerely thank and congratulate all the North American Chinmaya Mission Centers, Chinmaya Ambassadors, and donors for coming together to complete one of the grandest campaigns in Chinmaya Mission’s history.

We also especially appreciate the dynamic dedication of the CVV Project Team who have worked tirelessly to ensure this campaign’s success at every step of the way: Gaurav Khandelwal (CM Houston), Krithika Mahesh (CM Seattle), Prem Wadhwani (CM Boston), Prema Palaniappan (CM Houston), Ramya Kailas (CM Los Angeles), Sheetal Gupta (CM Vancouver), Shivang Vaishnav (CM San Jose), Shruti Ramesh (CM Washington, D.C.), and Sunita Menon (CM Fairfield/New Haven).

Unto Him Our Best!