EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE, July 16, 2000
PUNE, JULY 15: Die-hard Oshoite Swami Vinod Bharati, who most people know as superstar-turned-MP Vinod Khanna, has hauled over the coals the Osho Commune management for what he calls its ”dictatorial behaviour.”
In a statement released from New Delhi on the eve of the Guru Purnima celebrations slated for Sunday, Vinod has lambasted the ”highhanded” manner of the chairman of the inner circle in banning prominent Indian sanyasins which ”goes against the spirit of freedom of sanyas and Osho’s vision.”
Vinod Bharati’s statement received on e-mail was released here by Swami Chaitanya Keerti, former spokesperson of the Osho commune whose entry into the commune has been banned for rising in rebellion against its ”management team.”
Vinod said taking Osho’s original paintings and signatures out of the country in the name of digitalisation ”creates serious doubt about the intentions of the people who took them away secretly.” Besides, banning leading disciples like Osho’s secretary Ma Yoga Neelam and commune spokesperson Chaitanya Keerti ”is a dictatorial behaviour on the part of chairman of the Inner Circle.”
”He should invite and welcome them back into the commune. I know that this highhanded behaviour is hurting the sanyas community around India and the world.”
Following is the full text of Vinod’s statement:
”I was in UK for two weeks, but I was aware of the whole situation of our commune and what was being talked about it in the media. Now I hear that Swami Prem Jayesh, the chairman of the Inner Circle has also arrived in Pune on Guru Purnima celebration.
”The recent developments are really shocking and atrocious. Ma Yoga Neelam, Osho’s secretary for India, Swami Chaitanya Keerti, former spokesperson for the commune, and Swami Anand Tathagat, former commune-in charge and some other senior sanyasins are not being allowed entry into the commune to join in the Guru Purnima celebrations in Poona. Their ”crime” is that they raised certain issues in the media.
”The people who have been denied entry are also the chosen people of Osho as Jayesh was chosen, to do his work and the banned sanyasins have certainly contributed tremendously to Osho’s work in India. And if now they have raised certain issues, which are also the genuine concerns of our whole sanyas community around the world, they should not be punished. It is cruel. It goes against the spirit of freedom of sanyas and Osho’s vision.
”This is a dictatorial behaviour on the part of Chairman of the Inner Circle. He should invite and welcome them back into the commune. I know that this highhanded behaviour is hurting the sanyas community around India and around the world. Osho taught us love and not this dictatorship. Besides our commune is our Guru’s ashram, it’s nobody’s private property. It is our Gurudwara and Gurudwara welcomes everybody.”
”The issues raised by Ma Neelam and Swami Keerti are that Osho Commune International Pune is our headquarters, created by Osho himself, for all of our global activities and all decisions regarding publication of books, copyrights and royalties should be done from Pune and not by three people in New York office.
”They also say that 880 original Osho signature paintings which were removed from the books and taken outside India more than three years ago have not been brought back, except 40 of them. They should be brought back. It is already a very long time. How long does it take to digitize them in England? This creates serious doubt about the intentions of the people who took them away secretly.
”And another most important issue, besides several other issues, is the trade marking of Osho meditation techniques. It is unthinkable that some body applies for trademark of meditation. Meditation is not a market commodity. For last 10,000 years no enlightened master has done a trade mark of meditation as it is their gift to humanity to raise its consciousness. Osho himself has also ridiculed this trade marking, how can his sincere disciples allow this to happen.
Why are they making Osho A Trademark Religion?
”I wish to convey to our sanyasins and fellow travellers my Guru Purnima greetings and request them to resolve these issues as soon as possible, so that we can all come together to sing and dance in our Guru’s ashram.
”Vinod Khanna
”Swami Vinod Bharati”
Copyright © 2000 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
