Post-Pune blast, foreigners quit Osho Ashram

Some stay back, believing in Rajneesh philosophy and heightened security

A shaken Canadian disciple said the number of visitors had already come down due to the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, which were aimed at foreigners as well. “And there might be a further drop, even a full stop, after the Saturday’s incident,” he  added.
“A terror attack just 100 metres away is bound to upset everyone,” said a Dutch follower, who is in the ashram for the past 10 days.

Commune spokesperson Amrit Sadhana, nevertheless, claimed that the ashram always maintained high security for visitors, which was further beefed up after the revelation that Pakistan-born US citizen David Headley had twice visited the commune last year.
She said the blast would have little impact as the love for Osho will always bring his followers from all over the globe back to his ashram. As an immediate fallout of the blast, there will be a drop in the number of foreigners visiting the ashram, but it will be a momentary impact,  one of her colleagues in the ashram said.

“We are a peace-loving people, this attack comes as quite a shock for us,” said Italian national Emanuele Zeffiro, who works in the ashram.

“There was a time when any tourist could come and visit the ashram any time, but after the Mumbai attacks the checks and regulations have been made very stringent,” Zeffiro said.

A posse of security personnel posted outside the sprawling campus and its own officials manning the iron gates have turned Osho Commune into an impregnable fortress. After the blast, more commandos were deployed at the main gate of the campus, which came up in 1974. The campus is spread over six acres and has two buildings.

The morning after the blast, Osho’s followers were picking up the pieces of their lives, walking past the blast site and sharing their memories with reporters. “Osho’s philosophy is all about being here, now. It is about celebration,” said Antar Farid. “That and meditation helped us move on and get over the sadness.”

In fact, even when the blast ripped through German Bakery, Osho followers inside the ashram continued their dancing in the ultra modern Buddha meditation hall in their white robes to the live music, followed by a meditation session and a two-hour video lecture by Osho. There was more music and dancing after that.

Protection sought
The blast in Pune has shaken the confidence of the residents of the Osho Ashram nearby, leading the Osho World Foundation to appeal to the government for protection of Osho’s “Samadhi” (memorial) there, reports DHNS from New Delhi.