Grace and Gratitude missing on Osho’s 35th death anniversary at his Pune Commune

On 19th January, the 35th death anniversary of the spiritual mystic Osho, the Osho Commune in Pune wore a dead, deserted and unwelcoming look. Not a single candle was lit in Osho’s memory at the Pune Commune which was his ‘Karma Bhumi’- the epicentre of his life and work for a number of decades.

By Abhay Vaidya

Pune, 20th January 2025: 19th January, was the 35th death anniversary of the extraordinary spiritual mystic, Acharya Shri Rajneesh, later known as Bhagwan Shri Rajneesh and now as Osho.

He died in Pune, on 19th January 1990, in clearly suspicious circumstances as stands revealed by my journalistic investigations into his death over the last 35 years.

Osho Rajneesh’s eternal gifts to humanity include his numerous discourses on spiritualism in Hindi and English; his innovative meditations and his bold and fearless  personality which inspired– and continues to inspire– thousands upon thousands all over the world.

His birth anniversary on 11th December, his Day of Enlightenment on March 21 and the day he left his body on 19th January, are community events for his followers across the world. They are marked with reverence, gratitude, a replay of his audio/video discourses, singing, dancing and meditation.

An ungrateful Osho International Foundation (OIF) which is heaquartered in Switzerland and which controls the 20-25 acres of Osho Commune in Pune’s posh Koregaon Park area, his Samadhi inside the Commune, and all of Osho’s intellectual properties, has tried hard to erase Osho’s memory and do away with important community events. For them, Osho is a Brand Name to be milked and encashed– till the Indian Government wakes up and restores control of the commune to the genuine followers.

I visited the Commune yesterday and like in the previous years, it was Dead, Deserted, Cold and Unwelcoming! Not a single candle was lighted in Osho’s memory at the Pune Commune which was his ‘Karma Bhumi’– the epicentre of his life and work for a number of decades.

Thanks to Sw. Prem Anadi and his group, less than 2 km away at the Abdul Kalam Azad Hall, a gathering had been organised to pay tribute to Osho.

It is extremely shameful that 35 years after Osho’s death in suspicious circumstances, the Indian Government and the nforcement Directorate are allowing all kinds of financial irregularities at the Pune Commune in spite of heavy strictures from the Maharashtra Charity Commissioner and Bombay High Court. Across India and the world, Osho’s followers are awaiting Justice and the Rule of Law in India!

(The writer is an independent journalist and author of the investigative book, ‘Who Killed Osho?’)