Osho followers term ashram action ‘mala’fied
By PuneMirror Bureau Ali Shaikh Fri, 20 Jan 2023 05:00 am
Protest after they were denied entry to visit their beloved master’s tomb for wearing beaded necklace
There seems to be no end to controversies surrounding the Osho ashram in the Koregaon Park area. On Thursday, several followers staged a protest outside the ashram after being denied entry by the administration to enter the premises.
Trouble began when the Osho devotees wanted to visit their master’s tomb on the occasion of his death anniversary. However, they were stopped at the gate by the administration. The disciples were informed that they could not enter the premises while wearing Osho’s mala (beaded necklace). On the other hand, the followers pointed out that the ‘mala’ had been provided to them by their master and cannot be removed.
Swami Chaitanya Kirti, a former trustee of Osho International Foundation, said, “The ashram of Acharya Rajneesh aka Osho is our place of worship. It is our constitutional right to visit his samadhi. No one can stop us from entering the ashram just because we are wearing a necklace with his picture on it. Even the Bombay High Court has directed that no devotee should be prevented from visiting the tomb but the management of the Osho International Foundation continues to stop them.”
“We move around the country and visit other religious places wearing the same ‘mala’ but have never been stopped anywhere. Under no circumstances, we can remove the ‘mala’ or stop wearing it, as it was given to us by our guru. We have been associated with Osho since 1971 and we are welcomed across the country. Wearing the ‘mala’ given by our guru and visiting his tomb is our constitutional right,” he added.