An Osho anecdote "Don’t fight darkness, bring in light," became the mantra for the Mayor of Delhi Shri Shanti Desai in his public life.

Speaking on Wednesday, 19 July 2000 at the inauguration of an Odissi dance performance by Ileana Citaristi, Guru Samarpan, organised by Osho World Foundation at the India Habitat Centre, Shri Desai said, " Ever since I read this anecdote from an Osho book, I have been transformed in my public life."

Osho said that once Darkness complained to God that it was always being chased and harassed by Light. God called Light and informed him about this complaint and Light replied, "Since I have never met darkness, how can I trouble it? Please let me meet Darkness so that I can deal with its complaint." But they can never meet and so the complaint remains unattended.

Shri Desai said, "Instead of answering Darkness or negativity, I focus on Light or positivity and Darkness disappears. This Osho story has enabled me to always serve the people by doing something for them while ignoring the Darkness."

The legend of Eklavya from Oriya Mahabharata was brought to life in Odissi dance form by Citaristi in dramatic gestures and emotional expressions much appreciated by a receptive audience. This dance composed by Odissi dance guru Padma Vibhushan Kelucharan Mohapatra is one of the most brilliant pieces in Citaristi’s repertoire.

She recreated the determination of a tribal chief Jara who wanted to be instructed from Guru Dronacharya at any cost. When refused, Jara created a statue of his guru and watched him teaching the princes Kauravas and Pandavas from afar. After the Kaurava princes molested his wife, Jara killed them all with just one arrow.

As Drona went looking for them, he came upon Jara. Realising that Jara had learnt the technique from him, Drona asked him to bring them back to life with another single arrow, which he did. The guru tested his devotion by asking for his left thumb as ‘dakshina’ and joyously Jara obliged. Drona said his ‘guru-bhakti’ will remain the ultimate ideal for all generations to come and conferred upon him the title Eklavya – the incomparable one.

After her performance, Citaristi said, "I found the audience very still and receptive as I could feel Osho’s energy in the hall. This motivated me even more to present my best." As the dance performance progressed, the spiritual dimension imparted to this cultural event moved the audience and many commented on this as they left the hall.

At the same function, the Dhrupad Maestro Shri F. Wasifuddin Dagar inaugurated a set of evening meditation and satsang music tapes released by Osho World Foundation. Hindi poet and humourist Shri Surendra Sharma added a light touch to the proceedings by saying that Osho talked about every Indian mystic and also included many jokes in his discourses and has made him speechless. He said, "So I bow down to him in silence."