Save Osho Buddha Hall Dhyan Mandir Protest in New Delhi
New Delhi, 23 November 2002: Hundreds of Osho lovers from New Delhi and North India called on the Minister of State for Tourism and Culture, Shri Vinod Khanna and later Shri Suresh Kalmadi, MP from Pune, on Friday to appeal for the restoration of Buddha Hall Dhyan Mandir in Osho Commune in Pune. With meditation music, kirtan and flowers, Osho Friends International organized these peaceful appeals urging immediate action.
Maroon-clad Osho friends and devotees presented flowers to Vinod Khanna and displayed placards to show their anguish at the destruction of this world spiritual heritage site where the enlightened master held meditations and delivered his discourses for a quarter of a century and thus infused this space with strong vibrations. The appeal, signed by Osho Meditation Centre leaders from North and Central India and other Osho lovers, was presented to the Minister.
Visibly touched at this sacrilege, Vinod Khanna assured the delegation he felt strongly for the pilgrimage place where thousands of disciples had meditated with their Guru for many years. This was an important spiritual tourism site that had to be restored. This spiritual tourism site had placed Pune on the world tourism map for over 30 years.
Later, a group of about 30 Osho disciples called on Mr. Suresh Kalmadi's residence where the MP listened to their appeal with interest. He was shown photos of the destruction in progress in Buddha Hall Dhyan Mandir. He responded by saying that the Osho Commune had placed Pune on the world tourism circuit for over 30 years as hundreds of thousands of foreigners had come to Osho Commune and helped Pune's economy to prosper.
They would continue to come only if the Buddha Hall Dhyan Mandir was restored and available to them to visit, added Mr. Kalmadi. He had noticed that the inter-action of the Osho Commune with the people of Pune had declined markedly since mid-1990s and this was also a matter of concern. When Osho Friends International representatives handed over their appeal to him he promised all the help to restore this place of pilgrimage.
Ever since the publication of the news of the pulling down of this sacred spiritual heritage of the Enlightened Master, Osho Friends International has been inundated with phone calls and E Mails from hundreds of Osholovers from all over the world expressing their anguish over this incident. These appeals are an expression of the unilateral carnage and vandalism of a pilgrimage for all Osho lovers and friends round the world.
"Osho strove so intensely to create what he called 'a Buddha-field' in this hall where people can go into deep meditation very easily," said the leader of an Osho Meditation Centre, "This took a great deal of time as for many years people remained totally silent and meditated deeply in this hall and these sacred vibrations, this magnetic aura, this sacrosanct space is now being demolished."
"This Buddha Hall belongs to all who came to be with Osho between 1975 and 1990 and no one - absolutely no one - has the right to demolish the space where thousands upon thousands had their first experience of the bliss of meditation, the experience of being so close to the Master seated in his Zen Pagoda style podium and the benediction when, on his arrival, he greeted everyone of the ten thousand presents with an eye to eye contact. How can anyone who claims to be working for Osho even think of destroying it?" he added.
For more details, please contact:
Swami Prem Sakshi
OSHO FRIENDS INTERNATIONAL
C-5/44, Safdarjung Development Area
New Delhi – 110016
Tel: 91-11-6862898, 6964533 Fax: 6511414
New Delhi, 23 November 2002: Hundreds of Osho lovers from New Delhi and North India called on the Minister of State for Tourism and Culture, Shri Vinod Khanna and later Shri Suresh Kalmadi, MP from Pune, on Friday to appeal for the restoration of Buddha Hall Dhyan Mandir in Osho Commune in Pune. With meditation music, kirtan and flowers, Osho Friends International organized these peaceful appeals urging immediate action.
Later, a group of about 30 Osho disciples called on Mr. Suresh Kalmadi's residence where the MP listened to their appeal with interest. He was shown photos of the destruction in progress in Buddha Hall Dhyan Mandir. He responded by saying that the Osho Commune had placed Pune on the world tourism circuit for over 30 years as hundreds of thousands of foreigners had come to Osho Commune and helped Pune's economy to prosper.
Ever since the publication of the news of the pulling down of this sacred spiritual heritage of the Enlightened Master, Osho Friends International has been inundated with phone calls and E Mails from hundreds of Osholovers from all over the world expressing their anguish over this incident. These appeals are an expression of the unilateral carnage and vandalism of a pilgrimage for all Osho lovers and friends round the world. 
