When I was picking up broccoli----

　　Sidhai:  I was picking up broccoli down at the track farm. I think it was late afternoon, because sun was very low on the horizon, and in a blue sky, there was a beautiful moon coming to full, very beautiful evening, very still and quiet, and I was picking up the broccoli.

  Then I heard aircraft taking off from the airport and soon a rear jet, a small passenger's jet took off. It crossed the moon and the few second later another one followed. I did not know at that time that Osho was leaving. I was picking up broccoli and went to Mariam where we had a dinner together, and there somebody said "Osho left, Osho has gone."

Osho was arrested

  For me, it was fine, I did not know He was going for holiday or what, but it was OK. He left in the evening and next morning the news came that He'd been arrested. So, that time, Ranch was crazy with rumors. He went to North Carolina and he had gotten busted there. Well, first I thought we should get together party of armed sannyasins and an aircraft and fly to North Carolina and bust Him out. I was having a revolutionary idea. Otherwise a lots of people was pretty cool, they were coming up with all sorts of reasons. Everybody has his own esoteric reason to these things happening. That was a very strange time.

Vivek, caretaker of Osho came back

  A few days later, that same jet came back, alone with Vivek. She was arrested together with Osho but bailed out soon. She talked to the whole commune one evening, said how he was, something like being in jail with Him was sitting with Him in Mandir, He was same, She was so cool. That was a beautiful meeting. It looked pretty clear to me that they did not want to let Him go for some time.

I have heard Osho saying, "If they arrest me, they have to put me in chains"

  One morning He was talking in the discourse in the Mandir, and He said something like, "If they arrest me, they have to put me in chains" and they did. They actually put Him in chains. I remembered what He said and it actually happened. He was constantly in chains, they never put Him out of this barbaric staff. For me this is the strangest thing. This is some kind of indication that something really weird was going on. They did not just arrest Him on some immigration charges. It was something very dangerous happening. I could see that.

He came back after 12 days

  He was staying in North Carolina for some time. It was a court case. They had a strange result. I had a quite funny feeling right to the whole thing. Then He disappeared. I mean He really disappeared. Nobody knew where he was, and then he turned up in Oklahoma one day. The press found Him. Our own people didn't find Him. Anyway He came back to the Ranch finally. I remembered the evening He came back. He flew to the Portland airport and a Rolls Royse picked Him up and drove Him all the way back to the Ranch. Everybody turned up to see Him, welcome him back. I was standing on the drive way to the Lao Tsu house where Osho used to live. It was 12 days after He flew out from the Ranch. He looked a bit tired but so sweet. I was really closed to His car when He went by. When I looked at Him closely, He looked very tired but at the same time looked like something untouched---it was quite amazing.

Farewell in America

  He stayed there for a few days, but there was another court case in Portland, so He had to go to Portland. But after the court, He went straight to the airport and flew out from the country. He had to. That was the court decision that He had to leave the States in a few hours. I remembered when He left to Portland. It was lunch time. Then news came that He was going to leave and everybody come to the airport and see Him off. I decided I wouldn't go. So I was sitting at the Mariam alone for a long time after everyone was gone. Then I decided, "No, I will go". I took my bicycle and was cycling up to the airport. When I was passing through in front of the LaoTsu House ( Osho's house), there was a guard stopped me. I stopped and realized the car was coming from Lao Tsu. He was going to the airport, so I was waiting at the corner. The Rolls came, slowly turned up closely. He looked at me and gave me a namaste putting his both hand together. I was alone except the guards. That was the last. I didn't go to the airport. That was the last I saw Him in America. I just stood there crying and crying. I didn't want to go to the airport after such a beautiful farewell. I was glad I stayed in the Mariam. It must have been a quick decision. Late afternoon or early evening, they just threw Him out of the country. (to next page)

FarEast Connection