Chetan

Sagar Chetan was born in New York (Bronx) in 1937 and took a PhD in Psychology from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. He became a child psychologist working with Bruno Bettelheim, eventually overseeing an inpatient child psychiatry unit in Paris. He shared many stories about connecting with really fragile kids with autism and cognitive impairments.

When an orange-robed French colleague encouraged him to go to Pune, he took the jump and soon lived in the ashram. In Rajneeshpuram he was a teacher at our Antelope school. After the Ranch closed he worked at the Zorba the Buddha restaurant in Cologne.

He was a practitioner of Family Constellation and turned others on to learn this technique.

Chetan loved jazz (and baseball caps) and even had a jazz radio show in Seattle. He was also instrumental in getting Osho’s discourse videos aired on local access TV. He was also a regular fixture at jazz festivals and literary lectures.

He spoke several languages fluently and was a bold and brash fellow. When his apartment was cleaned up they boxed up over 10,000 jazz CDs and books from a huge variety of authors in many languages.

Chetan died after a six-month battle with esophageal cancer that spread to his lungs. A celebration of his life was held at the World of Meditation centre in Seattle.

Info and photos credit to Lahar, Anutosh, Viha Connection

Tributes

You can leave here a message / tribute / anecdote using our contact form (pls add ‘Chetan’ in the subject field)…

Oh, Chetan, you crazy, sweet and gentle man. Farewell! Who knows, maybe we will meet again, one day, one time… looking forward to! From heart to heart, your
Anandi

My last impression of Chetan – he was a bit of a “mad” man and probably a Scorpio! haha! We had a beautiful connection. I never took him seriously and we just laughed and joked together and told each other that we love each other. I miss him. He had a depth that I appreciated and oh! so critical… high standards. Great! I have heard that Scorpios may sometimes do things to sting themselves. I have Scorpio rising! Ahem! Love & Smiles,
Anutosh

When, on the Ranch, I was in need of a reality check, a few minutes with Chetan would straighten me out. His sense of humor was without peer — except of course for CC’s. His wit was sharp, mordant and unforgiving. I loved him for that. The morning after the major malefactors’ departure from the Ranch became known, I saw him at the Mall. He put his arm around my shoulder and said, “Anudas, we have become the cult our mothers warned us about.” A brilliant, loving friend.
Das Anudas

Oh my, oh my, for now dear one, Chetan, I bid you good-bye. Bon-voyage bon ami, gute Ankunft lieber Freund and who knows… till later? I’m so glad somebody posted that wonderful ‘finger pointing’ photo! I hadn’t met you in ages but seeing you like that made up for the time lost and transported me to the many times those piercing blue eyes ‘caught’ mine and the way that ‘poignant pointer’ evoked in me so much… it shook and awoke, always made me question myself in some form, brought out even blushing embarrassment, but most of all it always always made me feel very loved. Thank you. I would have been there for you had I known. Om shanti shanti om!
Barbara Anand Vasudha