Putting Women on Top

As we celebrate another UN International Women’s Day on 8 March, the media and the leaders will talk about extending equal rights and opportunities for women. International bodies and NGOs will keep on trumpeting ‘gender equality’ and the sorry plight of deprived women around the world. After highlighting some outstanding women achievers, it will be back to normal as the plight of women and providing them with opportunities is again forgotten.

Osho did not talk about women’s equality but their superiority; not as the weaker sex but as the stronger sex. “It is for the betterment of both man and woman that the woman should be given every freedom and equal opportunity for her individuality,” says Osho. These are not empty words but Osho put them in practice by always giving women full authority and responsibility for establishing, expanding and managing his communes.

Right from the late sixties when he resigned and started full time discourses and meditation camps, he appointed a woman as his secretary and he maintained this tradition as long as he was on this planet. His first secretary was Ma Kranti when he moved to Mumbai. Soon after, Ma Yoga Laxmi took over in the early seventies and became his de facto CEO. She managed all aspects of his work until he moved to Pune. Under the guidance of her master, she expanded his commune many times over as thousands upon thousands of seekers came to him from all corners of the globe. As a true medium of her master, she worked non-stop without letting her mind come in her way.

In this fast expanding commune, women held the key posts: Ma Vivek, later Nirvano, looked after him; Ma Maneesha was his medium and compiled Darshan Dairies; Ma Savita took care of the finances; Ma Deeksha ran the kitchen; Ma Turiya conducted therapy groups while Ma Arup, Ma Mukta, Ma Vidya, Ma Pragya, among other women, were assistants to Ma Laxmi.

Ma Anand Sheila became Osho’s Secretary when he moved to Rajneeshpuram, Oregon, USA. Ma Prem Hasya was his International Secretary, Ma Yoga Neelam the India Secretary and Ma Anando his Legal Secretary. These, and many more women in key positions, came from Australia, Britain, Germany, Italy, India, Netherlands, USA and many countries.

Many enlightened masters did not even initiate women, let alone give them equal status. By giving full authority to women, Osho went all the way.

Text by Swami Anand Kul Bhushan, who would be happy to know of other women who are / were running Osho’s Centres or Communes, past and present. You can send a message here…

First published in Osho World News