Jains, Buttermilk and Indian Roads

Remembering Here&Now

Ageh Bharti shares anecdotes about Osho. This one relates to the late Neeraj Jain.

 

Neeraj Jain
Neeraj Jain
Osho Looking to Side
Osho

Reading Bodhena’s article ‘Indian ride‘ in Osho News recently, prompted me to share a small anecdote about Osho that I heard two months ago at a grand function. It was the 88th birthday anniversary of the late Neeraj Jain who had died two years ago. Neeraj Jain was a poet of good repute and also a widely known scholar of the Jain religion.

His younger brother Nirmal Jain, while remembering his brother for his craving to associate with learned and wise people, recited a memory of Osho when Neeraj had invited him for a talk in December 1962 in Satna, Madhya Pradesh. It was arranged to be held at Jain Dharmshala which was eventually attended by only 15 people.

Osho stayed at his house. In those days Neeraj had a small house with a single, small bathroom. When Nirmal brought a bucket of water for bathing, Osho asked him to bring one more bucket of water and also informed him that he would be taking a one hour bath, something in which he indulged all his life.

The next morning Osho had to go to Chhatarpur by bus which was about 180 kilometres from Satna and Neeraj asked his brother Nirmal to accompany Osho until Chhatarpur.

Later, in her talk given at the grand function, 64 year-old Sushama Jain, the daughter of late Neeraj also recalled that at the time Osho had visited she was 12 years of age. She offered a glass of buttermilk to Osho to which various kinds of spices had been added. Osho took a sip and said that he could not drink it for he was allergic to those spices. He could drink it only if merely sugar was added to it. She told him that “We Jains cannot offer buttermilk without adding those spices,” but then relented and did offer him a glass of buttermilk with only sugar added.

Bodhena writes that he experienced trouble in travelling about 80 kilometres on this road in the late seventies, whereas Osho travelled by bus in 1962 almost 200 kilometres on this very route, which is known for its bad condition even today. We can well imagine the situation back then. It indicates that Osho accepted any discomfort to reach as many people as possible.

Related article
  • Indian Ride A short take by Bodhena from one of his many travels through India
Ageh Bharti

Ageh Bharti

Ageh Bharti is a writer and the author of Blessed Days with Osho, Beloved Osho, and 22 books in Hindi on the topic of Osho. facebook.com

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