(29 December 1951 – 19 May 2019)
Bindu left his body in hospital in Copenhagen on the night of 19th May, with his long-time beloved Prabhato and his daughter Jo sitting with him.
Born in Copenhagen in 1951, he studied anthropology at Uni before dedicating his life to music. He’d grown up during the early Rock’n’Roll age in the fifties and sixties, and started as a young teenager to play the guitar, inspired by groups like the Shadows, various R&B artists, and of course the Rolling Stones and the Beatles. (His first music teacher was also his first lover – when he was fourteen and she was twenty-four; something about which he had only good memories.)
Though playing with different bands, he never managed to stay with the same one for a longer period of time. He simply had to break loose again and again and look for new challenges. This, little by little, led him to find his more personal style and musical expression. But as he says, it doesn’t stop here. “Life constantly changes, and you’ve got to follow.”
He heard about Osho in 1977 and immediately felt called to go to Poona, where he took sannyas in the autumn of that year. He became a professional musician in the mid-80’s, leaving behind a number of original music albums; the unforgettable ‘Zenrise’, other favourites like ‘The Healing Circle’, ‘Light at Heart’ and the more recent ‘Esotrucker’, ‘All is still One’ and ‘Plain Tales from Poona‘, to name just a few (full list: sannyas.wiki)
In an interview with his label, Fønix Musik, we read:
Despite the heavy times our planet is going through, being ravaged by war, pollution, aggression and fear, probably all caused by our own unawareness, Bindu is an optimist. He likes to approach a problem with the attitude: “Whatever happens, it must be good for something.” He acknowledges that we are moving forwards, step by step, into new realisations, learning little by little by our mistakes, developing into more conscious and happy beings.
“It’s great, because the choice is always yours, which attitude you want to take in whatever situation life is bringing along. And in that sense life really can become a magical mystery tour.”
Bindu says “Thank you for the music” that existence is playing through him, and hopes that you will appreciate and enjoy it too.
Lyrics of one of Bindu’s songs:
I didn’t know what love was like,
’til I met you, Osho
I didn’t know, how life could flow
’til I met you, Osho.
You stole my heart
And changed my name
And since that day my Love, my life is not the same
Subhuti sent this video, Bindu in concert: ‘Trust, Wait, Accept’:
A couple of years ago, Bindu held a concert in the dining room at Osho Risk, with singers Pratibha and Nadiya, and fellow musicians Jivan and Palash. The room was poorly lit, so the video is a bit dim, but the catchy music comes through and the atmosphere is casual and cosy.
A tribute from Prabhato:
Bindu was a man of fine arts – with his creativity and enormous patience and tolerance from his heart towards humans, animals and basically everything that exists on planet earth and beyond! He was a master of perfection regarding his music and he knew how to express himself authentically and clearly.
Now he has left his body on 19th May 2019 and lives somewhere else… in a more healthy body and better climate.
HE and ME are eternally connected beyond death!
He was the love of my life – even if it did not look always like that. We had a lot of quarels but solidly stood together – no matter what happened around us. Even sometimes other people enhanced our relation and deep friendships, and that was also fine.
With love and gratitude,
Ma Anand Prabhato – Bindu’s girl for 30 years!
A tribute from Madhuri:
Oh, Bindu – my friend, my playmate, my lover – for four good years –
I didn’t think you would go quite so soon –
I sent you a loving and apologetic email a couple of months ago, explaining my insularity when I saw you on Corfu last year; I was exhausted from giving sessions and wanted only to be alone – but it must have hurt you – you always thought we could stay like we were; playing like puppies in the sun…
You didn’t reply; and I didn’t know if it was because you couldn’t read it – your eyesight had become so bad; even if all was in caps… or if you were upset.
I am so glad you had Prabhato near you, all those years after you and I stopped being lovers… and before. She was the Queen Bee, and a gorgeous one she is.
Now, Bindu darling, I want to sing your praises, so everyone can hear: I love how you are YOU – there is nobody like you nor ever has been. I love your sublime, incredible talent – you could play anything, sing in a dozen different genres. Your CD Plain Tales from Poona is a classic of its own department – there will never be another like it – and so fun, so brilliant, so musical.
Yes, you were an old grump, but always ready to laugh and joke. And oh, we laughed! Silly, zany, crazy stuff that we laughed about – you always playing drums on tabletops, repeating lines I’d said to you, like they were a song.
Your ill-health disturbed me – you chose two girlfriends who weren’t nurses at all – and I drew back from it; I am sorry; it’s just how I am. But I always loved you, from the beginning – you funny, bigamous, sexy, yummy, bopping guy – judgemental, competitive, and a born protest singer – full of 60’s jargon, like me – and when I saw you suffering with ill health, I just didn’t know what to do…
That was an evil day that it all started, when you were in your twenties, working, unloading mail bags from a train in the snow, and caught cold, and then pneumonia; and the doctor changed your antibiotic in the middle and you had a bad reaction and asthma set in; and then it was cortisone, and the doctor said, “You will not live to be old.” But I think you hung in longer than expected, you beautiful old son-of-a-gun.
I had to break off with you, in 2000 – I know you wanted me to stay – but it was time; it was just time. My life was about to take a huge turn towards my own health crisis, though I didn’t know it then.
Thank you… for lighting a fire under my heinie to write my book about all the Osho decades. Thank you for being determinedly you. Thank you for always loving me, even when I was distanced. Thank you for your music. And most of all, thank you for the good times we had – pleasure in each other’s company, pleasure in Madhuban greasy spicy veggie dinners, pleasure in bed. For the way you always said some pithy thing that made me laugh out loud. And most, most of all – for your inheritance of courage – to be oneself, to go on creating, as you did, CD after CD after CD. You were a crusty guy with a heart of chocolate and raspberry jam (you would add a sausage and a fried egg to this, oh yes you would -), bristling with talent.
I wish for your onward journey: warm arms of light to welcome you, soooo deeply… cradling arms of whitest light, to lift you and make your breathing easy as anything – and Osho to meet you; whom you loved – bringing you into that which is Beyond what we know, and full of magic –
A tribute to Bindu with a little Song “Where have you gone” with love from Sangit and Premgyan, Suryam and Vidheya:
Where have you gone from Manfred Bachmeier on Vimeo.
Bio and photos thanks to Madhuri, for lyrics to Chinmaya, and thanks to Rishi and Mahana for alert
Related articles
- Plain Tales from Poona – Madhuri’s review
- Skyline of Poona – First track from ‘Plain Tales from Poona’ – with lyrics
More Tributes
Beautiful man, amazing music came through him, hope he gets a great instrument wherever the Bardo takes him.
Abhiyana
Til min ven Bindu:
Syrenerne på bordet hænger lidt mere
og rosens hoved dejset om
efter beskeden, at du nu er død
over telefonen nu til mig kom.
Du kære sølvræv på en fuldmånestråle,
så skred du pludselig hjem
til Osho, forhåbentlig for fuld musik,
jeg håber din vej blev nem !
Skyerne har trukket sig for solen
og fuglene har sat sig ned.
Nu håber jeg bare inderligt
At du virkelig har fundet fred.
Love from Vinod
Beloved Bindu, sweetheart, may you fly free and easy, held by gentle waves of love and joy.
I just learned you had left – it felt so soon – my heart sighed –
I hear you sing: “Trust, let go, accept – we are what we are – let go into the Master…”
I feel your essence, your deep love for truth – and for Osho – the refined sensitivity of your being, your tangible tender silken vulnerability, needing your fiery rebel, the little growling “grumpo”, your profound humor, the way you are simply ‘out there’, letting yourself be what you are, your ability to giggle about yourself, and the huge heart permeating it all, your ability to pour your being into music, your keen virtuosity and musical elegance.
I see you look at me with mischievous eyes, calling me ”lille Basse” – such warmth and affection coming my way…
Thank you for your friendship, for inviting me to sing with you, for darshan, for free meals, for the joy and the depth and the stillness…
I can hear your laughter… You will always be in my heart…
Here is a song for you:
Deep bow, precious one – and waves of love,
Nidhi
Although I was acquainted with Bindu earlier, I got to know and love him through the Music Department in Pune 2. He was always one of my favorite men to sing with in the Sannyas bands when we were creating music for the White Robe meeting. And I will never forget the times we delighted ourselves singing in the Evening Meeting at Osho Risk.
Sending you much love on your journey, and hey, say hi to Buddhen if you run into him!
Love from Aneesha
I have never ‘known’ this man… although his face is very very familiar, as with all great sannyasins!
I watched the ‘Trust, Accept’ video, and just laughed! Just perfect… his music. I mean: the IMPERFECTIONS of it. Just what we need in the scary world of perfectionism today! They just don’t get it, the people today.
JUICY stuff, having fun too, Osho Rock’n’Roll. He himself would have adored it, the fun I mean, not the Rock’n’Roll! Don’t take it seriously, we are NOT in a monastery, for God’s sake. I wish I had been there in Risk too. Women and men musicians and audience melting together, giggling – how UNIQUE in the world of today. Thank you, Subhuti, for this great HOMMAGE…
Vedant Sajjad
I had a chance to play with Bindu years ago in Poona and in Miasto and what I liked in him was his openness and sincerity as a musician and as a human being, no competition, just a will of merging and “go with the flow” (one of his songs). I will miss him, I wish I had a chance to play with him more.
Madhuro
Bindu
Your loving, gentle being showing
through your music, your skillful,
easygoing guitar playing
and your ‘straight from the heart’ songs.
Such poetry coming through you
touching the heart and your warm,
so gentle, voice, which could bring
hearts to tears and laughter…
I didn’t know what love was like until I met you Osho…
One of the most beautiful love songs to Osho
eemembering singing it many times in sannyas celebration
You are my love you are my life
You are the stillness of my heart…
When you go with the flow
The flow will take you
Where it wants to go…
And so many more
Each one a gem…
We sang together many times
in Pune and most recently
a few times On Corfu
It was not always easy,
I cherish the good times
Love your music
Love your generosity
Love your gentle voice
Love your songs
Most beautiful expression of you
Bindu…
Narayani
I first met Bindu in 1981 in Copenhagen, when we had a small Osho center in the hippie commune Christiania. Bindu used to come and play for music events. I was immediately infatuated with his music, his wicked humor and exotic looks. In 1982 we were asked by Arup to leave Christiania and join the Anand Niketan centre in downtown Copenhagen. Bindu had at this point just secured a large fantastic flat to rent for himself right behind the Royal Theatre. But somehow, he ended up giving the lease to us, who needed a place to stay so we could work in the Osho centre. He had a huge generosity of spirit.
Shortly after this, I remember Bindu getting together with Shariro. He used to call her “Sheriffen” (which means “the sheriff” in Danish) and when I hung out with them there was plenty of fire. What else would you get with one crazy sensitive actress and a gifted musician. Much fun and creativity flowed.
Later I lost touch with Bindu for many years, until one day at Osho Risk I heard someone call out: “Basse!” and there he was. Older, but still the same glint in the brown eyes sending me a crooked sideways smile. Maybe he called everybody “Basse”, which in Danish can mean anything from “Chubby” to “Cup-cake”. I always treasured this term of endearment from him and promptly called him “Basse” back.
I knew Bindu had asthma, and now I wonder if his song Challo from the album “Plain tales from Poona” was somehow prophetic. In this song he writes something like this: “Challo, Challo, Challo – I am getting out of here” and the song goes on to describe his trouble with breathing the bad air in Poona and having to leave. In any case, I love this album, as it is quite autobiographical and describes many of the things we experienced when in Poona. Have a listen.
So dearest Bindu – Basse – I hope you are out there somewhere, having a laugh at it all, and enjoying some otherworldly air.
Deeva
Beloved Bindu,
It felt as if we were old friends when we frist met in the garden at Mobo’s hotel in Poona 1976 – both from Copenhagen – but we didn’t meet again until early 1982 at the Osho Center in Copenhagen.
You were sitting playing songs and I made up harmonies. “Hey have you ever sung in a microphone?” “Yes sure!” was my quick answer and the next three months we played every Saturday for Music Group in Christiania, in a room full of singing, dancing wild and sweaty sannyasins – so many magic moments we had!
We recorded a few songs at Palash’s but I was on my way to go and live in Oregon. You visited me in the Magdalena milk room with a big question mark on your face…
Years later we did numerous Music Groups and sang for Osho with Milarepa in 1988/89.
Over the years we have met and sung together and shared many magic moments of intimacy in the music. You were not always the most easygoing but we all knew that your voice, playing and especially your solos were outstanding and full of tenderness whether soft or wild.
I still have our written declaration from the Munich days where we ‘checked out’ and left it all behind… in a way we did and magically remained loved and welcome in most places. The highlight was the day when all the Munich musicians gathered in Tao Center to give Osho our send-off. The meditation hall was jam-packed with sannyasins in various states of bliss, shock, disbelief, crying and laughing. We burned down the house with wild Rock’n’Roll, Blues, wild pumping taking a long long time before entering into the sweetest softnes,s ending in deep silence.
The Rock, the pain in the neck, the raw abrasive behavior, the demanding child, and the absolute sweet tenderness all flows into one. I bless your journey onwards my dear old ‘Frogger’.
May you fly high. May your blissful drop dissolve into the vast ocean of the universe.
????? LOVE –
Pratibha
PS: How wonderful to know that your daughter and your beloved Minnie Mouse were there to see you off ❤️❤️
You can leave a message / tribute / anecdote by writing to web@oshonews.com (pls add ‘Bindu’ in the subject field).
Comments are closed.