Down memory lane with Kul Bhushan, Manju and Rashma.
How can you enjoy using an aftershave lotion when you have a lush, flowing beard? Fifty years ago Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh (later known as Osho) devised an unconventional solution.
It was 1973. In Nairobi, Kenya, East Africa, a small group of sannyasins were passionate about their spiritual Master. During one of their gatherings, the head of the group, Ma Yog Manju, announced that she was going to fly to Bombay (now Mumbai) to meet her Master.
The news was greeted with a lot of excitement, but a question emerged: what gift could they send to him? Many items were proposed but in the end it was decided to gift him an aftershave lotion. This was a very prized item in India all those years ago, when all imported goods were rare. Moreover, it would not attract the attention of any customs officer – they were searching for other kinds of expensive stuff. So, the sannyasins contributed, and a top brand aftershave lotion in a smartly designed bottle was purchased.
Ma Manju flew to Mumbai and was soon heading to Woodland, the tall apartment building on Peddar Road where Osho lived on the first floor. She presented the precious bottle to her Master who accepted it with a broad smile. The next day, when Ma Manju was leaving the flat after again meeting Osho, she came across the cleaner of his apartment walking down the stairs playing with the empty bottle from the aftershave lotion she had gifted Osho the previous day. The man was twirling it in his hands while humming a song.
Shocked, Manju asked the cleaner how he had come to have that bottle. He replied that when he had cleaned the bathroom he found it empty next to the bathtub. He also added that in the bathroom there was a very strong sweet smell. Then it dawned on Ma Manju how the aftershave lotion must have been used: all in one go, by pouring the whole bottle into the bathtub for a luxurious bath. What a unique way to enjoy the gift! she mused.
The following year, 1974, Osho moved to Pune. As he became more and more popular, he started attracting people from all over the world and his ashram expanded – indeed exploded – into meditation and celebration. A couple of years later, around 1976, his health worsened with allergies and everyone was advised not to wear any aftershave lotion or perfume. Indeed, each and everyone was stopped before entering Buddha Hall for his discourses; two sannyasins sniffed whoever entered for any smells, starting with the head and moving down to the body. If a smell was detected you were asked to sit in a reserved area at the back of the hall. If it was too strong you could not enter that day. Sometimes the smell came from the soap used in the shower we took before discourse, so the ashram started making and selling its own scent-free soaps and shampoos.
The no-scent rule was also strictly imposed during darshan, the one-to-one meeting with the Master in the evenings. The sniffers might ask people with mildly scented hair to wrap their head up turban-style in a scarf. However, the evening screening was stricter than that for morning discourse. So, even if you had a confirmed appointment, you could be excluded from attending the meeting altogether if you were carrying a scent.
Once – we had freshly arrived from Kenya – my wife, Ma Rashma, and I were given an evening darshan appointment by Ma Arup, who was in charge of this task. We turned up after a shower, wearing fresh clothes and headscarves. During the scent screening, Rashma was denied entry to the meeting. So she sat down outside the gate, accepting the decision. Soon she started participating in Music Group, which was going on in Buddha Hall – all the while crying inconsolably.
Osho, knowing that both of us had come from Nairobi together, asked me where Rashma was. When Mukta informed him that Rashma could not enter due to the scent, he said, “When he comes, she must come. When she comes, he must come. Give them an appointment for tomorrow.” I came out and told Rashma what Osho had said. Overwhelmed by his compassion, she broke down again. After that we made sure that both of us were always well prepared so that we could be admitted together for his blessings.
All this left us wondering how the master’s health had altered. He went from relishing a full bottle of aftershave to totally avoiding any smell at all!
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