For me, next is coming closer to departure from earth. This week, statements from his self-proclaimed 'virtual sovereign state' the United States of Kailasa suggested that it was represented at the United Nations by 'Ma Vijayapriya Nithyananda', who they claim is their "Permanent Ambassador of Kailasa to the UN". She is not pleased to see me. This is where the most severely handicapped patients spend the night, so they dont feel isolated. Sheela Biernstiel - aka Ma Anand Sheela - has created a new life for herself in Switzerland as a carer for the mentally disabled, leaving behind her notoriety as the suspected mastermind. The book refers to an incident when Osho suddenly asked Ma Sheela to get him 30 new Rolls Royce cars. The SBC Privacy Policy provides additional information on how your data is processed. She later moved to Switzerland and ran two nursing homes. He gained notoriety for preaching against religious orthodoxy when it came to wealth and sex. After his death in 1980, she married her second husband, American John Joseph Shelfer. The former are not her cup of tea and the latter require special infrastructure that is difficult to provide in a small home. Her husband died while she was serving her prison term in the US, leaving her with nobody to depend on. When Neha referenced to a previous statement by Sheela that there are similarities between spirituality and criminality, the latter replied, "There is a certain spirituality in criminality." Im struck by how frail she looks but that is because the photos and videos I had seen were taken decades ago. As of 2018,. Here's more on what she said. After all, Sheela had first met him through her father when she was 16-years-old and had become instantly devoted. After Shelfer died, she married Urs Birnstiel, a Swiss Citizen who eventually died of AIDS in 1992. Investigation completed into mid-air collision between two IAF fighters, 1947: Madras Devadasis (Prevention of Dedication) Act passed, Irani Cup HIGHLIGHTS MP vs Rest of India Day 1: RoI 381/3 at stumps; Jaiswal, Easwaran slam big centuries. Rewind mode: Manbeena Sandhu (right) realised that Ma Sheela was looking for an author she could trust, Govt hikes domestic LPG prices by 50 per cylinder; ATF prices slashed, Stocks that will see action on March 1, 2023, Steel ministry worried over RINLs financial viability. Before I leave, I have one last question for Sheela. They should come in contact with it to see that it is nothing to be afraid of, says Sheela. I have a good understanding of it through my father-mother, Bhagwan, and the daily work I do, she says. It is my concept. The fact that her cover was blown did not bother her since she has never shied away from her past. If you've seen the series, you'll know this battle escalated to an alarming level. Sheela served 38 months of a 20-year jail sentence for attempted murder of Commissioner Matthew and Judge Hulse. All Rights Reserved. Ma Anand Sheela . "My main aim was always to protect Bhagwan," she said then, of her spiritual leader Osho Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, still grinning as she was led away in handcuffs. I have no explaining to do. Thats all we know for now. The fine lines on her countenance reflected wisdom and her eyes glinted with the sparkle of many untold stories that I was holding my breath to hear. Sheela shows me a profile of her father written in a book detailing Gandhi's inner circle. The youngest is 42 and the oldest 83. After I gave him a two-hour interview, the journalist called me later at night and said my face and name was familiar. Ma Anand Sheela, spiritual guru Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh or Osho's personal secretary, talks about handling crisis and more. By signing up, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy & to receive electronic communications from Vice Media Group, which may include marketing promotions, advertisements and sponsored content. I also learned the value of time and to accept my own reality better. In fact, things worked out reasonably well. Chopra Jonas will take on the role of Sheela as well as act as a producer on the film. She built up her reputation as a competent carer and five years later she moved to a bigger place and was responsible for 16 patients. In 1985, she pleaded guilty for wire-tapping the ashram. After being released from prison, she moved to Switzerland, where she runs two nursing homes. address Badhof 103 CH-4464 Maisprach . The controversial Ma Anand Sheela served Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh in his Ashram in Oregon and then did 39 months in a US prison, accused of serious crimes. ", On the 16th of September, 1985, after Sheela left the group, Bhagwan gave an interview to an Australian TV channel attacking her. And opposite my working desk, too. When I arrive, Sheela is sitting at a table at the front of the house, chatting and drinking coffee with a small group of people. Gracious and kind, she received us at the airport with her chauffeur. Sheela, who turn 50 on Tuesday, has been in Switzerland since late 1988, when she was released from federal prison after serving 29 months for assault, attempted murder, arson, wiretapping and causing a food poisoning epidemic in The Dalles that made about 750 people ill. 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Earlier this year, it was also rumoured that Priyanka Chopra will be playing the lead inthe Amazon Studios dramaSheela, directed and co-produced by Barry Levinson. It would be my delight each time she would smile and say, You just reminded me of something I had completely forgotten about. And then she would relive those forgotten memories and relate them to me over the phone, on FaceTime [videophone] mostly. Before becoming a cult icon Ma Anand Sheela was known asSheela Ambalal Patel. It became the headquarters of the Rajneesh empire. The 71-year-old was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison and paroled after 39 months In 1986, Ma Anand Sheela pleaded guilty to attempted murder for her part in the 1984 Rajneeshee bioterror attackknown to be one of the biggest of its kind in American historyand was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison. Her interviews are central to the Netflix documentary series Wild Wild Countryand . I plod on with growing apprehension of meeting the notorious Sheela. Sheela, who runs nursing homes in Switzerland, Mauritius and . She eventually found a job as a housekeeper for an old couple in Basel. Not just running. She stuck with me over the phone as I wrote page after page, chapter after chapter. But my first visit to the Pune ashram in 1993-94 left me disappointed. A documentary film called Wild Wild CountryExternal link on Rajneesh, Sheela and the Rajneeshpuram commune in Oregon was released this year. After I left Bhagwan, everything I do is my baby. Sheela, Ma Anand. With our newsletters you get the top stories to your inbox. What is your impression of Ma Anand Sheela, the subject of your book? She argues that shes served her time and, therefore, can no longer be considered a criminal. After parting ways with Bhagwan Rajneesh, the FBI conducted an investigation for months and confiscated hundreds of tapes and cassettes. ", If sex was encouraged, having children was not. At the end of our day together, I feel like I've gotten to see a compassionate side to Sheela. Sheela with Bhagwan when she was still his secretary. I am happy with both my legacies: with and without Bhagwan., More: SWI swissinfo.ch certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative. I was looking for her when I heard a tiny but crisp voice calling out my name. But for the uninitiated, she was thespokeswomanof the Rajneesh movement and the secretary of Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh from 1981-1985. Ma Anand Sheela, one of the latest, . I worked for a mad man, says Ma Anand Sheela. Sheela received a sentence of 59 years total in prison for her charges but was later released after serving less than three years. Ma Anand Sheela convicted for her criminal charges After serving in prison, she moved to Switzerland and married a fellow Rajneesh devout Urs Birnstiel, and became a Swiss citizen. When you manage a huge place like that, this home looks like a joke, she says. "With mentally ill people, you always know what you're going to get. Her interviews are central to the Netflix documentary series Wild Wild Countryand she's now giving more. Does she feel that her homes for the disabled are her lifes work as opposed to Rajneeshpuram where she was merely an instrument to realise Rajneeshs vision? Apart from the talks that we had shared in Ma Sheelas home, we now discussed everything over the phone every day as I wrote. While talking about it in. The only patients that Sheela turns away are drug addicts and those suffering from tetraplegia. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Cond Nast. She wasnt hiding but nobody had made the link between Sheela the carer and the controversial Ma Anand Sheela of the Rajneeshpuram commune. If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch. Urs Birnstiel died of AIDS after his marriage with Ma Anand Sheela. A German lawyer, who she had an affair with, refused to leave his wife and start a new life with her. When I eventually did, I was unfit for the outside world, says Sheela. Today, Sheela runs two residential homes for disabled people, near Basel in northwest Switzerland. Ma Anand Sheela runs two nursing homes in Switzerland. Your web browser is outdated. Meanwhile, Karan Johar is also producing a new documentary based on her life. She told me that when she first saw Osho, he was lecturing in an auditorium in Baroda. She became bodyguard and personal secretary to the guru, and was in large measure the person most responsible for executing the organizations decamp from Poona, India, to the U.S. As the most devoted followers (Sanyassins) built their cash-rich city of free love and ecology in rural Oregon, articulate and feisty Sheela emerged as the Bhagwans spokeswoman, strategist and attack dog. Rajneesh was also briefly arrested but handed a 10-year suspended sentence for immigration fraud and ordered to leave the US. (Multnomah County Archives). Sheela probably won't watch it. Ma Anand Sheela, who second-in-command in the commune conspired with the commune to poison local residents by using salmonella bacteria and many other methods to make them ill and prevent them from voting and swing the election. Sheela has featured extensively in Netflix's six-part documentary series (Wild Wild Country, 2018). There is an inner preparation for acceptance of this reality of death. I think Rajneeshpuram's training does come handy. To me my subject and my reader are both equally important. Sheela remained relatively anonymous during her first three years in Switzerland. In 1986, she was convicted for attempted murder and assault for her role in the 1984 Rajneeshee bioterror attack . She was the constant backdrop to the sanyasis stories of the bygone Orange Era. We'll send you a newsletter with what you need to know every week. I am me. The old couple were in their eighties and helped soothe my heart, she says. We say move on because she made it clear that there will be no redemption. There are several vehicles in the car park and horses stabled at a vet on the other end of the road. At the time, Bhagwan would speak often of the virtues of free love and maintaining multiple lovers. The authorities subsequently searched her home and found incriminating evidence linking her to the bacteria and the wiretapping, resulting in a warrant against her. In an interview with The Guardian, Sheela (who is still alive, BTW) revealed that she never watched the entire Netflix series that she took part in. I had read a book on Osho and was so blown away by it that I decided to visit his ashram. This content was published on Oct 25, 2016 Director Shakun Batra pitches the film as tracking a character who is constantly under the weight of public scrutiny. I think journalists are people who cannot work for a living but only make money out of other peoples lives. Redemption lies in guilt, Sheela said in the Netflix documentary. Seela [he called her that], buy me thirty new Rolls Royces this month, he said. As a federal prosecutor, he brought charges against Sheela and the Bhagwan. So now, if youre curious to know more about her, including her current whereabouts, weve got the details for you. Your data is used to pre-fill some form fields. Oh, and according to the interview, she apparently feels no remorse at all for the events in Oregon. My eyes are immediately attracted to a large framed photograph of what appears to be Rajneesh being served champagne by Sheela. "You can complain about it only when you can do something about it," she said, adding that it's the same passion which inspires her to start a sanitation drive in India. 2023 Cinemaholic Inc. All rights reserved. Jan 28, 2018 He defended Tonya Harding in the Nancy Kerrigan case, and then-Mayor Sam Adams during the Beau Breedlove scandal. "He warned her that if she didn't get an abortion, she would have to leave the commune with the child. In the late 1990s, she moved "penniless" to Switzerland, where she married Swiss citizen, and fellow Rajneesh follower, Urs Birnsteil, and got a job as a carer for an elderly married couple. Born as Sheela Ambalal Patel in 1949 in Baroda, Gujarat, India, despite what some people believe, she initially moved to America at the age of 18 for studies, attending the Montclair State College in New Jersey. A ranch in Oregon in the US was purchased for close to $6 million and was renamed as Rajneeshpuram. Nothing to Lose as an official memoir of Sheela. She was only 16 and lost her heart to this charismatic speaker. "I'm sure she got pregnant on purpose," she answers, her voice raised. Ma Anand Sheela born Sheela Ambalal Patel and now known as Sheela Birnstiel is a figure whose life and deeds continue to intrigue. In the fall of 1985, days after Sheela fled to Europe, Rajneesh accused her of arson, wiretapping, poisoning, and attempted murder, adding that she was the one who wrote the book Rajneeshism and published it under his name. Her Wikipedia pageExternal link, that I had consulted earlier, does her no favours. When Sheela left Bhagwan, she was accused of stealing the organisations funds. In the '80s, she was Rajneesh's. It was Sheela who organized the largest bioterror attack in U.S. history by infecting the salad bars at 10 local restaurants with salmonella, poisoning 751 individuals. After serving her prison term, she left the US for Germany but was denied re-entry without explanation while on a shopping trip to Switzerland (Germany had extradited her to the US when she first left the country and commune in 1985). When I first saw her at the airport, I thought she was dainty and fragile, yet in some strange way strong as a mountain. He had a major influence on my life's experience which in turn influences my work, she says. There are obvious parallels here: as documented in Wild Wild Country, Sheela was more than happy to do whatever it took to keep Bhagwan happy. But Bhagwan was even bigger as an orator., She did not mind giving offense. In fact, in Searching for Sheela, she says he was in love with her too. Every hour of my existence now hasfragrance of Bhagwan's teachings that I have carried in my heart and my brains." Swissinfo.ch's India specialist covers a wide range of issues from bilateral relations to Bollywood. He then went into private practicewith even more high-profile clients. Language: English Edition: 2021 ISBN: 9780670094523 Pages: 175 Cover: HARDCOVER Other Details 9.00 X 5.50 inch Weight 350 gm Book Description About The Book There are few who can claim to have lived life on their o . Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement and Your California Privacy Rights. Just like her, her father was close to another powerful religious leader. She was sentenced to a 24-year jail term in federal prison, but was released 1988 after 29 months in jail and moved to Switzerland on Dec 13th, 1988. 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