‘I Went To Bhagwan For I Fell In Love With Him'

Chairman and Editor-in-Chief, BW Businessworld, Dr Annurag Batra, introduced Ma Anand Sheela as a “traveler” to the eager listeners who had travelled long distances from various parts of India to hear her speak. Dr Batra explained that the journey of the one-time associate of Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh had been “authentic”, metaphorical though it was, for it had involved “travelling through a lot of emotions”. At the BW Dialogue organised in association with Humans for Humanity and Sipping Thoughts in New Delhi, Ma Anand Sheela, candidly recounted her feelings for Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, and the despair she subsequently felt for the spiritual guru. The October 31 BW Dialogue was part of a series of conversations with achievers and leaders from various walks of life. Excerpts:

- Dr Annurag Batra

In the Netflix movie Wild Wild Country, you are portrayed negatively. Do you see yourself as a victim or a warrior?

I don’t see myself as a victim at all. I see myself as a winner and a learner. I have been learning all through life and this learning has brought winning.

What is your mantra for not seeking validation from others?

I don’t require validation because I never saw my parents doing that and I am simply copying that. They led their lives on their own terms. You require validation because you have expectations. My father believed in total freedom and he only expected me to be responsible.

So there was no need for validation. One should never compromise one’s integrity for anything and should always remain true to oneself.

The recent limelight you have been in has made you a star and people are intrigued by you. How would you describe the real Sheela?

Life has been very wonderful for me. Life offered me an opportunity to love and to be with a man like Bhagwan. And then also to walk away from him, so that no one takes my love for weakness. Because once someone takes my love for weakness, it is time to move on and I moved on. Life offered me the possibility to be in prison for 39 months and learn from it. I learned from prison the importance of time and patience.

In prison, one’s perspective of time changes and one is available for others. And 39 months in a prison takes a lot of patience. You have to remind yourself every day – millions of times –that this too shall pass.

What do you think is so intriguing about you?

I think the sudden interest is because of the Wild Wild Country. As you say, they tried to portray me in a negative light. But it does not matter.