ITV Whicker's World - An Impression of Bombay - Parts 3 and 4 (1978)
- Whicker's World was a British television documentary series that ran variously on BBC and ITV from 1958 to 1994, presented by journalist and broadcaster Alan Whicker. Whicker and his crew visited the Pune One ashram in early June 1978, producing in the end about 18 minutes of coverage of Osho and sannyasins. It was aired on Nov 7, 1978 at 22:30, as part of a larger concept of a "four-part" series on the Bombay area. Thus the ashram's 18 min was about 1/3 of the whole program of 53:34 min, which ran as "parts three and four" of the Bombay series, shortly after "parts one and two", which ran from 21:00 to 22:00.
- timings
- 00:00 to 01:02 intro apparently common to all episodes, Whicker striding and traveling in boat, train and plane to and in exotic places, with triumphant theme music
- 01:03 to 06:34 coverage of a group of mainly Western Hare Krishnas at their temple in Juhu, Mumbai. Most of this segment consists of a tight group of them answering his questions.
- 06:35 to 07:35 The Gateless Gate, smoking in the Smoking temple outside the gate and other social scenes with Sufi Dancing music and Whicker's voice-over intoning about Indian ashrams competing as resorts to attract Western disciples ... the "Swami of Sex", etc. We have arrived!
- 07:36 to 12:46 voice-over continues into darshan, people entering, having to pass by the sniffers, Maneesha and Radha. Whicker himself gets sniffed out and though allowed to enter with a scarf, he complains a lot and grills Maneesha about this whole sniffing thing. ("The Bhagwan or God has asthma, or maybe he's just sensitive about the ashram's lack of toilet facilities" plus other snide comments.) "He claims to be a god and to have 60,000 followers". But also "He's bald, bearded and rather beautiful. In action, he's enormously impressive".
- The darshan segment shown is the "arrival darshan" of Sw Deva Rashid, his wife Rashida and their two children, coming to stay forever. The event is mentioned by Maneesha in The Madman's Guide to Enlightenment and thus precisely dated as Jun 1 1978.
- 12:47 to 20:02 chatting at "a tea party with some of the English staff" in the juice bar (Vrindavan?), all jolly and irreverent. Speakers are, among others, Ma Prem Pankaja, Sw Prem Christo, Sw Anand Subhuti, Sw Deva(?) Niranjan and Sw Anand Somendra.
- 20:03 to 24:45 interview with Krishna Prem of the Press Office, who explains some things
- 24:46 to 25:15 (end) Sufi dancing, fade to "Whicker's World, end of Part Three"
- 25:16 to 53:34 "Part Four", about "normal" Indian scenes around Mumbai
- language
- English
- released
- broadcast Nov 7, 1978 at 10:30 pm
- length
- 53:34 min
credits
- copyright ITV Studios Ltd
- Yorkshire Television Colour Production
see also
- OshoFilmArchive catalog no : OFA00,206
stills
still 02m 09s - Interviewing Hare Krishnas in Mumbai
still 02m 15s - Interviewing Hare Krishnas in Mumbai
still 06m 39s - Rajneesh Ashram, the "Gateless Gate"
still 06m 54s.
still 07m 17s - Enlightenment Intensive group on Krishna House roof (while voice-over talks about Encounter)
still 07m 45s Left: Ma Prem Maneesha, right Ma Krishna Radha
still 09m 50s.
still 10m 08s.
still 10m 15s.
still 10m 42s Ma Deva Rashida, Sw Deva Rashid
still 11m 29s.
still 12m 07s.
still 12m 16s.
still 12m 46s Ma Prem Madhura (Press Office)
still 13m 07s.
still 13m 34s Ma Prem Pankaja & Ma Prem Madhura
still 14m 43s.
still 14m 46s Sw Prem Christo (*1), Ma Prema Veena, Sw scottish ex-monk??
still 14m 51s Ma Anand Rupa, Sw Prem Christo (*1), Ma Prema Veena
still 15m 47s Sw Deva Niranjan
still 16m 04s Sw Anand Subhuti, Ma Prem Pankaja, Sw Anand Somendra
still 16m 56s.
still 18m 12s.
still 18m 34s Sw Anand Somendra
still 19m 13s Sw Anand Subhuti, Ma Prem Pankaja, Ma Prem Vasumati
still 20m 11s Sw Krishna Prem being interviewed by Whicker
still 21m 21s Sw Krishna Prem being interviewed by Whicker
still 25m 09s Sufi Dancing, with Ma Prem Aneeta
- (*1) Sw Deva Rashid email 2021-06-20: Christo was guarding at Lao Tzu gate that night and remembers the fuss Whicker made about being sniffed out.... hahahaha
