Testimonial letter from Sw Premartha

This letter is one of a remarkable series of over 2650 letters amassed in 1983 to support Osho's attempt to get permanent resident status in the US at the time of the Oregon ranch. The image is reproduced here with the kind permission of The Oregon Historical Society. Information about their collection of these letters and other supporting material -- the "Jeffrey Noles Rajneesh Collection", named for Osho's immigration lawyer Jeffrey Noles, who compiled them in 1983 and donated them to the OHS -- can be found at this page. The wiki is grateful to the OHS for making access available for these documents. For more information and links to all the letters, see Testimonial letters.

This letter is from Sw Premartha. It is "Exhibit A-1436" in the Noles collection.

The text version below has been created by optical character recognition (OCR), from the images supplied by OHS. It has not been checked for errors but this process usually results in over 99% correct transcription. Most apparent "errors" are correct transcriptions of typos already in the original. The image on the right in the text box links to a pdf file of the original letter, it has 2 pages.

P. O. Box 10 Rajneeshpuram, OR 97741 July 26, 1983 TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN Personal Statement: I have been a producer with the B.B.C. World Service for 5 years, which is the culmination of a 20 year career in writing, education, journalism and Broadcasting. As I am qualified in both the Arts and Sciences (see below) my particular interest is in Communication. My job entails the research writing and studio production with actors and actresses of all nationalities ... of programmes which include Music, Drama, Literature, Science Education, Topical Affairs, English Language and Culture. Qualifications: I have trained and worked with the B.B.C. as a broadcaster/writer/producer for 7 years. Previously I was a writer, journalist and educationalist, particularly in the fields of language, music and drama. I hold a B.A. (Hons.) Degree in Literature and allied subjects (Psychology, Philosophy, Sociology) from Sussex University, England, an ordinary National Diploma in Linguistics and Phonetics from London University (P.G.C.E. TEFL). I have met Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh personally, and attended his discourses, and am widely read in his books and other materials. Since a visit to India over 20 years ago, I have been particularly interested in reconciling Eastern thought modes with Western pragmatism, particularly in the way of Life Styles Philosophy, Education and Religion, and to some extent my career in the media has always been a reflection of that pursuit. Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh is the first Educationalist and Thinker who has simply done what I have been striving for for 20 years, he is a brilliant man and his knowledge is electric encompassing such multifarious subjects as Religion, Science, Psychology, Philosophy and Literature. His approach is absolutely unique, and his contributions in these fields amount to nothing more than pioneer work. He is one of the most absorbing, innovative and constructive thinkers of the 20th Century. As a religious leader, his attempts at breaking down the divisions between the various religions have met with a great deal of controversy, but as I firmly believe that religion should be a uniting force (the very word means 'that which joins together') I can state that Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, as well as being a highly educated first class thinker, is meeting the needs of the 20th Century in contributing a religious life style that is both in the world and of it. (My own personal benefits from acquaintance with Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh and his works are numerous). My career is highly stress prone, and situated in a particularly aggressive and competitive section of modern society. What attracted me to Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh’s religion was its highly practical aspect: - the fact that it emphasized being in the world, and utilizing and harnessing the world’s technological resources for the benefit of mankind. I have successfully managed to bring the fire of his religion to bear upon my daily activities so that I work and play much harder and deeper, but at the same time in a relaxed and joyful manner. In a society which has been at war with itself and others for thousands of years, as an educationalist and as a human being, I began to despair of any solution to the perennial problems of war; poverty, hunger and man’s inhumanity to man. For the first time in my life, Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh's teachings and lifestyle has given me a glimmer of hope for mankind, not as an ideal, but as a definite practical solution to the world’s ills. However, all great findings need the correct ambience to successfully flower and that's my hope that Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh may be able to continue his work in the United States, a country renowned for its nurturing of the pioneer thought and the pioneer spirit, in religion, education and technology. This would be of incalculable benefit, not only to Americans, but the rest of mankind. Yours sincerely, [signed] Swami Premartha B.A. Hons. (Sussex) Mech. Eng. PGCE(TEFL London)

(Please note: We assume that the above letter is still copyrighted, but we regard its historical interest to constitute a Fair Use exception for publication in this wiki.)