WDR - Bhagwan in Köln: Eine Stadt wird rot (2022)

(Bhagwan in Cologne: A City Becomes Red)

This documentary was aired as an episode of the German WDR TV station series "Heimatflimmern". (Meaning something like Homeland flickers - i.e. flicks (movies) from the homeland.)

It is strongly related to the film Bhagwan - Die Deutschen und der Guru (2020): same broadcaster, many interviews with the same people. The present broadcast seems to have been cut from that film, and is concentrated more on events in the city of Köln.

WDR website:

Mitten in Köln: In den 1980er Jahre färbt sich das Belgische Viertel plötzlich rot, überall erscheinen rötlich gekleidete junge Menschen. Diese Sannyasin folgen Baghwan, dem Guru eines Ashrams im indischen Poona. Sinnsuchende aus aller Welt werden hier fündig. In ganz Europa entstehen Kommunen, eine der größten in Köln: Bald gehören ihnen coole Discotheken, Restaurants, Häuser, Geschäfte, Yoga- und Meditationszentren und andere Unternehmen. Sannyasin sind aber nicht immer nur beliebt in ihrer Nachbarschaft.

(„In the middle of Cologne: In the 1980s, the Belgian Quarter suddenly turned red, and young people dressed in red appeared everywhere. These sannyasin follow Baghwan, the guru of an ashram in Poona, India. People looking for meaning from all over the world will find what they are looking for here. Communities are springing up all over Europe, one of the largest in Cologne: soon they will own cool discotheques, restaurants, houses, shops, yoga and meditation centers and other companies. However, Sannyasin are not always popular in their neighborhood.“)

Der Schlusskomentar von Sprecherin Esther Schweins: „Ich erfreue mich immer wieder daran, dass die Sannyasins ein Stück Kölner, aber auch ein Stück deutscher Geschichte geschrieben haben.“

("The final comment of speaker Esther Schweins: „I always enjoy the fact that the sannyasins have written a piece of Cologne history, but also a piece of German history.“)

language: German

released: March 11, 2022 20:15 broadcast on German WDR TV

length: 44 min

credits

Heimatflimmern

Ein Film von Jobst Knigge

Kamera: Jean Schablin

Ton: Alexander Pohl

Schnitt: Stefanie Reichel

Tonmischung: Julius Hofstádter

Farbbearbeitung: Johannes Hilser

Archiv: Osho International Foundation

Produzenten Stefan Mathieu, Katrin Sandmann

Produktionsleitung: WDR Wolfram Gumbert-Brewitt

Redaktion: Christiane Hinz, Jutta Krug

Eine Production von Kobalt - im auftrag des WDR

film

the film at the ARD Mediathek website

sources

ARD Mediathek

the film at the ARD Mediathek website. Availability in the ARD-Mediathek: until March 11. 2023, 20:15

still gallery

still 00m 02s.
Shows Cologne’s Cathedral

still 00m 05s.
Shows street scene with Sannyasins in Cologne

still 00m 12s.
Bhagwan with folded hands (Namaste)

still 00m 14s.
Shows scene of 1988s Sannyas event

still 00m 21s.
Sannyasins greeting guests in Cologne disco

still 00m 29s.
Office of 1980’s Uta commune, Cologne

still 00m 42s.
Celebrating Sannyasins in an event in 1980s

still 01m 22s.
Showing title of the report

still 01m 35s.
Shows german actress Esther Schweins, first-person narrator

still 01m 43s.
Entrance of former Cologne’s Sannyas Disco

still 01m 54s.
Sannyasin Nandano (Bernhard Dambacher) about the light scenery in the Sannyas disco

still 02m 03s.
Sannyasins greeting guests with Namaste in former Sannyas disco

still 02m 22s.
Sannyasins Arhat Herder-Brandner about the atmosphere in the Sannyas disco

still 02m 42s.
German TV news speaker 1980 about new so called youth religions

still 03m 42s.
Sannyasin Ramateertha (Robert Doetsch) about his first impressions entering Bhagwan Ashram, Poona, India

still 04m 02s.
Bhagwan enters with Namaste Buddha hall (meeting place in Poona Ashram)

still 04m 49s.
Sannyasin Surabhi (Milena Messerschmidt-Mount) about Bhagwan’s charisma

still 05m 39s.
Bhagwan giving discourse 1979

still 07m 33s.
Ex-Sannyasin Afis (Moritz Börner) about success and sense of life

still 07m 50s.
Shows scene of a therapy group in the Ashram in Poona 1980

still 09m 01s.
Sannyasins leaving Poona after Bhagwan left for USA

still 09m 11s.
German TV report 1981 („Gott und die Welt“) about Bhagwan going for USA

still 10m 42s.
Shows ecclesiastic celebration in front of Cologne’s Cathedral

still 11m 31s.
Ramateertha in a german TV-interview about „working“ in former Uta commune, Cologne

still 12m 09s.
Surabhi on a motor bike in India

still 12m 28s.
Sannyasins with kid in street scene, Cologne

still 12m 51s.
Sannyasin Anand Ruho (Nina Lösl) about growing up as a Sannyasin child

still 13m 12s.
Sannyasins with kids in front of former Uta commune, Cologne

still 15m 54s.
Ex-Sannyasin Ralf Schmerberg about atmosphere in the Sannyas disco in Cologne

still 16m 58s.
Arhat about visiting the Sannyas disco, Cologne

still 17m 57s.
Shows scene in former Sannyas disco, Cologne

still 18m 34s.
Shows Sannyasins meeting in front of former Uta commune

still 18m 53s.
Spanish Sannyasin Paramhans (Tostado-Moreno) about moving from a spanish commune to Uta commune

still 20m 56s.
Passant about alleged police complaints against Sannyasins

still 21m 24s.
Shows scene in Sannyas disco, Cologne

still 21m 43s.
Shows kiosk of former „Zorba the Buddha“ restaurant in Cologne

still 22m 02s.
Shows office of Uta commune (from german TV report 1984)

still 22m 23s.
Shows commentator in german TV report „WDR Hier und Heute“ 1984

still 22m 46s.
Shows discussion board in german TV report „WDR Bürgerforum“ 1984

still 23m 10s.
German TV reporter Christine Westermann in „WDR-Aktuelle Stunde“ 1984 commenting on Sannyasins

still 23m 56s.
Ex-Sannyasin Eckart Flöther commenting on alleged dependency of Sannyasins

still 26m 11s.
Bhagwan in a Rolls-Royce driving by greeting Sannyasins in Rajneeshpuram, Oregon, USA

still 27m 53s.
Bhagwan’s so called „drive by“

still 29m 48s.
Shows mall of Rajneeshpuram with Sannyasins

still 33m 08s.
Sannyas newspaper headlining Bhagwan’s Ex-secretary, Ma Anand Sheela (Sheela Silverman)

still 34m 46s.
Shows Sheela making a public announcement in Rajeeshpuram

still 37m 51s.
Ramateertha in a german TV-interview 1985 about the situation in Uta commune after Rajneeshpuram

still 38m 01s.
News reporter H.J. Friedrichs in german newscast 1985

still 38m 07s.
Reporter in german newscast commenting the arrest of Bhagwan in USA

still 38m 19s.
German newspaper „Bild“ with info about Bhagwan’s arrest

still 38m 35s.
German edition of „Rajneesh Times“ newspaper headling Sheela’s arrest

still 39m 55s.
Ramateertha burning red clothes

still 40m 51s.
Shows current Cafe and restaurant Osho’s place, Cologne

still 40m 55s.
Shows current bookshop „Meditation & more“, Cologne