Vachana
Vachana – meditating in the mountains
Vachana’s appearance on the recent mediocre BBC program about the Median commune was for me the highlight. Her beloved Welsh mountains formed an almost spiritual backdrop to her aged but very firm voice saying how the magic and wisdom of Osho has stayed with her throughout her almost 30 years of sannyas and remains the centre of her life.
She is old and quite fragile now – and partially blind – but she radiates a deeply contented, blissful peace and strength that feels to me to be a testimony to the essence of Osho. She laughingly says she now lives totally in the moment because she has no idea if she will be here on the earth even next month! Her clarity and acceptance of life and death brought tears to my eyes.
Vachana taking a walk with her beloved Welsh mountains behind her.
Vachana’s journey with Osho began back in 1976 when she and her then husband, Tejas, became interested in the growth moment that was happening in London. They read about new ideas and did some groups with leading London new age therapists and finally chanced on a book by Osho. This struck a chord and the next year Tejas enterprisingly arranged an ‘educational’ expedition overland to India. (Thus the trip was paid for!) At the last minute Vachana decided she wanted to go too so, with her son, his friend and younger daughter (later Harish, Tejomaya and Surabhi), they all travelled overland in a Ford van, having many adventures along the way.
But deep down she was aware of a strange feeling of being drawn to something and when she finally arrived in Poona and was handed a kind of newsletter with a quote from the discourse of that day, she suddenly knew that this is what she had been looking for, that ‘this was it’ – a feeling that has never changed. It was the first time she had a sense of unconditional love and she said that for the next few days she walked around in a kind of dream, feeling quite drunk. When she and Surabhi came out of darshan, having taken sannyas, they looked at each other and said, ‘Whatever have we done?’! It felt strange but absolutely right and there has never been a question in her being that this was the right path for her.
She and members of the family went back and forth to Poona until Osho went to Oregon. At that time large centres were being set up all over the world so she decided to join the Medina commune from where she was able to visit the Ranch. I laughed when she very truthfully said she didn’t always enjoy being in the commune and often found it quite hard but that still it felt right. Again truthfully she pointed out that personal growth isn’t all fun – the singing and dancing is only one side of the picture – and working on oneself can be quite intense. It is a huge jump from a conventional life style to such an unknown path so to be amongst many people travelling in the same direction is very helpful.
When Osho arrived back in Poona after leaving the USA she immediately left for India and lived and worked there until he died.
For her, as for all of us, new decisions then had to be made and she realised she no longer wanted to work full time in the commune but to re-establish herself in her own country. She embarked on a search for the right place, visiting and living in a number of alternative communities, until she finally settled in Beachhill in Devon. After two years there, it was time to leave and her footsteps lead to the Abha Centre in Wales. Looking back, she says she doesn’t know why she hadn’t thought of Wales before, because when she arrived she knew it was the perfect place. In 1999 Tejas was able to buy a cottage for her and the family in a magical place called Tregarth where she lives to this day.
As well as being connected strongly to the land, she was surrounded by sannyasins – Surabhi, Adarsha, Prabodh and others – almost forming a mini-commune. While renovating the property, everyone continued to work on their personal growth, speaking from the heart, being honest with each other and delighting in the music they were creating.
Although she is partially blind she can still go walking in her beloved hills. She says Osho has become part of the nature around her which has helped her in accepting the final adventure of death when that time comes.
On a final note, Vachana says that there is always space in her house or studio (see Ad-Ventures) for sannyasin friends so if someone wants to come for a while to experience the magic, beauty and silence of this place in the mountains, they are welcome.
Contact: tel: 01248 602336
Text by Veena - November 2006
