In 1983, a group of people wearing red settled down in Wasco County, a rural region in Oregon in the United States. What began as a ranch on dry land soon became a self-sufficient and prosperous community. Ninety miles away from the nearest city, a settlement calling itself Rajneeshpuram grew, with restaurants, a shopping mall and even an airstrip established there. Its founder was an Indian guru named Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, who, with the help of his personal secretary, Ma Anand Sheela, put into practice his desire to build a society where respect, solidarity and peace reigned. Unfortunately, their idealistic plan was already sparking tensions with neighbouring towns, and among its own community members.
DOCUDRAMA
Netflix documentary series Wild Wild Country describes the rise and fall of Rajneeshpuram. From the early days, Bhagwan and his followers – called ‘Sannyasins’ – faced the rejection of locals. Crimes were committed, such as a salmonella attack, in an attempt to sway a local election, homeless people were recruited for voting purposes, among other irregular practices.
INVESTIGATION
As tensions mounted, the FBI began investigating the commune. Meanwhile, Sheela’s behaviour became more extreme: she was accused of stealing fifty-five million dollars, and ordering the killing of Bhagwan’s personal physician. Once the most influential woman in the commune, Sheela had to run away to Germany, where she was arrested.
AN EMPIRE
After spending thirty-nine months in prison, Sheela moved to Switzerland and married a homosexual man to obtain Swiss nationality. In the meantime, Bhagwan continued building an empire based on his persona. He published over six hundred books on spiritual themes, and owned a fleet of nearly a hundred Rolls-Royces, and countless watches worth several million dollars. Bhagwan died in 1990, but to this day there are centers in his name and his books are best-sellers all over the world.