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Asian women on American TV are often tiger moms or dragon ladies.
Where in India did you grow up?Baroda.
To get a visa not knowing English must not have been easy.Easier then than now!
Youd already come into contact with Rajneesh.My father introduced Bhagwan in our life.
He felt that what I would learn from this man would be many lifetimes worth learning.
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What did your father do as a profession?Farmer?
I would assume to be farmer.
He was an intelligent man and a scholar.
He read a lot.
A lot of philosophy.All my life I have known him as an unusual man.
He had background of working together with Gandhi, many different giants of the time.
I read that Rajneesh didnt like Gandhi.That is not my fathers problem.
He has Saraswati [the Hindu goddess of knowledge] on his tongue.
He had a flawless command of the language.
It was very fine, very profound.
Is there an interpretation you recall that demonstrates this profundity?No, I cannot.
I think that work you will have to do.
Well, Im wondering what you liked.I tell you in a simple word I loved Bhagwan.
I liked everything about him, so it is not that I like this better than the other.
Still, you went to America to study architecture.
Why architecture?Why, I dont know.
Maybe in those days I thought I would study architecture.
Thats not a question why.
Im more of an artist.
What was your conception of being an artist?Every Indian person is introduced to art.
Every Indian girl is exposed to art through mehendi and Diwali rangoli.
Now, at what level youre going to take the art is up to you.
I didnt just become an artist, I became the artist of life.
Those tours on TV and your press movement did feel like performance art.I had a good teacher.
I had one of the best teachers.
Bhagwan was a fine performer himself.
He taught me well.
What did he teach you?Not to be afraid.
Go out and say what you have to say.
He told you the types of things to say?Yes.
I told you, I had a good teacher.
Were you ever surprised by his requests?In the beginning, I was and I questioned him.
His answer to me: the way you are on television, you will protect the community by deterrent.
You will become the deterrent.
Every day five, ten breaking news.
I think Trump is a better student of Bhagwan than me in that sense.
What Im saying is a joke, and Im not comparing Bhagwan and me to Trump under any circumstances.
But the approach is similar.Because people only understand sensation.
They dont understand, other than negativity and sensation.
People remain stuck in negativity.
I can tell you something.
That hurts me very much.
And master said: Next time somebody starts talking, you just say no.
It will create a counterreaction and then everybody will pay attention to you.
The man tries this thing and suddenly he becomes a big important person from simple no.
That is our mankinds stupidity.
When you say yes nobody listens to you.
We have this rule with romantic power, of playing hard to get.They run after you.
People dont pay attention to themselves or others.
They dont know what they want in life and they fill it up with things that has no substance.
That hasnt been my problem in life.
Even today at the age of 69 and a half, I live a full life.
You run nursing homes in Switzerland?It is my concept.
In my homes we are all there for everybody.
Sounds like a description of a commune.Thats my teaching.
Thats what I learned.
In the documentary, we hear the Bhagwan insult you, saying, I never sleep with a secretary.
Youve said it made you sad to hear that.
Does this track with the idea of provocation to protect a legacy?Definitely.
With such comment, every sannyasin will believe and accept.
What he thought best, he did.
Im not affected by it.
Whether from the outside or inside, you were blamed for everything.You have read that well.
That was part of my job description.
But it was also my pleasure to serve him.
A one in a million chance that I was given.
And who was protecting you?I protect myself through what I learned and think.
He and his people had assassinated my character fully and completely, and even the filmmaker does that also.
Still, my character hasnt been altered.
I remain true to myself.
I have the same power of energy within me to survive, with or without Bhagwan.
Getting angry and saying all kinds of bitter things about him, its not my character.
But the Bhagwan could have taken a higher road.
Does that not change your reading of his character?I was in love with him.
I wasnt reading his character.
I was just madly in love with him and I ignored many things.
But when there came a point where water was going over my head, I said stop.
I dont allow your manipulation.
Dont take my love for weakness.
Love is my strength and dont underestimate it.
I didnt care that I was the queen of the community.
I couldnt compromise my integrity.
I fell in love, and Im still in love, what can I say.
But now the love is not just restricted or limited to Bhagwan.
It has turned into open love.
I love everybody around me.
Everything about him I loved.
Did you ever have a physical relationship with him?No.
Did you ever try?No.
Sex was a core part of his philosophy in terms of communion.I had lovers of my own.
There was not an issue.
I want to quickly correct you about your understanding about sexuality of Bhagwan.
Sex was not a taboo.
It was not a dirty thing.
I have heard that theyre planning a second series.
Would you be involved?I have no idea.
Somebody wrote to me [to tell me].
I asked Maclain the same question.
He hasnt answered so I assume they dont know.
The problem was the Bhagwans use of drugs.
He was addicted to Valium and laughing gas, and the combination can be detrimental.
I made this very clear and Bhagwans answer was, you dont interfere.
That was my biggest conflict.
I was between rock and a hard place.
Im incapable of being his secretary.
And I move out.
Did you ever do drugs?Never and I still dont do it.
The day I die, I dont know.
Why not start your own religion?It was his religion.
This is what I learned from him.
Maybe youd be a better guru of it.Oh my god, no.
Thats something I would never want, that madness of having thousands of people around me.
You seem to have a high level of commitment.I learned loyalty through my parents.
They were very committed people and they were men of word.
Do you have an example of this quality?Everything.
Their love, their commitment to us children.
My father was a very independent-minded man.
He said no, and then his father said, then you wont get inheritance.
I have never seen [her] for a moment angry or bitter towards anybody.
She loved my father immensely, and loved us of course.
How did they feel about you joining Bhagwan so fully?I knew my fathers opinion.
But they had hundred percent support and trust in me.
Were they mad at the Bhagwan?My father was.
When you joined the movement, you werent yet his secretary.I didnt join the movement.
For example, I dress myself in orange and hang mala around my neck.
I engage myself with work around him.
No regrets?Now I know how to be lifes artist.
What kind of art did you practice?Painting.
What you learn, the first thing in ceramics, is how to center the clay.
And this centering of the clay is the same process how you deal with individuals.
It comes very handy in my work now because I work with psychologically and mentally ill people.
To motivate them, you support them on one hand and you put light pressure with the other side.
Now is my own project and so it has a different richness.
It doesnt have Rolls Royces and things like that, but it has wonderful atmosphere.
This interview has been edited and condensed.
