Osho Trademark: OIF Appeal Dismissed The Indian Express, 18th July, 2009
Osho trademarks have been finally cancelled in the US by an order released by Federal Court. On January 13, 2009, the Trials and Appeals Board of the United States Patent and Trademark Office in its strongly worded decision said that Osho cannot be trademarked. This decision was the culmination of a legal battle started nearly 10 years ago by Osho Friends International (OFI), an association of Osho meditation centers and disciples from all over the world.
Osho International Foundation (OIF), Zurich , filed a Notice of Appeal on March 12, 2009 with respect to the January 13, 2009 decision by the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board. OIF filed their appeal in the Court of Appeals of the Federal Circuit in Washington DC . The appeal was about the correctness of the decision rendered by the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board on January 13.
Later on, OIF decided to withdraw the appeal and filed for withdrawal in the Court of Appeals on June 19, 2009. Recently the Federal Court released the order dismissing the Appeal. The trademarks of Osho in the US now finally stand cancelled.
While the Osho Mediattaion Resort in Pune declined to comment on the news, Swami Chaitanya Keerti, editor, Osho World monthly magazine published by Osho World Foundation, New Delhi said he along with Osho’s followers the world over are delighted.
Mind Your Moments! The Times of India, New Delhi, 17th July, 2009
The Indian view, as defined in Ayurveda, is that awareness is the determining factor of how healthy one is. And it is also the source of how well one can improve one’s health. As is widely known, the word ‘health’ means wholeness. Public health experts connect wholeness with ‘well-working’. Wholeness is seen as a dynamic state where the whole body is functioning well.
Psychologists such as Jung, on the other hand, define wholeness in terms of ‘individuation’ or as a process that brings to human consciousness what was otherwise repressed in the unconscious. Thus, psychological health, according to Jung, would mean where one’s inner and outer selves are integrated rather than remaining fragmented.
In the final analysis, however, awareness is the determining factor of health. Awareness gives a certain capacity that eventually contributes to the maintenance of health. Sage Charaka’s Charaksamhita (600 BC) defines the criteria for evaluating whether a person has been cured in terms of ‘un-impairment on mind, intellect and senses’. Meditation is the pathway to awareness. It is the means for not only maintaining one’s psycho-physical health but also raising it to the higher levels.
Awareness can grow in proportion to meditation. Hence Zen stresses moment-to- moment awareness. A disciple asked his master if he could smoke while meditating; the master said no. Another disciple asked if he could meditate while smoking and the master replied in the affirmative. The point is one can never smoke if one is aware.
This moment-to-moment awareness is reflected in this statement by William James. “I will act as if what I do makes a difference.” Difference in the quality of life, work and relations with people, difference in what I would call ‘defining a moment’.
Osho tells us how to define a moment: “Delight in small things. Eat and enjoy, love and enjoy. Go for a morning walk and enjoy. Sit while it is raining and enjoy. Each moment, small things, tiny things, of no importance for the ego, but very, very important for life…Enjoy gossiping, chit-chatting, singing, dancing, whatsoever. Whatsoever you feel to do, do it and enjoy it. Don’t make it a means to some other end. Let it be the very end itself…It will happen.”
From minimalistic home décor to spiritually-inspired lifestyle products, the Osho World Galleria boasts a great collection, says Hoihnu Hauzel
DESIGNS ON YOU 11th July, 2009
PROFILE
Fancy sinking your head into a pillow or a cushion that has one of Osho’s many famous messages neatly embroidered on it? Or would you like to drink coffee out of a mug with a lotus motif or decorate your home with candle-stands in silver, steel or copper that are elaborately designed like spirals? In case you’re wondering, both the lotus and spiral are symbols that Osho used to illustrate his teachings.
These and many more Osho-inspired designs greet you at the Osho World Galleria in Calcutta’s Infinity Benchmark in Saltlake and its sister outlet in Delhi.
“The lotus is a spiritual flower that he often referred to in his sermons while the spiral symbolises the inner journey of man,’’ says Ma Prem Naina, co-ordinator of Osho World Foundation.
Run by the Osho World Foundation, the Galleria aims to familiarise people with Osho’s teachings. There’s a sense of calm inside Osho World that’s heightened by soft meditative music, incense and the array of Osho-inspired motifs that appear on the lifestyle products lined neatly on the shop-shelves.
The products here are created by a group of seven designers who work full-time and specialise in designing different products. Kanak Bhargava and Christine Cledat lead the design brigade. Bhargava, 45, is a textile designer with more than 20 years of experience in textiles while Cledat, 50, is a French stylist and textile expert based in Paris. She visits India four times a year and does most of the designing from Paris.
You’ll find innumerable items here to pep up your home. There’s glassware, ceramic products, metal ware, sculptures, home furnishing and even garments and fashion accessories — all inspired by the teachings of the spiritual guru. “There’s more to the products than just their utilitarian value,” says Bhargava. And Osho followers will be happy to note that the next Osho World Galleria will soon open in Jaipur followed by other metros.
TRENDS
More than trends, the Osho World Galleria is driven by auspicious occasions. It regularly unveils new product lines inspired by different festivals. “To show our respect for humanity, we celebrate every festival with a new collection,” says Naina.
For their fashion collections, the designers stay with natural fabrics like cotton, linen, silk and wool that symbolise simplicity. The colours are subdued and earthy to signify meditative energy. So, you’ll find a profusion of white, yellow, orange, maroon and black.
The gallery is gearing up for all the upcoming festivals of the year. The Diwali collection will be called Appo Deepo Bhava meaning ‘Be a light unto yourself’ and will introduce a range of festive lights in the form of aromatic candles and diyas in steel, silver and stone. Guru Nanak’s birthday, which the Galleria calls the Nanak Week, will see the colour yellow dominate the store. “It’s a shade that’s associated with Guru Nanak and is also the colour of the rising sun,” says Naina. For Christmas, expect aromatic candles, candle-stands, lights and cushions with Santa or reindeers embroidered on them.
PRODUCTS
The Galleria’s latest line of garments and home furnishing, called the Haiku Collection, takes inspiration from the 17th-century Japanese poet, Basho. Since his poetry was about the spirit of Zen, this line is minimalistic with simple patterns, no embellishments and comfort. The garments are priced from Rs 550 to Rs 5,000. Cushions cost from Rs 150 to Rs 350 and the mats and runners come for Rs 125 to Rs 650 per piece.
Their new range of silver products, the Mevlana Silver Collection, is also all about minimalism. Silver is used by the designers for its spiritual appeal. “Silver is known as a cold metal and it’s considered a metaphor for the moon. Besides, it is believed to have positive healing effects,” says Bhargava.
This line draws inspiration from Osho’s ABC concept — Aesthetics, Beauty and Creativity. The prices are between Rs 1,000 and Rs 25,000. The silver pendants and earrings are priced from Rs 750 to Rs 2,250. Silver bookmarks can be yours for between Rs 2,500 and Rs 5,500.
The ceramic line, designed and outsourced from a group of studio potters, highlights Osho’s vision of simplicity. Platters are priced between Rs 750 and Rs 3,000 and the mugs come for Rs 100 to Rs 250. Colourful Buddha candle-stands come for Rs 2,000.
The designers have separate lines dedicated to copper and steel. “We feel that they are spiritual materials with healing properties,’’ says Naina. A copper globe costs Rs 1,500. Copper vases range from Rs 250 to Rs 1,150, decorative copper flower-stems and leaves are priced at Rs 150 and candle holders in stainless steel are priced between Rs 250 and Rs 2,000.
Fancy sinking your head into a pillow or a cushion that has one of Osho’s many famous messages neatly embroidered on it? Or would you like to drink coffee out of a mug with a lotus motif or decorate your home with candle-stands in silver, steel or copper that are elaborately designed like spirals? In case you’re wondering, both the lotus and spiral are symbols that Osho used to illustrate his teachings. 
“The lotus is a spiritual flower that he often referred to in his sermons while the spiral symbolises the inner journey of man,’’ says Ma Prem Naina, co-ordinator of Osho World Foundation. 
The products here are created by a group of seven designers who work full-time and specialise in designing different products. Kanak Bhargava and Christine Cledat lead the design brigade. Bhargava, 45, is a textile designer with more than 20 years of experience in textiles while Cledat, 50, is a French stylist and textile expert based in Paris. She visits India four times a year and does most of the designing from Paris. 
You’ll find innumerable items here to pep up your home. There’s glassware, ceramic products, metal ware, sculptures, home furnishing and even garments and fashion accessories — all inspired by the teachings of the spiritual guru. “There’s more to the products than just their utilitarian value,” says Bhargava. And Osho followers will be happy to note that the next Osho World Galleria will soon open in Jaipur followed by other metros.
For their fashion collections, the designers stay with natural fabrics like cotton, linen, silk and wool that symbolise simplicity. The colours are subdued and earthy to signify meditative energy. So, you’ll find a profusion of white, yellow, orange, maroon and black. 
The gallery is gearing up for all the upcoming festivals of the year. The Diwali collection will be called Appo Deepo Bhava meaning ‘Be a light unto yourself’ and will introduce a range of festive lights in the form of aromatic candles and diyas in steel, silver and stone. Guru Nanak’s birthday, which the Galleria calls the Nanak Week, will see the colour yellow dominate the store. “It’s a shade that’s associated with Guru Nanak and is also the colour of the rising sun,” says Naina. For Christmas, expect aromatic candles, candle-stands, lights and cushions with Santa or reindeers embroidered on them.
The Galleria’s latest line of garments and home furnishing, called the Haiku Collection, takes inspiration from the 17th-century Japanese poet, Basho. Since his poetry was about the spirit of Zen, this line is minimalistic with simple patterns, no embellishments and comfort. The garments are priced from Rs 550 to Rs 5,000. Cushions cost from Rs 150 to Rs 350 and the mats and runners come for Rs 125 to Rs 650 per piece.
Their new range of silver products, the Mevlana Silver Collection, is also all about minimalism. Silver is used by the designers for its spiritual appeal. “Silver is known as a cold metal and it’s considered a metaphor for the moon. Besides, it is believed to have positive healing effects,” says Bhargava. 
The designers have separate lines dedicated to copper and steel. “We feel that they are spiritual materials with healing properties,’’ says Naina. A copper globe costs Rs 1,500. Copper vases range from Rs 250 to Rs 1,150, decorative copper flower-stems and leaves are priced at Rs 150 and candle holders in stainless steel are priced between Rs 250 and Rs 2,000.
