Issue 3
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As
for Tagore, Osho's Works Must be Copyright Free
The
waiving of restrictive copyright on the works of Gurudev
Rabindranath Tagore will set them free for the entire
world to appreciate the heritage of this mystic poet who
is India's only Nobel Laureate in literature. In the
same vein, like the message of all Buddhas, Osho's works
need to be immediately freed from the clandestinely
registered copyrights and patents in the U.S.A. and
Switzerland.
In fact, this step was long overdue as the Berne
Copyright Convention of 1886 - now over a century old -
requires the revision of the grace period from 50 years
to ten years due to the development of instant
communication in this age of the Internet. Tagore's
sublime and inspirational works have been freed from the
shackles of copyright for the benefit of everyone
everywhere. The same must be done for Osho's
works.
The statement by a top Indian bureaucrat, Ms Bela
Banerjee, Joint Secretary, Copyright and Languages, is
commendable as it emphasized that this copyright
ownership expiry would be a boon to artistes and the
printing and publishing of Tagore's works in India and
abroad. She saw no reason to fear the substandard
production of Tagore's works.
It is encouraging to note that the Indian media in
numerous editorials and articles have also welcomed this
step in the public interest. In fact, some publishers
released Tagore's works within a few days of the lifting
of this ban!
In the same spirit, Osho World Foundation is striving to
bring the works of the enlightened mystic Osho into free
domain for the maximum possible dissemination. Osho has
described Tagore as 'the heart of India''. Says Osho,
"Rabindranath Tagore is the very heart of this
country. He is the most contemporary man, and yet the
most ancient too. His words are a bridge between the
modern mind and the ancient most sages of the
world".
"He is a poet of the highest category, and also a
mystic. Such a combination has
happened only once or twice before -- in Kahlil Gibran,
in Friedrich Nietzsche, and in Rabindranath Tagore. With
these three persons, the whole category is finished. In
the long history of man, it is extraordinary.... There
have been great poets and there have been great mystics.
There have been great poets with a little mysticism in
them, and there have been great mystics who have
expressed themselves in poetry -- but their poetry is
not great. Rabindranath is in a strange situation. It is
difficult to say about Rabindranath whether he is a
greater poet or a greater mystic. He is both -- greater
than each"
"Saa Vidya Ya Vimuktaye..' Whatever liberates you
is true knowledge, declare the ancient Hindu scriptures
- The Upanishads. Osho's insights and meditation
techniques fall in this category of leading one to
liberation and thus must be free from the fetters of
copyright.
Swami
Chaitanya Keerti
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