"A Seam for the Master"
A Review by Devopama
This is a gem of a book, a treasure for every lover of Osho. It is a work of love, a posthumous gift by Veena to her beloved Master in gratitude for all she has received. So naturally it is beautifully produced, in an easy-to-handle size, soft-covered, with many exquisite coloured photographs of Osho in a whole range of outfits it was Veena's (and later others') job to design and make for him. And not just the robes. In early Poona 1 Veena was given the job of reupholstering Osho' chairs - the one in his room and those used for discourses and darshans. From the start the master carpenter, Asheesh, was enlisted to help. And then there were the hats where again Veena had to come up with the early styles including the headpieces for the photo sessions.
"I love gossips" I remember Osho saying in commenting on the Tibetan Master Atisha's sutra not to gossip. Another time he described his own discourses as "gossips" not gospels. Veena has many little "gossips" to tell, such as the one about the old khadi blankets covering Osho's bed (Veena had to work out a way to secure them together as one unit to make it easier for Nirvano to cover his bed twice a day). Each robe - or hat - has a story. And the sewing together of these stories make easy and delightful reading. Once you start reading you don't want to put the book down, so easily does one chapter slip into the next. At the end you want more and then more again.
Yet apart from being a unique viewpoint of Osho's "just visiting this planet" this book is very much a collection of teaching stories in the tradition of the great Sufi Masters. Veena makes this clear from the beginning and it is a constant theme right through to the end. Sewing a seam for the Master was never just that - a simple piece of haberdashery! As Veena says, around Osho there was always a 'Difficulty'! India was a natural for creating difficulties. Many times it was a case of "doing the impossible before breakfast", to quote a Dharshan Diary title. A major example of this came when Osho asked for both the fabric and padding of the discourse chair to be redone. And then when Veena and Asheesh were just beginning to figure out how to do this the message came that it had to be completed for the beginning of the next discourse series - in four days time. Consternation! Working days and much of the nights, and having to spend a whole day in Bombay looking for new rubber padding and then having to wash and dry it, they just got the chair finished in time for a few hours sleep before attending the first discourse - on the great Sufi Master Bahaudin.
In it Osho spoke of "this chair I am sitting on" and of how "just four days before" he had "ordered Veena and Asheesh to prepare it especially for the Sufi lectures". And how they had to push themselves beyond their limits to get it done. "The chair," Osho explained, "was not the question at all. It was a naqshbandi; it was a design." And how in surrendering to a seemingly impossible task they learnt something: "the deeper you go in surrender, the higher you go in consciousness." (Chapter 1:The Secret)
Anyone who has worked in one of the Osho Communes will recognise this teaching. In all communes there was always this pressure to do the impossible - think of all the "crunches" on the Ranch.
My favourite story in a book full of favourite stories, is the first time Veena went into Osho's room in Poona 1(replacement curtains were needed). The decor was hideous, pink marble and green tiles, pure Bollywood. But the concentration of Osho's energy in the room hit Veena with such an impact she had to sit down and was out of it for the rest of the day. What was most remarkable and makes this story so beautiful, was Veena's sense that in the waves of energy flooding over her was this extraordinary sense of 'ordinariness'. This was when she realised what Osho meant by describing himself as perfectly ordinary. The ego perpetually strives to be extraordinary, so only when the ego completely disappears can a person be ordinary. It was one of the most transforming experiences of her life as a sannyasin.
This is a book to be dipped into for a taste of Osho. Reading it made me feel as if I should have a shower first as if preparing for darshan. It is as if one has been given private entry into the very delicate world of Osho's energy.
Other People's comments on 'A Seam for the Master'
'Divine rememberings -- simplicity -- full of devotional love'
'Just finished reading your sweet book and wanted to share with you how much I loved it. The photographs were wonderful and your words brought me back to Lao Tzu House often. I want to thank you for being one more person who is helping to make our beloved master's magic known. Your direct contact with him was a wonderful gift and sharing your memories will certainly allow those who read your book a better understanding of who Osho really was.
Your book arrived today! I looked through it...it's beautiful. I especially am touched by the photo of Osho and Nirvano. I don't recall ever seeing that one before. So soft. And for the words you wrote to them. Sweet tears. We are so very blessed to have lived this life with our Beloved.
Today your books arrived. I didn't yet have the time to read everything, but I'm absolutely touched by these nice photos and the texts I read. I also absolutely love the mystery of the cover photo ... wowww .
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