JAB MAIN VINOD KHANNA SE PRERIT HOKAR, APNA JHOLA UTHAKAR 'BHAGWAN' KE KHOJ MEIN NIKAL PADA LEKIN...

Words are the most powerful weapons that can win the world and even lose the world. Words can love and also hate - ALI PETER JOHN

Words can tell the truth and also lie. What would preachers, teachers, writers, politicians and poets do without words? And what would fake godmen and godwomen do without words ?

In the 70s, there was a strong wave all over India created by a holy man who called Acharya Rajnish.

He grew so popular and powerful with his lectures on holiness and a good life according to his teachings that he gave himself the title 'Bhagwan' and millions of people of all religions treated him like a bhagwan.

And one of the first followers of this bhagwan in the film industry was the handsome actor Vinod Khanna who was at the peak of his career and almost ready to take over as the superstar from Amitabh Bachan.

He started wearing saffron robes with a mala around his neck with a meddle in the centre bearing the image of the bhagwan.

He carried tapes of preachings and teachings everywhere he went. He even made his producers and directors and his co stars listen to those tapes.

I was one of those who fell for the Bhagwan's words and I followed Vinod Khanna wherever he went and Vinod himself knew that I was getting attracted and tempted by his bhagwan and invited me to all his outdoor shootings out of Mumbai.

I first travelled with him to Udaipur and sat with him during every break in the shootings of the film called Taaqat and listened to the tapes that he never failed to carry even to the most remote places he was shooting in.

It was while I was in Udaipur as his guest that I couldn't control myself and told him that I wanted to be a follower of his bhagwan and there was strange light in his eyes.

The next time I travelled with him was to Sunder Nagar in Solan in Shimla. We used to sit away from the rest of the unit and listen to bhagwan and talking about almost every subject under the sun and talking very boldly against all other religions.

I had now made up mind that I would go with Vinod to Oregon in America where the bhagwan had now settled.

Vinod suddenly announced his retirement from films after his grand success in Amar Akbar Anthony.

He had signed many big films but he gave them up and flew to Oregon to join his bhagwan.

I told him to wait for me and I would be joining him soon. He smiled and he smile looked like the smile of his bhagwan.

Soon other well known names on the industry became disciples of the bhagwan and among them were Vijay Anand, the absolutely brilliant director, Mahesh Bhatt , Kabir Bedi, Preeti And Bharti , the daughters of Ashok kumar, writers Kamlesh Pandey and Sooraj Sanim and many others.

This group used to meet at Ketlav , the office of Vijay Anand and Vijay Anand used to speak to them just like the bhagwan spoke.

Vinod Khanna was given the name Swami Vinod Bharti and he was appointed the gardener ( Mali ) of the Bhagwan's garden.

He cut off all ties with his wife Geetanjli and their two little sons , Rahul and Akshay and also cut off all his relations with the industry except for Gulzar who he kept in touch with.

All this lasted for more than five years and then one day Vinod gave up everything associated with bhagwan and came back to Bombay and looked for work as an actor and had lost all that he had, including his position as a leading star.

The industry felt betrayed and cheated when he left the industry and now they were not willing to forgive him but there were friends like Feroz Khan and Raj Sippi who offered him roles in films like 'Dayavaan' and 'Insaaf' and Vinod started a new life in films but it was not to be like it was once.

He once called me to his house and asked me why he couldn't get the same kind of roles that Amitabh Bachan was playing and I told him that he could have become a bigger star than Amitabh if he had not made the mistake of following his Bhagwan and his answer surprised me, he said, " What a waste of time that was."

He had found another bhagwan in Shri Shri Ravishankar. But no bhagwan could save him from the pit he had fallen into because of his 'deewaangi' for his bhagwan.

Life was never the same for Vinod. He kept accepting any roles that came his way. He joined politics and won an election but he was still looking for peace which never came and knowing Vinod as I knew him , I think he even died young enough without finding the peace he wanted all because of his fleeting fascination for a bhagwan who was no bhagwan .

How the bhagwans life also ended in a painful way is a well known fact now and is a subject of books and films that are being planned.

BHAGWAN AISE HI THODI MILTE HAIN. AUR INSAN TOH INSAN HI REHTA HAI AUR BHAGWAN BHAGWAN REHTA HAI.

AAJ KAL ZAMAANA KUCH BADAL GAYA HAI AUR INSAAN BHAGWAN AUR KHUDA BAN NE KI KOSHISH KARTA HAI.

AGAR HUM INSAAN BHAGWAN BAN NE KI KOSHISH KAREIN TOH BHAGWAN KYA KAREGA ?