Editing Rajneesh (section)

=== Wider appraisal as a thinker and speaker ===
There are widely divergent assessments of Rajneesh's qualities as a thinker and speaker. [[Khushwant Singh]], an eminent author, historian, and former editor of the ''[[Hindustan Times]]'', has described Rajneesh as "the most original thinker that India has produced: the most erudite, the most clearheaded and the most innovative".<ref name=Bhawuk>{{harvnb|Bhawuk|2003|p=14}}</ref> Singh believes that Rajneesh was a "free-thinking agnostic" who had the ability to explain the most abstract concepts in simple language, illustrated with witty anecdotes, who mocked gods, [[prophet]]s, scriptures, and religious practices, and gave a totally new dimension to religion.<ref>Khushwant Singh, writing in the ''[[Indian Express]]'', 25 December 1988, quoted e.g., [https://web.archive.org/web/20030523024043/http://www.indiaclub.com/Shop/SearchResults.asp?prodstock=11216 here]</ref> German philosopher [[Peter Sloterdijk]], a one-time devotee of Rajneesh's (living at the Pune ashram from 1978 to 1980), described him as a "[[Wittgenstein]] of religions", ranking him as one of the greatest figures of the 20th century; in his view, Rajneesh had performed a radical deconstruction of the word games played by the world's religions.<ref>{{harvnb|Sloterdijk|1996|p=105}}</ref><ref>[https://petersloterdijk.net/vita/ Peter Sloterdijk vita]. Retrieved 16 October 2019.</ref>

During the early 1980s, a number of commentators in the popular press were dismissive of Rajneesh.<ref name="BM8-9" /> The Australian critic [[Clive James]] scornfully referred to him as "Bagwash", likening the experience of listening to one of his discourses to sitting in a laundrette and watching "your tattered underwear revolve soggily for hours while exuding grey suds. The Bagwash talks the way that he looks."<ref name="BM8-9">{{harvnb|Mullan|1983|pp=8–9}}</ref><ref name=Bagwash /> James finished by saying that Rajneesh, though a "fairly benign example of his type", was a "rebarbative dingbat who manipulates the manipulable into manipulating one another".<ref name="BM8-9" /><ref name=Bagwash /><ref>"Adieu to God: Why Psychology Leads to Atheism" Mick Power. p114</ref> Responding to an enthusiastic review of Rajneesh's talks by [[Bernard Levin]] in ''[[The Times]]'', [[Dominik Wujastyk]], also writing in ''The Times'', similarly expressed his opinion that the talk he heard while visiting the Puna ''ashram'' was of a very low standard, wearyingly repetitive and often factually wrong, and stated that he felt disturbed by the [[personality cult]] surrounding Rajneesh.<ref name="BM8-9" /><ref>(10 August 2004) [https://web.archive.org/web/20090621002100/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1469028/Bernard-Levin.html Obituary of Bernard Levin], ''[[The Daily Telegraph]]''. Retrieved 10 July 2011.</ref>

Writing in the ''[[Seattle Post Intelligencer]]'' in January 1990, American author [[Tom Robbins]] stated that based on his readings of Rajneesh's books, he was convinced Rajneesh was the 20th century's "greatest spiritual teacher". Robbins, while stressing that he was not a disciple, further stated that he had "read enough vicious propaganda and slanted reports to suspect that he was one of the most maligned figures in history".<ref name=Bhawuk /> Rajneesh's commentary on the [[Sikh]] scripture known as ''[[Japuji]]'' was hailed as the best available by [[Giani Zail Singh]], the former [[President of India]].<ref name="TJ" /> In 2011, author [[Farrukh Dhondy]] reported that film star [[Kabir Bedi]] was a fan of Rajneesh, and viewed Rajneesh's works as "the most sublime interpretations of Indian philosophy that he had come across". Dhondy himself said Rajneesh was "the cleverest intellectual confidence trickster that India has produced. His output of the 'interpretation' of Indian texts is specifically slanted towards a generation of disillusioned westerners who wanted (and perhaps still want) to 'have their cake, eat it' [and] claim at the same time that cake-eating is the highest virtue according to ancient-fused-with-scientific wisdom."<ref>(25 April 2011) [[Farrukh Dhondy]]. [https://web.archive.org/web/20121022014849/http://www.hindustantimes.com/News-Feed/ColumnsOthers/God-knows/Article1-689600.aspx "God Knows"], ''[[Hindustan Times]]''. Retrieved 10 July 2011.</ref>