“A bunch of people swear that they owe their lives to my performance. When that bomb exploded at 7.15 pm on the 13th Feb 2010, I was just about to go on stage, while they were sitting in the audience, a comfortable half-kilometre from where they might well otherwise have been,” says Chinmaya Dunster (74) a renowned sarod player.
Born in the United Kingdom, Dunster became an Osho disciple in 1982 and moved to India in 1989. In 1990, the man who had been inspired to learn the sarod after attending an Amjad Ali Khan concert in Delhi, founded a band with Prem Joshua at Pune’s Osho International Meditation Resort. An active environmentalist who performed concerts to foster awareness for saving ecosystems, Dunster was doing exactly that at the Osho centre on February 13, 2010 when the German Bakery blast happened.
The event was a benefit concert he had arranged to raise funds for solar lighting in the Himalayan village of Jhuni. “The band was ready to go on stage when suddenly we heard from afar an ominously deep and rumbling boom. Probably another gas cylinder exploding somewhere… we re-assured each other. But just as we were about to play the hostess frantically signally to me. When I went to her she whispered in my ear that there has been a bomb at the German Bakery and that’s all we knew,” recollects Dunster in a blog he wrote in 2017 on the night that changed everything.
As he realised that no one else seemed to have heard about the blast he decided to go ahead with the concert. ‘”The Show Must Go On’ reverberated in my head and without further hesitation I got back on stage, picked up my sarod and gave the cue for the opening number,” he says.
Dunster admits though that he doesn’t remember much of what he played that night. But the memory of the police sirens and the ensuing chaos, once the one-hour performance ended and people got to know what had happened, has remained entrenched in his mind.
Speaking to The Indian Express from UK Dunster, who decided to drive off early in the morning to join his partner Naveena and new-born daughter Koyal in Goa says, “The extraordinary sight at 4 am when I drove off Koregaon Park is indelible in my memory. The roads were absolutely deserted. No human being was there in any direction. It was grey and smoggy. I felt like I was the last person on the planet. It was like trying to escape a destroyed city.
Another thing really remarkable to remember was the sense of doom that maybe this is the beginning of something far worse.”
Story continues below this ad
Over the next few weeks though Dunster received many calls and mails, – ‘You saved my life, man! I had been planning to go to the bakery as usual, but went to your gig instead…..’ they all said.
The gratitude was understandable. The blast happened at 7.15 pm. Every day the Osho centre’s gates would close at 6.40 pm for the evening meditation. Many who did not want to join the meditation would typically slip off to catch some coffee and conversation at the Bakery just down the road that was very popular with Osho disciples. That day a lot of that crowd decided to stay back for the concert. “The number of casualties ended up containing just three Osho sannyasin names,” says Dunster.
“Yes the timing of the blast saved many Osho followers,” agrees Ma Sadhana, spokesperson of the Osho centre. “It happened when we also had our white robe evening meditation and a lot of people hence were inside the meditation resort and not at the bakery,” she adds.
While between the concert and evening meditation many sanyasin lives may have been saved, the blast did forever alter the way the Osho commune functioned. And it was not just because of its proximity to the site. Soon after the blast it emerged that David Headley, a Lashkar-e-Toiba operative and an accused in 26/ 11 had planned the German Bakery bombing. Headley had twice visited the Osho commune in 2008-2009.
Story continues below this ad
“The Osho commune could have even been the original target, given that Headley had come here twice and surveyed the place. But because we have CCTVs and our own security making it difficult to bring in bags unchecked, the target must have shifted to another place with international tourists,” says Sadhana.
Security was immediately enhanced at the commune and the height of the bamboo walls raised considerably. A permanent police post just outside the lane, barricades on the road and a scanner at the gate were other preventive measures that have now become the norm at the centre – a marked departure from its earlier relatively easier access.
Or as Dusnter says,” The outside world had invaded our little haven and would not be going away…”
Sunanda Mehta is the Resident Editor of The Indian Express in Pune. She is a distinguished journalist, columnist, and author with over three decades of experience in the media industry.
Educational background: A merit-lister in her 12 th in CBSE (5th rank in Humanities) Sunanda stood first in History in the Board for which she was awarded the Dr Tarachand Gold Medal. She is a triple-graduate with a Bachelor of Arts (History Honours) from Lady Shri Ram College, New Delhi, Bachelor of Education, Delhi University (on scholarship) and Bachelor of Communication and Journalism, University of Pune.
Professional Background
Role: As Resident Editor, she oversees the Pune edition of The Indian Express, managing local news coverage, investigative features, and editorial direction for the city.
Author: She is an accomplished author, known for her biographies. Her notable books include:
The Extraordinary Life and Death of Sunanda Pushkar published by Pan Macmillan (2019). The book was long-listed for the Atta Galatta award for nonfiction and Auther award for best debut author.
Majestic Musings - Translation of poems from 100 year old Badshaian from Punjabi to English (2023)
Behind the Big Screen- the untold stories of child actors published by Bloomsbury India (2024)
Focus Areas: While Sunanda has reported on various subjects from civic to political to investigative
and crime, her forte remains long-form human-interest stories, heritage and gender issues.
Core Column: "Against All Odds"
Sunanda curates and writes a signature series titled "Against All Odds," which profiles individuals who have overcome significant personal, medical, or professional challenges.
Recent notable articles (2025)
The Story of Dr. Harinder Dhaliwal (July 2025): A Pune AFMC topper who became a neurologist in Canada despite becoming paraplegic.
Jayoo Patwardhan’s Cancer Journey (Jan 2025): How the National Film Award-winning designer defeated cancer.
Partha Iyengar’s Emergency mid-air (Aug 2025): The story of how Gartner’s India head survived a massive heart attack during a long-haul flight.
Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025)
Her recent reportage continues to explore deep personal narratives and Pune’s socio-environmental landscape:
1. Personal Narratives & Closure
"'I grieved for him 10 years after his murder, found closure to unsolved case'" (Dec 14, 2025): A poignant feature on Vineet Alurkar, son of the late Pune music legend Suresh Alurkar, and how digitizing his father’s collection helped him heal.
"A 40-day journey home: how Christopher Benninger's partner gave him the gift of memories" (Nov 23, 2025): A moving tribute to the late acclaimed architect Christopher Benninger and his final trip to the US.
"'After 38 years I finally met my biological mother'" (Sept 28, 2025): Chronicling the journey of an adopted daughter from Zurich searching for her roots in Pune.
2. Civic & Heritage
"'Vetal Tekdi belongs to common citizens'" (Oct 20, 2025): An interview with environmental activist Dr. Sushma Date on the community-led protection of Pune’s vital green lungs.
"'Military village' Apshinge recalls living through war days" (Aug 12, 2025): A report from a village in Maharashtra where nearly every household has a member in the armed forces, focusing on their legacy and current anxieties.
3. High-Profile Commentary & Investigations
"Malegaon blast acquittals: 'I was expecting this verdict'" (July 31, 2025): An interview with former special public prosecutor Rohini Salian following the controversial acquittals.
"Grounded, license cancelled... she decided to soar higher" (March 30, 2025): The story of Dr. Harpreet A De Singh, Air India’s first woman pilot from 1988, and her transition to leadership and meditation.
Signature Style
Sunanda Mehta is known for her empathetic storytelling. Unlike standard news reporting, her features often read like narrative non-fiction, focusing on the psychological and emotional resilience of her subjects. One of her articles in The Indian Express titled 'The Quality of Mercy' was converted into a film Rubaru Roshini produced by actor Aamir Khan.
She is a strong advocate for Pune's heritage and environment, frequently using her platform to amplify citizen-led movements.
X (Twitter): @sunandamehta and @ExpressPune ... Read More
