Biography
Ma Anand Sheela, also credited as Sheela Ambalal Patel and Sheela Birnstiel, is an Indian-born former spokesperson and personal secretary of the Rajneesh movement. Born Sheela Ambalal Patel on 28 December 1949 in Baroda, India, she moved to the United States at age 18 and later managed the Rajneeshpuram commune in Oregon from 1981 to 1985.
She appeared as herself in the 2018 Netflix documentary series Wild Wild Country. In 1986 she pleaded guilty to charges including attempted murder and assault related to events at the commune, serving part of a prison sentence before moving to Switzerland, where she has operated nursing homes.
