Top Jain business groups to power JITO

AHMEDABAD: They were among the first to renounce their homes to seek greener pastures abroad, soon after the world war, turning adversity into business opportunity. Now with the global meltdown, the Jain International Trade Organisation (JITO), a global organisation connecting Jains worldwide, is now here to host its global summit just ahead of Vibrant Gujarat global investor summit.

The three-day JITO summit begins on Friday. Members and guests will interact and introduce themselves to each other. Leading business groups, Adanis, Torrent and Future are the key participants here. "This event will certainly boost the overall tempo of Gujarat's vibrant progress. We expect more than 7,000 delegates from across the globe to take part in this summit and witness Gujarat as a business friendly state. This might help encourage them to invest in the state," says Utkarsh Shah, president of JITO's Ahmedabad chapter. He adds that many foreign delegates of JITO will attend Vibrant Gujarat global investor's summit-09.

On Saturday and Sunday at expert sessions, prominent political, community and business leaders will participate.

"We want to look beyond recession and tap opportunities. In this summit, we have invited Jain visionaries from all fields to make most of this exclusive opportunity to exploit frontiers of value-based change for business growth. Being a premier organisation that works to make a difference, JITO feels that it is time to demonstrate and react to the situation with well thought out and realistic planned responses," says Shah.

Leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha LK Advani will inaugurate the summit which will have the blessings of PP Naypadmasagarji Maharaj saheb.

The sessions will cover lectures on capital market and commodity, real estate and construction, textile and garment, dyes, chemical and pharma, plastics and allied products, gems, jewellery and bullion, IT, ITES and education.

The Jain International Women's Organisation (JIWO)'s international conference will be inaugurated on Saturday by Union minister Renuka Chowdhary. "In JIWO international conference, Jain women from across the globe will take part and discuss many important issues. It is expected that 3,000 women delegates will converge in the conference. The main aim is that women should come out and take part in social initiatives and not be restrict simply as housewives'' adds Ajit Shah, media in-charge of JITO.

Media directors arrested over Jainism articles

New York, January 8, 2009--B.V. Seetaram and his wife, Rohini, who head the media group Chithra Publications in Karnataka state, southern India, have been in judicial custody since Sunday in connection with two-year old criminal charges relating to their newspapers, according to local news reports.

State police arrested Seetaram, chairman and chief editor of the group, and his wife, the director, while the couple were traveling in the state's Udipi district, the reports said. Police told Seetaram the arrest was in connection with criminal charges lodged against them in 2007 for offending the sensibilities of a religious group in articles published by two of Chithra's Kannada-language dailies, Karavali Ale and Kannada Janantaranga. Seetaram told local reporters that the arrest follows a recent campaign of harassment against Karavali Ale, which is published from the nearby district of Mangalore, according to the reports.

"We are concerned that the arrest of these media owners, which coincides with attacks against one of their newspapers, is part of a campaign of harassment because they have dared to take on a sensitive religious issue," said Bob Dietz, CPJ Asia Program Coordinator. "We call on authorities to drop these criminal charges and ensure the safety of our colleagues."

The original complaint was filed in March 2007 by a practitioner of the religion Jainism, shortly after the newspapers published articles questioning the right of Jain leaders to appear naked in public, according to national English-language daily The Statesman. The couple spent a total of 10 days in jail in 2007 before being freed on bail. Seetaram characterized those arrests as harassment, and said that Karavali Ale had exposed links between the Jain community, a bus company allegedly carrying out illegal activities, and local police, The Statesman report said.

The reason for the two-year delay in the re-emergence of the charge was not clear from published reports. But attacks against Karavali Ale escalated in late 2008. In December, Seetaram lodged a complaint with the Press Council of India, a New Delhi-based watchdog body, saying that groups were commandeering quantities of the newspaper from vendors and then burning the copies. Its printing press was also attacked in November, according to local news reports. The reports quoted Seetaram saying local Hindu nationalist groups with the support of the state's Bharatiya Janata Party government were targeting the paper in retaliation for articles criticizing their activities.

Local journalists have protested heavy-handed official treatment of the media chief. In March 2007, police arrested the couple in their home at midnight without proper paperwork, according to The Statesman. After Sunday's arrest (which one report said involved 25 police officers), handcuffs and chains were used to restrain Seetaram when he was produced in an Udipi court on Monday, an unusually high security measure, local newspapers reported. Seetaram refused bail during that session, saying he feared re-arrest on similar charges if he returned to Mangalore, according to The Hindu newspaper. He and his wife have been remanded until January 17.

Tensions between religious groups run high in Mangalore, and newspapers are often accused of contributing to communal disharmony with provocative or one-sided coverage, according to the popular current affairs blog Churumuri Two individuals registered complaints with local police against Vijaya Karnataka, another Kannada-language newspaper owned by the Times of India Group, in December 2008 and January 2009, for separate articles said to incite hatred against Christians in the wake of mob violence by Hindu groups which targeted churches in the state in September 2008, according to the blog and local news reports.

Modi would like Jain university in Gujarat

Ahmedabad, Jan 10 (IANS)

Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi wants a university proposed by a worldwide organisation of Jains to be set up in the state.”We have three choices for setting up a university. It can be in Maharashtra, Rajasthan or Gujarat. We request you (Modi) that as you did for the Nano (small car) project, help us to build the university here,” said Hemant Shah, president of the Jain International Trade Organisation (JITO), at the inaugural session of the three-day (JITO) Global Summit here Saturday.

In reply, Modi said: “I too want this university to come up in Gujarat instead of Maharashtra or Rajasthan. I have no objections. You go ahead and set up the university.”

“Last year the JITO summit was held in Mumbai and I attended it. I requested the organisers that the next meet be held here. Today Gujarat has become the host to the world,” he told the large gathering of delegates who have come here from all corners of the world.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and Gandhinagar MP L.K. Advani said: “JITO is a wonderful organisation. It has set an example of religious amity.”

JITO mentor calls for uniting Jains

AHMEDABAD: 'Jains of the world unite', was the call given by Naypadmasagarji Maharaj, a revered Jain sadhu at the introductory meet on Friday on the eve of Jain International Trade Organisation (JITO)'s global summit.

Speaking to delegates, Naypadmasagarji, who is also JITO's mentor emphasised on the importance of unity for a better future.

"JITO's aim is to work for betterment of society. We should unite to eliminate poverty in the world. For this, I would ask JITO members to even go meet terrorists and try to understand their side of the story. Why should anybody choose to become a terrorist ? There must be some reason. We have to find this out for the cause of humanity", he said.

He urged that if they wanted to live in a peaceful world, they will have to create it themselves. "Jains have never discriminated while doing social works in their life. It is a tradition. I urge Jain leaders to invest their money in value based education", he said.

According to a JITO official, day one was like a "get together where JITO members and executives from various chapters presented their future course of action"

Jainism is the most ancient green movement:LK Advani at JITO

Following is the full text of Shri LK Advani’s speech delivered when inaugurating Jain International Trade Organization(JITO) Global Summit at Ahmedabad, Gujarat on January 10th, 2009.

I thank the organizers of this Global Summit of the Jain International Trade Organization (JITO) for inviting me to the inaugural ceremony. At the outset, I convey my best wishes to you for a Happy New Year and also my greetings for Makar Sankranti, which is just four days away.

I have participated in many conferences of business platforms such as FICCI, CII and ASSOCHAM. These organizations are focused almost entirely on business and economy. But your conference is different. This is because the Jain International Trade Organization does not concern itself only with trade matters. Its outlook and activities are far more holistic, embracing many other aspects of life and society.

JITO’s philosophy is encapsulated by five noble commitments: Seva (Service of Humanity), Shiksha (Education), Arthik Sudharata (Economic Uplift), Samajik Utkarsh (Social Progress) and Adhyatmik Unnati (Spiritual Elevation). I compliment your organization because it is actively promoting programmes in each of these areas.

Jainism’s holistic approach to life

This holistic approach to life is not surprising because Jainism itself presents a profound and all-encompassing outlook towards life. Its ideals like satya, ahimsa, and aparigraha are both universal and eternal in their relevance. And in every century, Jainism has produced saintly figures who have both embodied these ideals. In our own times, I can think of two venerable personalities – Acharya Tulsi and his worthy disciple Acharya Mahapragya. I consider it my good fortune that I have sat at the feet of both these great Acharyas.

One of the great qualities that I have observed among Jain organizations is how they have tried to follow the teachings of the Tirthankars to practice philanthropy by enhancement of business. The spirit of volunteerism and social service that they display is truly remarkable. I remember that, at the time of the massive earthquake in Kutch and other parts of Gujarat in 2001, some of the best relief and humanitarian work was done by Jain organizations. I commend JITO for supporting this praiseworthy tradition.

Jainism the most ancient Green Movement in world history

Friends, in popular consciousness, Jainism is associated with its insistence on ahimsa or non-violence. Indeed, the greatest apostle of nonviolence in the modern era, Mahatma Gandhi, has written in his autobiography that he had a Jain ’spiritual mentor’, a young diamond merchant named Shrimad Rajchandra.

We often do not appreciate why Jainism attached such paramount importance to ahimsa. However, we should remember that two of the greatest challenges before the world today Terrorism and Climate Change are both manifestations of violence.

Terrorism is of course the most extreme and inhuman form of violence. And we have seen its evil face in Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Hyderabad, Delhi, Bangalore, Guwahati and, most recently, in Mumbai. Violence of this kind must be put down with a firm hand.

But there is another form of violence which the world has been much slower to recognize, and much more hesitant to take firm action against. I am referring to the violence being inflicted on Mother Earth by our materialistic civilization. The destruction of the environment, which is evident in the alarming levels of pollution of our land, water and air resources and which is now climaxing in Climate Change, has catastrophic implications for man and other species on our planet.

It is when we reflect on the challenge of Climate Change that we begin to appreciate the enormous contemporary relevance of the Jain philosophy of ahimsa and jiva daya. We realize that Bhagwan Mahavir and the other Jain Tirthankars were great environmental conservationists. They taught us that we human beings are merely trustees of this planet. We need to re-learn their teachings in our times. If we do so, we realize that eco-friendliness is not a mere fashionable phrase, it has to be interwoven into our development paradigm and also into our day-to-day living. In a sense, we all have to become adivasis or tribals who know how to exist in harmony with the earth. The earth takes care of us, and so we have to take care of her. In this sense, Jainism is the most ancient Green Movement in world history.

I would like to assure the audience here, and the people at large in our country, that, in the event of the BJP and the NDA elected to form the next government in New Delhi, we shall take appropriate steps to deal with both forms of violence – Terrorism and Climate Change.

Vibrant Gujarat: A role model for other states

Friends, your conference is taking place at a time when Gujarat is once again hosting another prestigious meet: The Vibrant Gujarat summit. This annual event has now become an advertisement, both nationally and internationally, for the highly impressive achievements of the Government of Gujarat, under the leadership of its dynamic Chief Minster Shri Narendra Modi.

Even our political and ideological opponents have to grudgingly recognize that Gujarat has now become the No. 1 destination for investments. Recently, a Member of Parliament from Kerala belonging to the CPI(M) publicly lauded Shri Modi and said that the Communist-led Government in Kerala should emulate the example of Gujarat.

Gujarat today is a role model for Good Governance, for Development and an uncompromising approach to Security. It has also set an example for an uncompromising approach to Corruption. Let me assure you that a future NDA Government in New Delhi will replicate this model nationally.

We shall take bold and quick steps to revive the economy out of the recessionary crisis that it is in today. Our policies will help create more employment, self-employment and entrepreneurship opportunities for young Indians. In this, we would actively seek the cooperation of organizations like JITO.

Govt must take firm action against cases of financial fraud

Friends, since most of you are from the fields of business and commerce, I have to share an important thought on this occasion. India has all the potential to grow into a giant economy. The successes of Indian entrepreneurs in recent times, both in India and abroad, have been spectacular.

But as Gandhiji used to exhort, business without ethics is sin. Even if a few business organizations indulge in unethical practices, they bring a bad name to the business community as a whole. I am saying this I am distressed by the recent shocking disclosures about financial fraud in a major IT company in Hyderabad. Corporate India must put its house in order. The Government cannot turn a blind or lenient eye to such fraudulent practices.

With these words, I declare the inauguration of the Global Summit of the Jain International Trade Organization and wish it all success.

Thank you.

Jaina treasure trove in Mankulam village

CHENNAI: The ruins of two Jaina prayer halls (Chaitya grahas), belonging to the Tamil Sangam age and estimated to be about 2,200 years old, have been excavated atop a hill near Mankulam village, about 20 km from Madurai, Tamil Nadu. The ruins are adjacent to two of the five caves that have the earliest Tamil-Brahmi inscriptions in Tamil Nadu. The caves have several beds hewn out of the rock-floor, where the Jaina monks rested.

The Tamil Nadu Archaeology Department excavated the ruins of the prayer halls in 2007. The excavation yielded large-sized bricks, grooved tiles with holes, black and red potsherds and L-shaped iron nails. The Department has published a book on this excavation.

V. Vedachalam, retired senior epigraphist, Tamil Nadu Archaeology Department, estimated that these halls were “the earliest Jaina brick structures in Tamil Nadu.” He asserted, “No brick structure of this kind has been found in any Jaina site in Tamil Nadu.” The monks, who lived in the nearby caves, must have prayed in these chaitya grahas, which could have had an auspicious symbol or a cult object, he said.

The foundation and walls of the halls were built of bricks, which measured 35 cm x 17 cm x 6 cm. The roof was made of wooden rafters with grooved tiles that were held in place on the rafters by the L-shaped iron nails driven through the tiles.

These structures were similar to those found at the Udayagiri and Khandagiri hills, near Bhubaneswar, Orissa, which were important Jaina centres, said Dr. Vedachalam.

In 1882, Robert Sewell, civil servant and antiquarian, first noticed a few inscriptions on the brow of the caves on the Mankulam hill, near Meenakshipuram. Epigraphists V. Venkayya and H. Krishna Sastry tried to read them. Attempts to decipher them bore no fruit until K.V. Subrahmanya Aiyer, who pioneered the reading of the Tamil-Brahmi script, recognised them as having been inscribed in Brahmi. He concluded, in 1924, that the script’s language was Tamil. Others who contributed to the decipherment of the Tamil-Brahmi inscriptions found in Tamil Nadu included T.N. Subrahmanian, Iravatham Mahadevan, Dr. R. Nagaswamy and Dr. Y. Subbarayalu.

On the Mankulam hill, there are five caves, with six Tamil-Brahmi inscriptions in four of them. They belong to the 2nd century B.C. The long inscription found on the brow of the rock, close to the first Jaina prayer hall, gives details of how the Pandya king Nedunchezhiyan was instrumental in sculpting the beds in the cave as “dhammam” for the chief Jaina monk “Kani Nandan.” Another inscription is about “Sadikan,” father of Nedunchezhiyan’s brother-in-law, sculpting the beds for Kani Nandan.

Dr. Vedachalam said: “Mankulam was a great Jaina centre. It must have been the largest Jaina centre in Tamil Nadu during the Sangam age. The existence of the chaitya grahas, Tamil-Brahmi inscriptions and the Jaina beds [together in one place] are of national importance.”

Today, the Jaina beds have been desecrated with graffiti incised on them or painted in different colours.

Govt decides to move official amendment to define minority

New Delhi, Dec 19 (PTI)
Government today decided to move an official amendment to the Constitution to define minority, a step which could enable it designate the Jains as a minority community.

A meeting of the Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, today approved a proposal to introduce the Constitution 103rd Amendment Bill to define minority, Home Minister P Chidambaram told reporters here.

The legislation came in the backdrop of several Supreme Court directives to the government to decide on the issue.

"This Bill is about the power to define a minority. The Supreme Court directed the Centre to decide the issue of giving minority status to Jains. A number of orders have been passed by the Supreme Court in this behalf," he said.

The Bill was introduced earlier and referred to the Standing Committee. After considering its recommendations, it was decided to move official amendments. However, the notice for amendments issued to Lok Sabha secretariat lapsed.

"Further issues were raised in the meantime. These have now been resolved and action will be taken to move the official amendments to the pending Constitution amendment bill," Chidambaram said.

Under the proposed amendment, minority means a community which may be specified by the President or notified by the Central government, the Minister said.

The Cabinet also decided to pursue its earlier decision to accord Scheduled Tribe status to the children of the inhabitants of Lakshadweep, who were born in any other place in India. So far, the children of such people who had moved to other parts of the country were denied ST status. PTI

The ‘don’ of non-violence

Sanjay Singh
Tribune News Service

Patna, December 16People facing serious criminal charges being elected to the Vidhan Sabha and Lok Sabha is hardly a surprise in Bihar. Almost all political parties have a fair share of such don-turned-politicians. There are also instances of incarcerated MLAs and MPs doing graduation, postgraduation and Phd from different varsities.

But how about an MLA, involved in various crimes, including murder, loot, extortion and kidnapping, getting a doctorate for his research on non-violence. Meet Narendra Kumar Pandey alias Sunil Pandey, who has been awarded a PhD degree by Veer Kunwar Singh University (VKSU), Ara, for his research on the topic “Mahavir’s Preachings in Modern Context”. Interestingly, the legislator — who has been suspended by the ruling JDU for his continued criminal behaviour — made headlines four months ago when he was sentenced to life imprisonment by a court for getting a Patna neuro-surgeon Dr Ramesh Chandra kidnapped for ransom.

Once again, he is in the limelight but for totally different reasons. The university published the result on November 27. A varsity source revealed that a team of experts on Jainism had taken Pandey’s interview (viva-voce examination) for the doctorate degree on November 25. He had appeared in the oral examination under police custody and the vice-chancellor of VKSU was also present there.

Pandey’s guide for PhD was Dr Ramji Rai, head of the history department of S.B.College, Ara. Pandey has been awarded a gold medal by the institute for excelling in studies and extra- curricular activities. Considered as an authority on Jainism and Prakrit, he has to his credit many articles on ‘non-violence’. Pandey is said to be a lifetime member of All India Oriental Conference (Pune), Indian Society of Budhist Studies (Jammu) and Indian Society of Gandhian studies. If his supporters are to be believed, Pandey has set his eyes on DLitt now.

Jain Nuns Support Hindu Terrorism

Jain Nuns Support Hindu Terrorism

Renowned Jain nuns Priti Sudha and Madhusmita have supported the anti Muslim activities of Sanatan Sanstha which is a Bramhin extremist organization involved in making bombs and using them against Muslims. Recently the Maharashtra Police has arrested some members of this organization in the bomb blast cases at Nanded, Parabhani and Thane.

Most of the members of this organization are from Chitpvan Bramhin community and the tolerant Hindus have nothing to do with it. While organizations like Jain Panthers, Sambhaiji Brigade, Chhaava and many others have already demanded to ban Sanatan Sanstha, it is a shameful thing that these Jain nuns have opposed the banning. In a statement, Priti Sudha has said, “Sanatan Sanstha is a patriotic Organization. If some people are working against the nation, Sanatan Sanstha responds. Tit for Tat is not a sin. It will be a wrong step if the Government bans this organization”

It should be noted that for Sanatan Sanstha, not only the Muslims and Christians are the enemies of India, but their list of enemies includes Jains and Buddhists also.

But there is no wonder that Priti Sudha supports Sanatan Sanstha as she loves Sanatan Vedik Dharma than Jainism. One can see her Sanatan views in her sermons and books. She believes in Varna and caste system. She believes that Bramhins are great and Shudrs should serve them. Her each sermon starts with reciting ‘Gurur Bramha Gurur Vishnu Gurur Deva Mahaeshwara’! In Jain words, she is just a Mithyatwi i.e. believer of false things..

Unfrotunately, most of the Jains, including monks and nuns, self styled leaders and commons have no common sense. So they do not know who are the foes and who are the friends. That is why they are sleeping with their enemies.

-Balasaheb Patil
Cell: 09096082940

http://www.orkut.co.in/Main#Community.aspx?cmm=55779022
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/jainpanthers

How Jain minority status war was won

Nitin Mahajan
Indian Express
New Delhi, June 21

The Delhi council of minister’s decision, on June 10, to accord minority status to the Jain community in the Capital was not an easy one. Newsline has learnt that it came after a fair amount of lobbying by Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit and Congress’s Lok Sabha MP from Chandni Chowk Kapil Sibal.

The decision was a difficult one, considering that a similar proposal had been shot down at least four times by Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil. Congress sources said senior party leaders from the city, including Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee president J P Agarwal, had to bat for the community’s “cause”.

And this, after the Chandni Chowk MP had sent several letters to Home minister Patil, making it clear that the community — of primarily traders and businessmen — had already been accorded such a status in several states: Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, Jharkhand, Chattisgarh, and Uttar Pradesh.

After Patil’s refusal to act on the proposals, Sibal, who has a sizeable Jain population in his constituency, sent another letter to Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, stating that the “power to recognise the Jain community as a minority vests exclusively with the state government”.
The letter says, “Jainism is a religion with the beliefs and faiths quite distinct from those of the Hindu religion.”

Before sending the letter containing various court rulings and judgments to buttress the Delhi government’s case, Sibal also discussed the issue with Dikshit over telephone and reminded her of the need for Jains to be accorded the minority status, insiders said.

The Union minister, sources said, also told Dikshit that she did not need the Home ministry’s approval since the state government was empowered to take such a decision. Sources said Dikshit called a meeting of her council of ministers the very next day and accorded minority status to the Jain community.

With Assembly polls barely months away, the move by the Congress government in Delhi is seen as a ploy to appease the community, otherwise is known to favour the BJP. Party sources said the Congress does not want to take any chances after the sealing controversy led to its defeat in the municipal elections last year.

The community has an estimated population of between 4 lakh and 5 lakh in the Capital — about 0.45 per cent of Delhi’s population — and is now at par with other minority communities such as Buddhists, Christians, Sikhs, Muslims and Parsis, listed as notified minority groups under the Delhi Minorities Commission Act, 1999.

New Jain Sites Found in Tamil Nadu

CHENNAI: Over the last three months, two rock art sites, two caverns with Jaina beds, and dolmens have been discovered within a radius of 25 km on the hillocks behind the Gingee fort in Tamil Nadu’s Villupuram district.

Members of the team that found the sites, said the discovery of Jaina beds confirmed the earlier view that present-day Villupuram district was once a prominent centre of Jainism. The presence of the rock art sites and dolmens showed that the area had been under continuous human occupation for 3,000 years, they added.

On June 1, K.T. Gandhirajan, an explorer who specialises in art history, T. Ramesh, a researcher in archaeology, and others found a big cavern with Jaina beds and rock art on a hillock called Pancha Pandavar Kal, near Vadagal village in Gingee taluk.

The hillock, located 15 km behind the Gingee fort, forms part of a chain of hills in the area. The team found a series of Jaina beds on the floor of the cavern and pre-historic paintings on the boulder surface opposite the beds.

“The beds are of primitive nature. They are not evolved. They are about 2,000 years old,” said Mr. Gandhirajan.

Raised “pillows” had been hewn out of the rock-floor at one end of the beds. Channels were cut to drain out rainwater from the beds or the floor was scooped out to collect rainwater.

The rock art consists of a painting of a deer done in white kaolin with outlines in red ochre.
“This is really rare,” Mr. Gandhirajan said. While this figure of a deer is about 3 feet by 3 feet in size, there are tiny drawings of deer and lizard (udu mbu in Tamil) on the adjacent rock surface, as if to contra-distinguish their size. He estimated that the paintings might belong to circa 1000 B.C.

“These paintings were done by pre-historic men — by hunter-gatherers who used to live in this cavern. Much later, the Jain monks occupied them,” Mr. Gandhirajan said.Earlier finds
Three months earlier, the team found about a dozen port-holed dolmens on a hill near Devadanampettai, on the way to Tirukovilur, about 15 km from the Gingee fort. While most of the dolmens were found disturbed, a few were intact.

About 2 km away, the team discovered a small rock art site, with drawings in white kaolin of marching men or men with raised hands.

About 25 days ago, Mr. Ramesh and Mr. Gandhirajan found 11 Jaina beds on a hill near Kanchiyur village, 28 km from Gingee.

According to T. Arun Raj, Deputy Superintending Archaeologist, Archaeological Survey of India, Chennai Circle, Jaina beds had been discovered recently at Thirunarungkondai near Ulundurpet, Paraiyanpattu and Melkudalur. There are remains of the structural Jaina temples at Tirunarungkondai, Melsithamur and Thondur near Tindivanam and Melmalayanur near Tiruvannamalai. All these places are in Villupuram district.

On the hill at Sirukadambur, there is a bas-relief of 24 Jaina tirthankaras. “Adjacent to this, we have an inscription about a Jaina monk who went on a fast-unto-death. This inscription belongs to the transitional period from Tamil-Brahmi to Vattezuthu,” he said.

There are rock art sites in the district at Sethavarai and Kizhvalavu.

“In addition to these relics of Jainism, we have now discovered these Jaina beds in two places. All this show that the present-day Villupuram district was a prominent centre of Jainism,” Mr. Arun Raj said.

Delhi government grants minority status to Jains

New Delhi (PTI): With the assembly elections just a couple of months away, the Congress government in Delhi has approved the long-standing demand of the Jain community for minority status.

"The Jain community in Delhi has been accorded minority status. It has already been granted minority status in several other states," Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit announced to the media on Tuesday after a Cabinet meeting which approved the decision.

She said after getting minority status, the Jains would be able to effectively manage their educational institutions as per the parameters specified for such institutions.

Jain constitute around 2 per cent of the population of the national capital, but the affluent community has considerably more influence despite lower numbers.

Christians, Muslims and Punjabis are already enjoying minority status in the city.

Jain Society of Greater Atlanta’s Temple Project

BY MAHADEV DESAI

Atlanta’s Jain Community, which practices Jainism, is a very close knit, progressive, vibrant and well-respected community, whose members have excelled in many fields and have contributed significantly to Georgia’s economy as well as to its cultural diversity. The subcontinent of India, a cradle of civilization is also the birthplace of Jainism. The Jain religion and its philosophy being one of the oldest, predating recorded histories has become one of the essential spiritual traditions of the South Asian religious fabric. Jain Temples have been built in many parts of the world, including the US.

The Jain community in the South East USA too decided to have their own temple.

Jain Society of Greater Atlanta’s (JSGA) dream to build a Spectacular Marble Derasar (Temple) with intricate designs hand carved by some of the greatest craftsmen in Jaipur, India is about to be realized. The project began way back in 1996, with a ritual-studded ground breaking ceremony for the Jain Center / Derasar, with shikhar (dome), pratimajis, auditorium, kitchen, dining hall, library, and accommodation for visiting guests. The ceremony was performed on a 3.75 acre site at 669 South Peachtree St., Norcross, Georgia on Sunday April 5 1996.

In the year 2000, the first phase (main floor) of the Center was built, and in 2001 the second phase (basement) was completed resulting in a two story building of 14,000 plus square feet where the Society’s 400 plus Jain families could meet for regular poojas, bhavanas, pathsala classes, lectures and celebrations of festivals.

The Society is now ready for the third phase; the building of the Temple. Following joint consultations between Sompura in Ahmedabad and local architects, a beautiful design was made and approved by the County in 2006. On auspicious Vijaya-Dashami, the Khat-Mahurat ceremony was performed at the Temple site in October, 2006.

The construction of the Temple began in 2007 and is progressing very well. Sompura is working on the Shikhar, arches, pillars and other delicate marble carvings.

Members of the 2008 Executive Committee; President Deepak Shah, Vice-President Anil Shah, General Secretary Paresh Shah; Treasurer Rajan Doshi,Youth-coordinator Meeta Parikh, and committee members Kiran Shah and Madhuben Sheth briefed the media representatives Mustafa Ajmeri,Ravi Ponangi, Ved Bhatia, Kailash Khandelwal and Mahadev Desai,on the final phase of construction. After a brief tour of the temple site, Deepak Shah and Paresh Shah made a PowerPoint presentation of the proposed construction, and estimated expenditure of the project.

In brief, the Temple will have traditional design including Ghabhara for pratimajis (3 Mul Nayak’s Shwetambar Pratimajis on upper floor) and (3 Mul Nayak’s Digambar Pratimajis on the floor below), Shikhar, Rang mandap, and Bhomati with Murti’s of the 24 Tirthankar. The three main pratimas will be surrounded by 24 tirthankars in a rectangular /stepped semi circle. The marble floor will have a seating capacity of more than 250 devotees. The project is expected to cost ₤ 2.7 million. JSGA seeks to raise this amount through generous individual and corporate sponsors, donations and interest-free loans.

JSGA is extremely grateful to the main sponsors Quantum National Bank. In fact, Quantum National Bank’s Chairman, Dr.Neel Neelagaru, attended the Pooja and Media briefing ceremony accompanied with Ms Deepa Kumari and Vinay Bose and also made a donation. Other major sponsors so far are Patel Brothers; MGR Palace, Nobel Investments, Raj Bhog ; Dosa Houze, & Bhindi Jewelers’.

Priyanka Jain Topped in HSC Results

Priya Ramakrishnan,, DNA

‘Tuitions weren’t necessary’The Mumbai division topper, Priyanka Jain, 17, proved that coaching classes are not necessary to bag the top slot. Securing 95.6 per cent in Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) exams, Priyanka credits her college for her success.

“I got a call from a friend saying that I had topped the Mumbai division. I didn’t believe them. I thought someone was playing a prank on me,” said this Atomic Energy Junior College, Tarapur student, “My brother too topped Thane district in class XII exams in 2004. I am just taking the family tradition forward.”

A music buff, she continued watching TV even during her exams. “I studied for four hours and spent the rest of my time at college.” Besides topping the state, Priyanka is also the topper in the girl’s category. Priyanka plans to pursue a career in Electronics and is awaiting her Common Entrance Test (CET) results this month.

Her college principal Rajshekar Rao, said this was the first time in 20 years that a girl from our college topped.

11th century Jain statue found

Kshitiz Gaur,TNN

AJMER: A medium-sized black stone statue of 17th Jain Tirth-ankar Kuntunath, dating back to 11th century, has emerged during excavations in holy town of Pushkar, about 15 kms from here.

The statue is one of the more than 36 statues found in last one year at old Pushkar and Ghat areas of the region. The discoveries con-firms of a religious congregation being held at the place some time in the medieval period.

Eighteen more such statues have been discovered in old Pushkar alone, including a Shivling of nearly one thousand year old, rare statue of god Kartikeya, statue of Vishnu and more Jain Tirthankar statues.

The statue of Jain Tirthankar Kuntunath in a meditating posture appeared when renovation work was going on at the famous Varaha temple in Pushkar. It bears characteristics of Jain architecture - curly hair, sharp features on face, etc. The style of meditation is also peculiar of Jain philosophy.

The statues have been kept in the government museum at Akbar Fort in Ajmer. Archaeologists and historians are studying different perspectives of new scripts of Chouhan dynasty of 11th century.

Two months ago, more than 20 statues were found during construction work on a personal land near Jat Vishramsthali behind the famous Bramha temple. The work containing scriptures in Ingal and Pingal, local dialects spoken during 10th century, and representing the meditation postures, dates between 6th and 11th centuries.

"These new discovery shows that Jainism flourished well at the time of Hindu ruler Prithvi Raj Chouhan,"said Akbar Fort museum superintendent Syeed Ajam Hussein. "Pushkar has the importance of multi-religious studies. The statues are in very good condition,"he said, adding that the statues bear pure art of Jain sculptures and therefore have significance for the scholars and archaeologists.

About 8 years ago, a metallic statue pertaining to Jain religion was also found in the area which dated back to more than two thousand years. "The period is important because that was the time when the region was ruled by Hindu kings, and Ghajnis invaded the land,"added Ajam.

"Pushkar is an ancient city and clues are there that Vikramaditya of 6th century had studied in Pushkar. The land has more treasure dug under it,"said a Pushkar-based archaeologist Rajendra Yagnik. "More than 4 times, the university at Pushkar was ruined by the invaders. This university was unique with Samkhya, Yoga and Jain philosophies being taught there,"he said, adding, "A group of Italian archaeologists also visited the place and gathered information of scriptures found here."

A Jain hospital exclusively for birds

By D.N.Jha

THE JAINS, who constitute hardly one per cent of the country’s population, continue to adhere to the tenets of their religion. The bird hospital in Chandini Chowk is just one example of the lofty principles that they are devoted to. It also reflects their belief in freedom of all living beings, no matter how small or insignificant they are.

The Jain Bird Hospital

A sick parrot in the hospital

Sick pigeons in the hospital

Next to Chandni Chowk, right across the Red Fort, is Digambar Jain temple. In the same complex is a unique and interesting hospital situated, where only birds are admitted.
Run by legendary Aggarwal Digambar Jain panchayat, Delhi, the hospital was founded in 1956 on the Jain principle of aversion to killing. The hospital has separate wards in form of cages for different species of birds like sparrows, parrots, domestic fowls and pigeons. It also has a research laboratory and even an intensive care unit for its serious patients.

The people, especially the Jain merchants of the area, bring the birds that are usually wounded by ceiling fans or by other means for treatments. The hospital admits a maximum of 60 injured birds per day. The birds are then treated, bathed and are given nutritious diet so that it recover soon. It is eventually released, especially on Saturdays, after it is declared fit and healthy.

The interesting thing about the hospital is that they reluctantly and in a very special case, treat the non-vegetarian birds. Visitors can also see flocks of birds on the roof of the hospital. Though most of the birds are those that have been treated here, but who knows there are some visitors too for its respective patients!

Since it is a charitable hospital, visitors are expected to donate some money.

Transported in plastic bags or clasped between hands, 30 to 40 birds arrive in a day. In summers, the birds are often dehydrated; in winters, it suffers from pneumonia. Whether wounded by a passing auto-rickshaw or a whirling ceiling fan, the injured fowls arrive at the Charity Birds Hospital inside the Digambara Jain Temple compound, seeking a remedy for everything from pigeon pox to the common cold. One thing is for sure that this is the only hospital of its kind: The patients never admit themselves.

Opposite the historic Red Fort and situated amidst the noise and chaos of Chandni Chowk, the three-storey hospital, founded in 1956, treats nearly 30,000 birds every year. The birds are first held in the intensive care unit and are eventually transferred to the general wards, where it regain its wings and eventually fly off.

Fed, a vegetarian diet of bread and cheese, treatments are free of cost and funded by Jain donations. The hospital separates its vegetarian patients from its non-vegetarian counterparts. Carnivorous predators such as eagles, hawks and falcons are housed exclusively on the first floor. Every Saturday, a section of the roof is opened and the recovered birds fly away. The hospital follows a central tenet of Jainism – a commitment towards enabling the freedom of all living beings, no matter how small or insignificant it is. And once the birds are admitted, those are never returned to its owners for fear of likely confinement.

“People bring the birds here, Jain or not,” explained veterinarian Dr Vijay Kumar, who has worked at the hospital for nine years, who is not a Jain himself, quickly mentioned that he is a vegetarian. One of India’s smallest religious communities that comprises approximately one per cent of India’s one billion people, Jains are the first and foremost vegetarians.

“Just like us, a pigeon will never eat another animal’s meat. Even if it is very hungry,” said manager, Kamal Kishore Jain, as he describes the folk-art mural in the hospital’s second-floor entrance. It shows a scene from a famous Jain and Buddhist tale: A king, whose hand and foot have been cut off, is pictured next to a scale that balances his bleeding foot and hand on one side and a bird on the other. The mural reads: “Brave and merciful king put pieces of his own flesh and finally, his whole life in exchange to save a pigeon from becoming the prey of a hawk.”

Walking barefoot through the bird hospital premises, two words immediately came to mind, ’bird flu’. Dr Kumar assured, “Since the bird flu, we have taken extra precautions and care with migratory birds.”

Whenever you enter the Chandni Chowk area, you cannot miss seeing the charity bird’s hospital located within the precincts of a temple. Timings: Open: 8 am to 8 pm.

Ashima Jain is IAS Topper

Ashima Jain celebrating with her family at her house in Karol Bagh in New Delhi on Friday.

NEW DELHI: One of the lanes in Karol Bagh has remained hushed for the past one-and-a-half years. Even the children there have not come out to play. All of them understood that inside a house on that lane, Ashima Jain was studying day and night to realise her dream of becoming an IAS officer and she shouldn't be disturbed by any noise.

On Saturday, however, house and lane alike were bustling with celebrations. Twenty-five-year-old Ashima had topped the UPSC exam in Delhi and was first among the women who appeared for the exam in the country. Ashima ranked seventh in the results announced by the UPSC late on Friday evening.

"I haven't even looked at the results myself. We saw my name flashing on the television on Friday evening and since then, friends and relatives have been pouring in to congratulate me. I have dreamt of becoming an IAS officer since childhood and now I am one," said Ashima, while her family distributed burfis to the visitors.

A gold medalist in economics from Delhi School of Economics, Ashima worked as a business analyst with American Express for over a year. She shunned an annual package of Rs 6 lakh to start preparing for her dream to become a civil servant in the country. They choice paid off— she cleared the UPSC exam in the first attempt.

"My daughter lived in Japan, Australia and Singapore when she was working. She had been living a comfortable life but nothing could stop her from following her dream of becoming an IAS officer," said Ashima's father N K Jain, who is a gazetted officer.

Ashima recalls cutting off from the outer world and studying for over 15 hours a day. She says it was like a self-imposed imprisonment.

Her mother, Vaneeta Jain said: "We used to wake her up at 4.30 am while on our way out for a morning walk. She started studying around 4.45 am and went on till 11 pm at night. Sometimes, my heart went out to her. She had stopped meeting anyone or going out for parties. For the last two weeks before the exam, she could not eat anything because of tension and remained on a liquid diet."

Even her grandmother, who lives on the ground floor of the house, had to talk to Ashima, who was studying in her room on the first floor, on the phone.

Ashima attributes her success to her family and the teachers at her IAS coaching institute. She graduated in economics from Sri Ram College of Commerce and completed her postgraduation in economics in 2005. She hasalso trained in Indian classical music for 10 years.

"Before becoming an IAS officer, I want to relax and enjoy. My dad is throwing a huge party next week," said Ashima.

neha.pushkarna@timesgroup.com

Milk of human kindness awaited

S Sujatha

COIMBATORE: THE State’s best goshala seeks government help to protect cows which were rescued on the way to slaughter houses in Kerala.

The ghosala situated in 40 acres at Myleripalayam Pirivu, Pollachi Main Road, houses 790 cattle with predominantly 60 per cent cows and 40 percent buffaloes. The goshala is run by Coimbatore Animal Welfare Society (CAWS). Goshala is mainly run to save cattle and the expenditure is met by public and animal lovers’ contribution, according to CAWS preident Mahaveer Jain.

"Our basic needs are finance, infrastructure and grazing lands.We have 21 permanent and 2 temporary sheds now. We need at least 10 more," he added.He said the per day expenditure of goshala was around Rs 25,000.Currently two loads of fodder is required everyday, said Gautham Chand Srisrimal, Secretary of the society.

He added that when they had put forth their requests to the Animal Husbandry Department , we were told that there was no scheme for goshala in the state.“We have also given petitions to the district collector requesting for free electricity, grazing lands and subsidized fodder from government farm lands,’’ he said. It is to be noted that the Coimbatore goshala won the best goshala award in the state at the recent all India Conference on glory of cow organised by the Tirumala Tirupathi Devasthanam.

Jain monk walks barefoot across India to reform the men

By Santanu Barad

Jain Monk Prasanna Sagarji Maharaj takes rest at Raghunathpur Village near Berhampur during his Ahimsa Sanskar Padyatra on bare foot to reform men.

Berhampur (Orissa): The monks at normal times live in the wood and pray for the welfare of the human civilization. However, there are few monks like Prasanna Sagarji Maharaj, who lives among the people to reform the men and their attitude by restoring degradation in morality owing to modern living habits.

Prasanna Sagar was born in the Chatarpur region of present Madhya Pradesh left the home at the age of 19 years and became a Digambar Jain monk.

Since then, Prasannaji has been walking bare foot across the country to bring a reform in the men by changing theie lifestyle and the attitude that ought to be in the human being for the development and welfare of the human civilization.

Prasannaji was recently at Berhampur during his tour and stayed for a night at the Raghunathpur village.

During his tour in last 20 years, he covered at least 25,000 kilometers in bare and left a kind of indefinable mark in the minds of the people he met.

As per the tradition of the Digambar section of the Jain, the monk walks bare foot, wears no cloths and remains in bare body throughout the year. He takes food or water only once in a day, maintains silent in the night, uses no vehicle, uses no metal either, pulls the hair of the head by hand only.

Moreover, he never uses any kind comfortable things, sleeps on the bare floor, never takes bath and always carries a Jhadi made of peacock's feather for the security of lives and holds a pot for the purification of the body.

To the astonishment of many people present at the village, Prasannaji broke his silent in that evening before this correspondent, though in the evenings he remains silent as per the Jain tradition.

When asked, he said, "when a monk speaks few people listens, but when a scribe writes the message reaches among the masses. Hence, the journalists should write for the people that could bring a reform in the society by creating awareness".

Speaking about the aims of his Ahimsa Sanskar Padyatra, he said that with each passing day, the men are loosing their moral characters, idealism are being vanished and human attitudes are being changing. So, he felt the need of propagating the people about the reforms in themselves by changing the attitude, spreading love and peace in the society.

Putting emphasis on welfare of the human being and high moral value, Prasannaji said putting aside one’s selfishness; the men should work for the betterment of the society in order to revive the rich social and cultural heritage of the country.

Meat sellers protest abattoir shutdown during Jain festival

By: Neha Arha

Mumbai, May 15 The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s decision to shut down all city slaughterhouses during the Jain festival of Paryushan has run into opposition from meat sellers. The Brihanmumbai Hindu Khatik Samaj Sanghatna, an association of meat sellers, has decided to observe a dharna on Wednesday at Azad Maidan.

The Paryushan will be observed between August 27 and September 3 this year. Those participating in the dharna will have their mouths taped and hands tied.

The BMC, at a general body meeting of the elected representatives on April 7, decided shut down all abattoirs during the nine-day Jain festival. According to the protestors, the worst hit will be the owners and the workers of the slaughterhouses.

According to the association, there are around 1,500 BMC-owned and licensed shops selling meat in Mumbai apart from illegal ones in and around suburbs. They employ over 25,000 daily-wage workers who earn a meagre Rs 100-Rs 150 per day. The closing of the slaughterhouses for nine days would mean no income for these workers for those nine days, the association said.
Sixty-five-year-old Maltibai Eknath Kothmere, a widow, earns her livelihood in the form of rent from the slaughter shop her husband had left her. Seated in her tiny one-room house, she complained: “No money means no food. We are somehow managing with the little income that we get as rent, but now with the BMC’s resolution, I do not know how we will survive for those nine days.”

Jagannath Ghodke, 75, another slaughterhouse owner, added: “Slaughterhouses, big or small, employ most of their workers on daily wages. Closing a slaughterhouse even for a day would mean no income in a house for that day. How can the municipality be so insensitive to the needs of so many people considering that we don't have any alternate source of income?”

Ratnakar R Lad, general secretary of the Maharashtra Rajya Hindu Khatik Samaj Sanghatna, said, “If the municipality agrees to the demands of one community while completely ignoring the needs of the other, then it’s quite possible that others may also demand the same in the future. We are not against the closure of these abattoirs for a day or two. But shutting them down for such a long duration will not only disrupt our profession but also related professions.”

Bhalchandra Gaikwad, the general secretary of the Mutton Dealers’ Association, said: “Around 25,000 goats are imported weekly from regions of Rajasthan and Gujarat. The whole process includes animal breeders, transport, cleaners and helpers in the slaughterhouses. The health and leather industry gets its regular work from the process of slaughtering. Shutting abattoirs will mean a huge financial loss to all. We will not hesitate moving the Supreme Court if the BMC turns a deaf ear.”

Dilip Patel, the BJP corporator who initiated the proposal to keep slaughterhouses closed during the nine-day period, said: “We have always respected and cared for the sentiments of the minorities and Jains are a minority. We have just passed a resolution as per Supreme Court order to close slaughterhouse during the period.”