Jain Workshop at Houston TX

Workshop Theme

STRIKING A BALANCE: - EXAMINING Social, Cultural, and Spiritual environment that our youth face while growing up in North America.

Dates – August 16, 2013 to August 18, 2013

Time – August 16 Friday 7 PM to 9 PM and August 17 and 18 - 9:30 AM to 5:00 PM

Location – Jain Society of Houston (Big Trailer)

Participants
The workshop will be most beneficial to Pathashala teachers, potential teachers and any adults who are open minded to understand the principles of Jainism and their applications in American culture environment.  The Workshop is open to all.

Workshop Moderator
Pravin K Shah, Chairperson Jaina Education Committee and Jain eLibrary in-charge.

Workshop Coordinators –
Chini Mehta at emailchini@gmail.com (832)584-4327 or Smita Bora at smitabora@hotmail.com
Registration required but no fee:(Limited space available).

Overview of Jain Workshop

After the first few sessions on Jain axioms and fundamental principles, the workshop delves into the brain storming and discussion on powerful and thought provoking questions that have no absolute answers.  It includes the social and cultural perceptions as well as stereotypes and generalizations from both youth and adult’s perspective.

The discussion will provide insights into questions that are important to our youth in order to develop them spiritually, ethically, and socially in the western world.

While often difficult to reconcile divergent influences, it is critical to understand the distinctions and strike a balance amongst Indian heritage, Jain religion, spirituality and Western lifestyle.

We will be digging deep, challenging ourselves/our limiting beliefs and exploring new possibilities. Regardless of your current level of understanding, you are bound to walk away with a new expanded view.

List of Questions

We have compiled the list of questions that our youth, young Jain professionals, Pathashala teachers, and adult community have asked us over the past 10 years of time. The following two links contain the listings of all such questions.

http://www.jainelibrary.org/$Questions/01_Youth_Adults_and_Teachers_Questions.pdf

http://www.jainelibrary.org/$Questions/02_Questions_Received_in_Email.pdf

During the workshop we will be discussing these questions and their possible answers using the fundamental principles of Jainism.  Keep in mind that some questions are not easy to answer and some questions may have more than one answer.  Also for some questions we may not have enough knowledge of Jainism to answer.

If you have any question that is not being covered in the above two lists, please send your question using the following link:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1gNRHFm2qnP5RGvmYuBjldLS8FnUXrUjUocSJTsYSPhI/viewform

I would also like to put together a team of Scholars and Pathashala teachers from North America to work on the answers of these questions.  We need to prepare the answers appropriate to our time, place, and circumstances and not violating the fundamental principles of Jainism.  If any of you have an interest to work on this team, please send me an email.  (Qualification - You should be living in North America and have raised families here.)

Prerequisite for the Workshop
Please read the Jaina Education material Reference book – Jainism 101 (JES 901/902) located at the following link

http://www.jainlibrary.org/elib_master/jaina_edu/jaina_edu_book/$JES901_Jainism_E7_20090301_000901.pdf

Future Workshop

I will be conducting similar sessions every day during Paryushana in London UK organized by the Jain Network (Dr. Natubhai Shah - natubhaishah@aol.com) and Young Jains UK organizations.

If your Jain center would like to organize such workshop, please contact Pravin K Shah jainaedu@gmail.com

Follow-ups

Brett Evans’s Article on “A Perspective on Panjarapoles (Animal Shelter) of India”

We have received about 80 email responses around the world basically appreciating his work.  Brett is trying hard to respond individually.  However he will prepare general answer that will be distributed in next week.

Pathashala Presentations at the Jaina Convention

We have uploaded the Pathshala presentation of 18 different Jain centers of North America that we have received at the Jaina convention.  Now you will be able to see the various activities of different Jain Centers of North America at the following link.

http://jainelibrary.org/jaina_path.php

If you want to modify/change your existing information, please send us a new file and we will replace it on the website.  If your center has not provided its presentation, please do it now and we will upload it on the website.

If you have any questions, please fill free to contact at jainaedu@gmail.com

Regards,

Pravin K Shah

Jaina Education Committee
Jain eLibrary.

Young Jains of Nairobi's Film Show

In the spirit of Christmas comes the opportunity to give back and share the joy with one another. The Young Jains of Nairobi organised a fabulous film show at the Westgate Shopping Mall and thereafter lunch at the SSD Temple in conjunction with the Rotary Club last Saturday.

The guests both young and old from different old-age homes and schools got to enjoy pre-Christmas celebrations. The volunteers from the Young Jains were well supported by the mature and dedicated Rotarians, their teachers and caretakers.

It was commendable how dedicated they were to offering care to the disabled and helping them to the bathroom. What better way to show one's Christmas spirit than to share and donate to those who need it the most.

Jaipur Foot Foundation get donation
The Hindu Council of Kenya held a donation drive of wheel chairs for the Jaipur Foot Foundation at the Jalaram Temple on December 2. It was a highly dignified affair with the chief guest being Vice-president Kalonzo Musyoka and his wife Pauline. The children were awed to meet a state couple and the Jaipur Foot Foundation was deeply honoured too.

The Star, Kenya 

Claremont Lincoln Inaugurates Center for Jain Studies

CLAREMONT, Calif., United States

On Oct. 8, only one year since the beginning of the Jain Studies program, Claremont Lincoln University celebrated the inauguration of a new Center for Jain Studies.

 The inaugural ceremony was held at the Claremont School of Theology prior to the national panel discussion of the Parliament of the World’s Religions, in which the Jain tradition was represented by former JAINA president, and one of the senior advisors for the Jain Studies program at Claremont Lincoln, Dr. Sulekh Jain.

 In the ceremony, Jain Studies professor Brianne Donaldson, who has served as the Dharma Traditions coordinator for the past year that administers the majority of the Jain projects and activities, recounted the beginnings of the Jain Studies program and its many accomplishments so far.

 Dr. Nitin Shah of Loma Linda University and past president of the Jain Center of Southern California, and one of the main donors behind the opening of the new center, spoke on the importance of education in the current world.

 In the course of just one year, the Jain Studies program at Claremont Lincoln has become one of the most active Jain Studies graduate programs in the nation.

 The opening celebration also featured a short cultural program of music, dance, and theater performances.

Claremont Lincoln University Opens a Center for Jain Studies

November 14, 2012

Last fall, the nation’s first interreligious university, Claremont Lincoln University, located forty miles east of Los Angeles, California, saw its opening convocation, at which it celebrated a new partnership with the Jain community.  This fall, on October 8, 2012, only one year since the beginning of the Jain Studies program, Claremont Lincoln University celebrated the inauguration of a new Center for Jain Studies, dedicated to furthering the work of Jain wisdom in today’s world.  In the course of just one year, the Jain Studies program at Claremont Lincoln has become not only the most active program at the University, but also the most active Jain Studies graduate program in the nation--already administering over a dozen programs, including hosting an annual international Jain conference; offering graduate-level Jain dharma courses each year; bringing expert Jain scholars to the area for special lectures and events; hosting an annual Ahimsa Day celebration; and coordinating a summer Jain dharma study abroad program in India for local and national scholars.

With this much Jain activity happening on campus, the University sought to deepen collaborations with its Jain partners even further and, with philanthropic support from the Jain community, launched a Center that will serve as the hub for the many Jain Studies projects flowering out of this intimate partnership.

The Center’s inaugural ceremony on October 8^th was held at Mudd Theater at Claremont School of Theology just before the national panel discussion of the Parliament of the World’s Religions, in which the Jain tradition was represented by former President of JAINA, and one of the senior advisors for the Jain Studies program at Claremont Lincoln, Dr. Sulekh Jain. 

In the celebratory ceremony Professor of Jain Studies, Ms. Brianne Donaldson, who has served as the Dharma Traditions Coordinator for the past year, administering the majority of the Jain projects and activities, recounted the beginnings of the Jain Studies program and its many accomplishments so far.  The new Center Coordinator, Ms. Lidiya Potapenko, followed, speaking on the central importance of ahimsa (or non-violence) in Jain dharma, and announced that the Center’s mission was to put compassion and non-violence to work in the world around us. Dr. Nitin Shah (Loma Linda University), past President of the Jain Center of Southern California and one of the main donors behind the opening of the new Center, spoke on the importance of education in the current world.  The opening celebration also featured a short cultural program of music, dance, and theater performances by Anjal, Priyash, Vaishali, and Mahesh Jain—members of Claremont Lincoln’s local Jain partnership organization, the Jain Center of Southern California (JCSC) in Buena Park.

The new Center for Jain Studies is dedicated to facilitating and promoting open discourse, innovative scholarship, creative expression, and the practical application of Jain teachings in today’s world.  In all of its projects, the Center will especially encourage connections between Jain dharma and other wisdom traditions, and will raise awareness of the larger interconnected ecological environment in which we live.  To find out more about the new Center for Jain Studies at Claremont Lincoln University, please visit jain.claremontlincoln.org.

Jains Win Kundalpur Statue Case Against ASI

TOI

 NEW DELHI: In what is being widely perceived as a major win for the Jain community, the Madhya Pradesh high court has permitted a Jain trust to preserve an ancient 15-ft statue of deity Lord Adinath.

Situated in Kundalpur near Damoh in MP, the deity, popularly known as 'Bade Baba', forms part of a group of temples scattered over an area of nearly 200 acres dating back to the 6th-7th century AD and is revered for religious significance.

A bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Sushil Harkauli and Justice Alok Aradhe recently dismissed the Archaeological Survey of India's (ASI) ownership claim over the deity and the temple and concluded that ownership vested with the state government since the ASI had never staked claim after independence.

The HC also took into account the fact highlighted by former solicitor general Gopal Subramaniam, representing the trust, that historical records showed the temple in question was looked after well and preserved by the community and had never been in possession of the ASI.

He further argued that the temples were not accorded the status of national heritage, on the contrary, it has a religious importance.

The ASI filed a petition in 2006, requesting to stop construction of temple on the Kundalpur temple premises and hand over the idols found during construction work. In its plea, the ASI claimed Lord Adinath's idol and the temple signified archaeological importance and rights should be provided to it for its preservation. It accused the state and the trust of eyeing the area to carry out mining and quarrying activity but failed to substantiate the same.

Rejecting ASI's claim, the HC granted nod to 'Bade Baba Digambar Jain Temple Trust' for construction work provided it obtained permission from the state government within two months.

Claremont Jain Conference Brings Religious Diversity to Bioethical Questions

Saturday, 28 July 2012

The conference seeks to bring the resources of Jainism, of the dharma traditions of India, and of the world's religious and spiritual traditions in general, to bear on the most difficult bioethical questions of our day. Its broad aim is to address such questions as: when does life begin, and when does it end? When is the quality of life so compromised that doctors should cease further interventions? What is informed consent? What constraints should apply to research on human subjects? And how can the sanctity of life be preserved?

Claremont Lincoln University is co-sponsoring the event with its local, national, and international Jain partners (the Jain Center of Southern California, the Federation of Jain Associations in North America, and the International School for Jain Studies), making the conference a rare joining of those who follow the tenets of this ancient tradition in practice, and those who contemplate it through speculative scholastics, at the international level.

In addition to having diversity in religious difference, and bringing Jain practice and scholarship together within the international purview, the conference will also have speakers coming from incredibly varied walks of occupational life; rabbis, independent researchers, authors, a president of a religious network, a talk show producer, a surgeon, a cardiologist, a former scientist, a neurologist, professors, students, and Jain nuns will all constitute the diverse body of this unique conference.

The Bioethics Conference will be the pilot conference for the Jain Studies Program at Claremont Lincoln University-one of a handful of programs on Jainism that exist in the entire US-which opened last fall, at the inauguration ceremony of the newly founded university. The diversity seen along the different lines of the conference manifests the vision of Claremont Lincoln University, which aims to educate its student body in an interdisciplinary, multicultural, and multireligious milieu.

Media Contact:
Lidiya Potapenko
Publicity Coordinator
909.667.6502
lidiya.potapenko@cst.edu

Muslims help in Jain temple construction

Patna July 28 (IANS) In an example of communal harmony in India, Muslims in the holy month of Ramadan have helped in the construction of a Jain temple in Bhagalpur town of Bihar.

Mohammad Janeshar Akhtar even demolished a portion of his house Friday to enable the movement of a 70-foot long truck laden with a granite stone block, being carried for making an idol at the temple, officials said Saturday. Other Muslims helped widen the street so that the vehicle could reach the temple without much difficulty.

"In the holy month of Ramadan when a Muslim is supposed to do rightful things, I decided to help my Jain brothers. I thought that if I refuse to demolish the roof of my house, it will obstruct the construction of the statue," said Akhtar.

The granite block was 35 feet long, 9 feet wide and 5 feet tall and was loaded on the truck. It could not be negotiated through the narrow and congested street near Akhtar's house.

"I demolished a portion of my boundary wall and roof of my house after the truck carrying the huge granite block got stuck on the narrow road leading to the temple," he said.

Akhtar along with Mohammad Alam, both residents of Kabirpur, a Muslim locality in Bhagalpur, about 200 km from here, then helped members of Champapur Digambar Jain temple to move the truck with the granite block to the temple for constructing the statue of Vaspujya Bhagwan, a district police official said.

"After the news spread that the truck carrying granite stone for the temple was stuck near his house, Akhtar decided to demolish the wall and the roof of his house," police official said.

Aalam, another man from the community, requested his Muslim neighbours to help in widening the road, the officvial said.

Akhtar told IANS over telephone that when even after the demolition of the boundary wall of his house the truck could not move, he asked workers to demolish a portion of the roof also as it was blocking the truck.

"Local Muslim residents helped to widen the road... It was a positive development for social harmony," Alam said.

Bhagalpur town had a history of communal conflict. It witnessed one of the worst riots in the country, in which over 1,000 people, mostly Muslims, were killed in October 1989.

Early this year, some Muslims had helped in building a Hindu temple dedicated to goddess Durga in Bihar's Gaya district. Muslims not only donated money but were also involved in the construction of the temple.

Earlier, a Muslim had donated his land for a temple dedicated to god Shiva in Begusarai district. Mohammad Fakhrool Islam had given land for it in Muslim-dominated Bachwara village.

Over three decades ago, in the same village some Hindus had donated a piece of land for the construction of a mazar (a place where a saint is buried).

Jainism: The Queen's diamond Jubilee celebration

News by Keshav Chandaria

We will like to share with you the successful event on 15th February where the Queen has recognised Jainism as one of the nine historical major faiths in Britain. Please find he attachments that speak for themselves. Please feel free to share this historical event with others including the media.

In UK, the nation is celebrating Her Majesty the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee this year.

The nine historical major faiths (Christianity, Baha’i, Buddhist, Hindu, Jain, Jewish, Sikh and Zoroastrian) celebrated this event by showing the treasures to Her Majesty & the Duke of Edinburgh and by gifting ‘A Year of Service’ to Her.

The Archbishop of Canterbury invited Her Majesty on the 15^th of February to show the treasures of the respective faiths where Dr Natubhai Shah led the Jain delegation that included Mr Tushar Shah (President Oshwal Association UK), Mr Harshad Sanghrajka (Secretary IOJ) and Mr Kamal Mehta (Trustee Jain Samaj Europe). All Non-Christian faiths were treated equally and allowed 4 persons for the presentation.

Jains displayed the Kalpa Sutra, one of the most auspicious sacred text as their treasure.

The Department of Community and Local Government has initiated the faith led ‘A Year of Service’ to gift a social action project by the faith communities near their important sacred day. The attached chart gives the programme for each community. In November there will be national celebration of these gifts of ‘A Year of Service’.

Jains have been given the opportunity of visiting sick in April. The Jain community in the UK has been excited to be part of this celebration. We will visit a few hospitals and hospices in London, Leicester, Manchester and Birmingham. London Jains will visit 6 Hospitals, 2 Hospices and some housebound sick. Each visiting Jain group will consist of 6- 10 persons which will include health professionals, interfaith leaders and community leaders and volunteers. We hope to entertain the sick by instrumental music and giving gift of sweets or fruits.

Jain Girl to Become Jain Nun

22-year-old rich girl chucks it all for sainthood
M R Venkatesh, Chennai, Jul 19, DH News Service:
Monday, July 19, 2010

As the medical world on Monday remembered the angelic Nurse Florence Nightingale for her deep compassion and devotion in tending the sick as ‘Nurses Day’, the Jain community here sprang a surprise.

In a different kind of compassionate response to cure men of the “sickness within”, Deepa, a 22-year-old commerce graduate, who could have gone miles for an MBA and a plum job, stunned her parents when she announced that she plans to “give up this world for a better tomorrow”.

Deepa, hailing from a well-to-do business class family in the city, whose forefathers had migrated decades ago to old Madras from Sojat district of Rajasthan, did not wish to go in search of more riches or gold.

Deepa’s father Tarachandji Garadia runs a profitable jewellery shop in Sowcarpet in North Chennai, the mini-Rajasthan in Tamil Nadu’s capital. The young girl could have got all that she wanted.

But a reflective Deepa chose to follow in the footsteps of her younger sister, Rekha, who has already taken ‘Diksha’ (initiation into monk-hood as per Jainism’s religious tradition) three years ago.

After getting the parental nod, including of her grieving mother Vimala Bai Garadia, the spiritual aspirant Deepa, clad in bridal attire, symbolically for the first and last time in her life, announced at a press conference here about her intent to become a ‘Jain Muni’.

“Deepa thinks that this world is so full of evil and ugliness; she strongly feels the only way to go to heaven as per our Jain tradition is to renounce the world and do some good to society as a monk,” Sangeetha, a close relative of the young girl told Deccan Herald. The ceremony for Deepa’s formal initiation into a life of renunciation – Diksha – has been fixed for July 21, Sangeetha added.

Former Tamil Nadu Director General of Police, S Sripal, a Jainism scholar himself, said when women take ‘Diksha’, “the hair on their head would be plucked”. The initiated girl would then have to don white attire and go barefoot, along with the other woman saints in the fraternity.

Mahavir Jayanti celebrated with SMS and greetings in India

Mahavir Jayanti is celebrated as the birth anniversary of Lord Mahavir, the 24th Teerthankar of Jain religion. Usually it occurs in the months of March or April but this year it is on Sunday, 28 March, 2010. Mahavir, also known as Vardhamana, is the last prophets in the 24 Teerthankaras galaxy. He was one of the greatest Teerthankaras born to Siddhartha and Trishala Devi in the year 599 B.C on the outskirts of Vaishali near Patna.

As a young prince, Mahavir displayed many instances of fearlessness which earned him the name, Mahavir. He was an epitome of physical prowess and intellectual insight. He gave up the comforts of the palace and his kingship and undertook the life of penance for 12 years. He simplified religious procedures and condemned violence in the form of animal sacrifice, superstitions and rituals.

Mahavir Jayanti remembers Lord Mahavir’s teaching, “Do unto others as you would like to be done by. Injury or violence done by you to any life in any from, animal or human is as harmful as it would be if caused to your own self.”

Mahavir initiated a very simple path for the householders, namely, Ahimsa (non injury-physical or mental, to others), Asteya (non-stealing), Brahmacharya (temperance in sexual pleasure) and Aparigraha (non-acquisition of property). He also enforced upon abstinence from any kind of physical and material comforts for monks and nuns. He laid stress on highest ethical and spiritual discipline and emphasized that the Unity of Life forms is the highest saving principles of mankind.

Mahavir Jayanti reminds people of Lord Mahavira’s message of non-injury to every living being and stressed on the ill effects of never ending human craving that ends up destroying and exploiting other living species. Such human behavior may land them in deadly perils.

Even after 2500 years of passing away of this pious soul, monks till today maintain his pure and upright tradition and spreading Mahavir’s teachings of peace, non-violence, non-injury and brotherhood among people. Thousands of Sanyasins and Sanyasinis walk on foot on Mahavir Jayanti from town to town spreading his messages.

Prime Minster Manmohan Singh and President Smt. Pratibha Patil greeted the nation on this occasion. “Lord Mahavir’s profound message remains a beacon of hope in today’s world,” he said.

Guard against religious majorityism, stresses Chidambaram

New Delhi, Dec 10 (IANS) Two legal luminaries locked horns in the Rajya Sabha Thursday, with Home Minister P. Chidambaram cautioning against dividing the country's polity on religious lines and Leader of Opposition Arun Jaitley of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) countering that the minorities needed to be protected but not at the cost of the majority.

Chidambaram's remarks came at the fag end of his reply to a 10-hour discussion spread over two days on the Liberhan Commission report on the Babri Masjid demolition and the government's action taken report (ATR) were in response to what Jaitley had said while participating in the discussion Wednesday.

"To divide polity on the basis of religion is dangerous," Chidambaram maintained, adding: "Please do not try to create a division on the lines of colour or religion."

"You can construct a majority on a political ideology, an idea, a theory, a principle. I can accept that. But if you construct a platform on religion, that cannot be accepted," the minister contended.

Jaitley replied that his argument was not of majorityism.

"India is secular. We must protect the minorities but not at the discrimination of the majority because of vote ban politics," he contended.

For good measure, Chidambaram prefaced his remarks by saying religions like Buddhism, Christianity, Jainism, Islam, Zorastrianism and Sikhism had come to India between 6 BC and the 1490s.

"All these religions are Indian religions. Those who practice them are as Indian as any other Indian," he contended.

Jain Acharya Gets Threat Mail : Persecution of Jains

RAJKOT/SURAT, NOVEMBER 20

Even as the CID (Crime) is investigating the incidents of road accident deaths of Jain monks and sadhvis, the main acharya at Palitana in Bhavnagar district and his disciple has received a threat mail, the second in a week’s time.

The first one, also addressed to acharya Abhaysurishveraji, was received last week, after the Jains demanded a probe into the deaths of saints killed in road accidents in the state.

A total of six saints have been killed in two different road accidents in the last week. The Jains have claimed that over 25 saints have been killed in the guise of these accidents in the past six months or so.

The Palitana police began investigations on Friday after a letter arrived through post, even as heavy police security cover has been set for the pilgrimage town.

Investigating Officer Inspector R L Rathva said: “The letter is written in Hindi addressing acharya Abhaysurishveraji and his disciple Mokshratna Vijay, the head saint at Vaav Dharmshala. The sender has asked Jains to stop their legal and media campaign against the Mandal or they will be killed.”

The fresh complaint has been registered by Mokshratna Vijay.

The letter states that Jain saints and the community are responsible for the deterioration of the world. “No matter where you go, be it Rajasthan, Maharashtra or Gujarat, you will not be safe. We will dig up your graves,” the threat mail signed in the name of one Kashan Prajapati said.

The letter further said that no inquiry by the Gujarat government can harm them.

In view of the threat mail, the police have deployed additional security around Vaav Dharmshala in Palitana — considered among the most important pilgrimage place for Jains.

Following the outrage by the Jains, state Home Minister Amit Shah has ordered a CID probe into these incidents.

Elsewhere in Surat, members of the Jain community took out a silent rally from Katargam Darwaja to Bahumali building outside the collector’s office at Nanpura today to protest against the accidental death of four Jain sadhvis and two Jain monks in North Gujarat.

Later they handed over a memorandum to the district collector demanding free and fair investigations and strict punishment to the accused.

The rally started around 11.00 am today.

People from 25 different Jain organisations in Surat took part in the rally carrying banners stating the deaths were not accidental, but were killings done intentionally.

The Jain community started protesting over the deaths after a speeding truck hit four sadhvis near Mehsana and two Jain monks were killed under similar circumstances a few days ago.

Samast Surat Jain Sangh member Navin Nagarsewak said:
“We have demanded a free and fair investigation into the deaths.

The accused should be found out and punished strictly. The police should also provide security to the Jain monks and sadhvis walking on the highways. The police should ensure that the state is safe and secure.”

Preserving Jain Manuscripts

By Mansi Choksi

More than 4,000 Jain manuscripts, some dating back to the ninth century BC, are being immortalised in a digitised encyclopaedia that will be thrown
open to the public early next year.

‘Jainpedia’ is the brainchild of the Institute of Jainology (IoJ), formed in 1983 mainly by the Jain diaspora in Britain. The collection of manuscripts include scriptures from British institutions like the Victoria and Albert Museum, British Library, Bodleian Library and Wellcome Trust.

“Many have beautifully illustrated folios on paper, cloth and palm leaves with a diverse range of subjects related to Jain beliefs, tradition and practices,’’ said Mehool Sanghrajka, IoJ’s director of education.

The manuscripts cover areas like hymns and prayers, accounts of the lives of the founders of Jainism, didactic literature, lexicography, poetics, philosophy, astrology, karma literature, texts on pilgrimage places and on daily rituals.

Most manuscripts have travelled with British officers posted in India who returned after Independence.

“While compiling these catalogues, the Institute realised that the collections were being used only by scholars and learned monks and nuns,’’ said Sanghrajka.

That’s when the institute decided to make the collection accessible to a wider audience. “This question of access was multi-faceted — physical contact with these manuscripts can be difficult as some are rare, many centuries old and fragile. Even if one could get to them, many are in languages that have not been spoken for a millennia and more. And, if one could perchance read the script, the contents are themselves difficult without an understanding of Jain philosophy, history and culture,’’ he says.

To make them more intelligible, the digitised images will be contextualized with commentaries from modern scholars, audio and video material and translations of the original texts apart from material for schools and young people.

Even Jain elders and members of Jain trusts in Mumbai have given ‘Jainpedia’ the thumbs-up. “The effort taken by the Jain community in Britain will reinforce our own efforts of reaching out to youngsters,’’ says Puspasen Panachand Zaveri, who is a trustee of many Jain trusts including Chadraprabhu Derasar.
Sanghrajka adds that independent research had shown that over 3 lakh people would benefit from the project.

“In particular, school children in England, where the institute has brought Jainism into the English National Curriculum will benefit.” A series of lectures is being planned by the institute to create awareness about the website in Mumbai.

Arihant launched at Visakhapatnam

NEW DELHI, 26 JULY: As the nation today paid homage to the soldiers who a decade ago beat back Pakistani intruders in Kargil, it also inducted its first indigenously-built nuclear-powered submarine, taking the first visible step towards creating the sea leg of its nuclear triad. Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh however said that the country has no aggressive designs, though it would take all measures to safeguard itself.

The Prime Minister, who with defence minister AK Antony spent almost the entire Sunday with the armed forces, laid a floral wreath at the memorial to the unknown soldier in India Gate in New Delhi in the morning, while in Drass, Kargil, families of many of the slain soldiers gathered at the invitation of the armed forces to observe the 10th anniversary of the Kargil Vijay Diwas.

It was in the summer of 1999 that India and Pakistan almost came to the edge of having a fourth full-scale war as they faced-off in the snow-capped mountains of Kargil in Jammu and Kashmir. An estimated 530 Indian soldiers were killed in two months of fighting before the Pakistanis were pushed back across the international border.

Wreaths were laid at the War Memorial amid a flypast by Mig 21 Bison aircraft and showering of petals by Chetak helicopters, as the relatives got an account of the bravey of their loved ones from the personnel of the forces, colleagues and friends.

The finale of the two-day ceremony was a musical show by military bands drawn from all over the country followed by a spectacular illumination of Tiger Hill and Tololing, two of the peaks recaptured from the Pakistani intruders after savage fighting.

While the ceremony at India Gate was attended by the defence minister, Mr AK Antony, he and the Army chief Gen. Deepak Kumar gave the ceremony in Drass a miss.

A contingent of tri-services guards presented the salute and buglers sounded the last post as Dr Singh laid a wreath at the Amar Jawan Jyoti. A two-minute silence was observed for those killed in the 60-day war. “I join the entire nation in paying homage to the martyrs of the Kargil war. They sacrificed their lives in defence of Indian unity and integrity,” the PM wrote in the visitor's book.

Later the PM headed to Vishakhapatnam where his wife Mrs Gursharan Kaur broke a coconut and offered a prayer at the launch of the country’s first indigenous nuclear-powered attack submarine, INS Arihant, putting the country in an elite club that includes the USA, Russia, China, France and Britain.

Speaking on the occasion, the Prime Minister said the Navy had a major role to play in re-adjusting “our military preparedness”.

The launch of the 6,000-tonne, 110-metre long and 11-metre wide nuclear-powered submarine that can carry nearly 100 sailors comes 25 years after the project was initiated when Indira Gandhi was the Prime Minister.

In a clear message to Pakistan, the Prime Minister asserted that India did “not have any aggressive designs nor do we seek to threaten anyone. We seek an external environment in our region, and beyond that is conducive to our peaceful development and the protection of our value systems.”

Congratulating the personnel associated with the submarine, he said this was “a reflection of the immense technical expertise that exists in our country and the strength of our research and development organisations.” Dr Singh said the deep sea strategic capability was necessary in view of the increasing relevance of the sea in the country’s security scenario.

The dockyard where the submarine was housed was flooded before the vessel could be tugged out. Officials said it would take two years of sea trials before the vessel is commissioned into the navy. The steel for the submarine was cut in 1998.

Defence minister Mr AK Antony said the “present situation in our neighbourhood” demanded greater acquisition of strategic assets. Though neither the PM nor Mr Antony named China, the launch of INS Arihant was a clear message since China has the biggest navy in Asia.

Relic with traces of Jainism discovered

Relic with traces of Jainism discovered

MYSORE: Archaeologists involved with excavations at historic Talakad village have found an inscribed stela which authenticates the existence of
Jainism in the region.

According to a press release issued by the archaeology department here, this inscribed stela with a Jain image dated to 978-79 AD was unearthed from already excavated Basadi site at Talkad. The inscription reads that sage Balachandramuni known for his unblemished character and quality attained heaven in 978 AD, the release says , adding that this "nishidige" was created by Kundana Somidevi.

Archaeology director Gopal said this relic and inscription throws open a flood of information on several facets of Jain culture. Balachandramuni was the discpline of Maladharideva of Kondakundanvaya, Desigana and Pustakamnaya, and a great scholar.

The release said the inscription reveals that Balachandramuni attained his heavenly abode after five days of fasting and Kundana Somidevi who erected this stela was the sister of King Nolamakulantaka Marasimha II (963-74 AD) . The inscription was written by scribe Immadi Perumadiachari Bahulavelenga.

The release disclosed that Kundana Somidevi is none other than the lady who had gifted a beautiful Jain bronze image now preserved in Sharavanabelagola Jain mutt and she was the daughter of Ganga King Butuna III(940-63) and wife of Rajaditya of the Chalukya dynasty.

Note said the carving of this stela is unique in the sense that it is designed and decorated like a small shrine having six essential arts of a shrine. The fagade has the relief of sage Balachandramuni in "Kayotsarga" posture between two pilasters.

The team of archaeologists included M S Krishnamurthy, R Gopal and T S Gangadhara, ephigraphist H M Nagaraj Rao deciphered the inscription .

From TOI, Mysore

Jains lose custody battle of stolen idol of Lord Mahavira

New Delhi, March 18:

The efforts of three Jain temple committees to get a stolen idol of Lord Mahavira for offering prayers did not succeed in a Delhi court which trashed the claim saying it did not belong to them and was the court's property until disposal of the case.

"It (stolen idol) is the case property in the present FIR and its production is very essential for the prosecution case and in such a situation, it would not be appropriate to release the same on the 'superdari' (conditional release)" Additional Sessions Judge (ASJ) Nivedita Anil Sharma said.

The court said that being followers of the Jain religion did not make the claimants the real owners of the idol.

"Merely because the revisionists are followers of the Jain religion and pray to Lord Mahavira, 24th Trithankar, it cannot be said that the idol should be released in their favour," the court said, adding they were not its owners prior to the alleged theft.

The capital-based Shri Digamber Jain Mandir Management Committee, 1008 Shri Parshvanath Digamber Jain Mandir and Shree Vardman Digamber Jain Mandir Sabha had filed petitions after being denied possession of the idol by a lower court.

The ASJ, however, said the Metropolitan Magistrate may give its custody to the Centre or Archaeological Survey of India in order to maintain and preserve it.

The idol of Lord Mahavira was recovered from accused Manoj Kumar at Maurice Nagar Police station here in 2006 and a case of theft was registered.

The temple committees had approached the court seeking its custody on 'superdari' saying "the Jain community prays to and worships Lord Mahavira and the idol rightfully belonged to them ... it may be handed over to them for performing puja."

The court rejected the claim and said "even otherwise, it is yet to be established if the idol recovered is actually that of Lord Mahavira."

"The committees have not shown anything which could indicate that the right to hold the possession of the idol is vested in them as it is apparently neither they nor the person from whom the idol was stolen are the owner," it said.

The court held that the police, which has to prove the offence of theft and the antique nature of the idol during the trial, was the rightful owner.

Jamir calls for efforts to revive individual philanthropy

Mumbai , Feb 28

Expressing concern over the declining practice of philanthropy, Maharashtra Governor S C Jamir today called for collective efforts to revive individual and collective philanthropy. Jamir said that philanthropy could play a significant role in advancing social equity and bridging the rich-poor divide.

He also released a postage stamp in memory of well-known philanthropist, industrialist and social worker, the late Harakh Chand Nahata issued by the postal department at Raj Bhavan.

Jamir said members of Jain community to which Nahata belonged had done remarkable social and philanthropic work in the form of building schools, hospitals, sanatoriums and dharam shalas across the country.

Nahata was a distinguished social leader and was associated with more than 40 socio-religious organisations. Jamir lauded his contribution in the field of road transportation, which paved way for the economic development of Tripura and other Eastern states of India.

Born in 1932, Nahata was an entrepreneur and contributed to the field of social service, education, art and business. He died in 1999.

Parasnath on amenity drive

ARTI SAHULIYAR

Ranchi, Jan. 30: Once it was a must-visit spot for both Jains and tourists, but neglect has led to a dwindling footfall of visitors to the Parasnath hills.

But, the state tourism department, it seems, has woken up to the problem and is now mulling plans to provide “world-class” facilities to visitors to the Parasnath hills — also referred to as Shri Teerth.

Located 170km from Ranchi, every year lakhs of Jain pilgrims visit Parasnath hills. The tourism department has mooted a plan to develop the area and rope in the occasional foreign visitor as well. Plans include a bus stand, a shopping complex, a mediation-and-yoga centre, hotels and an amusement park.

State tourism secretary A.K. Singh said they are in the process to procure 106 acres to start the project in three months. “We are also chalking a blueprint for the mega project by roping in department officials. The government has decided to sanction Rs 50 crore shortly,” the secretary said.

“The project would also provide employment to local youths. We would take in 400 men for this project in a bid to improve the socio-economic condition of the area. The people would also be responsible for the upkeep of the hills,” Singh said.

"Over foreign 1,000 tourists come here every year, including some NRIs. We also receive some 5 lakh domestic tourists. We want these numbers to increase and promote the area as a must-see spot.”

Apart from the Parasnath temple, there are several Jain temples belonging both to Digambers and Svetambers sects. On Mahavir Jayanti, the temple is chock-a-block with visitors and pilgrims.

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.