Jains in India and Abroad

SR No.: 007601
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Prakash C Jain
Publisher: International Summer School for Jain Studies
Publication Year: 2011
Total Pages: 260
Language: English
Classification: Book_English
File Size: 6 MB

Page 134

is increasing practice of conducting marriage by Jain priests. Most Jain marriages follow caste/sub-caste endogamy and gotra exogamy. Inter-religious and inter-caste, inter-sect marriages are few and far between, but we do not know preciously the extent of such marriages.
Small size of the Jain community, sectarian divide, caste endogamy, low sex ratio, lack of widow remarriage, practicing of Bal Diksaha all these factors have tended to aggravate the problems of marriage among the Jains in that the availability of choice of marriage partners is increasingly being restricted. In the rural areas the situation has got further aggravated by the fact the girls from cities or towns are not willing to get married to boys in rural areas. Needless to say, these issues need sociological investigations. Patriarchy and its impact on the status and role on women and youth are other social issues requiring sociological investigation in the context of the Jain community.
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Economic Status
For over a century now, the relative affluence among the Jains has been noted by a number of scholars (Weber 1958; Hardiman 1996; Stevenson 1915). In some sections of Indian society, namely the peasantry in north and central India, the Bengalis in general, etc. the Jains are stereotypically regarded as wealthy, though obviously they are an economically stratified community. The overall perception of the Jains as a wealthy community can be attributed to the fact that they have traditionally been engaged mainly in trade, commerce, and banking. Since the 18th century a number of Jains have also been engaged in industrial production in a big way. According to Sangave (1980: 356), "The contribution of Jain community is considered to be most prominent in the economic field. In modern industrialization the place of Jains is second only to that of Parsis in India. The names of leading business and industrial magnets of India like Sheth Kasturbhai Lalabhai and Sheth Ambalal Sarabhai of Ahmedabad, Seth Walchand Hirachand, Sir Chunilal B.Mehta, Sir Santidas Ashukaran, Sheth Kantilal Ishwardas and Sheth Punamachand Ghasilal of Bombay, Sir Sheth Hukumchand of Indore, Sir Bhagchandji Soni of Ajmer and Sheth Santiprashad Jain of Dalmia-Jain concerns of Calcutta are, it is stated, sufficient to prove the Jaina contribution to
120 Jains in India and Abroad