Jain Spirit 2003 02 No 13

SR No.: 528993
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Jain Spirit UK
Publisher: UK Young Jains
Publication Year: 2003
Total Pages: 68
Language: English
Classification: Magazine, UK_Jain Spirit, & UK
File Size: 17 MB

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GLOBAL NEWS
DISPATCH FROM DAR ES SALAAM, TANZANIA
Giant rangoli brightens up Lord Mahavir's birth anniversary celebrations
in Dar Es Salaam On a visit to Tanzania, Neel Shah found a vibrant Jain community celebrating the birth of Lord Mahavir:
In August this year, I visited Dar es Salaam in Tanzania and witnessed something quite extraordinary. I decided to go and pray at the local Jain temple (derasar). It was Friday evening and I found a great crowd already assembled at the Jain Sangh, with the entire local Jain community present. It turned out that this was the opening night of Lord Mahavir's 2600th Birth Anniversary celebrations. In front of me lay one of the biggest Jain rangolis I had ever seen: 26 feet wide and representing a thousand hours of artistic labour. It illustrated many different Jain symbols as well as scenes from Mahavir's life. The entire community had gathered to admire the beautiful work of Pushpaben Haria and her helpers from Mombasa who had
worked day and night to have this masterpiece completed in just one week.
This was just the start of what I was going to see at Shree Jain Sangh, as I later found out that the following evening there was to be a dramatisation of Mahavir's life entitled Shree Mahavir Darshan. The play was performed very successfully to an appreciative full house.
The hard work of all the 108 participants (a very auspicious number), certainly paid off. Pritiben Punatar, the choreographer of all the dances and Pushpaben Shah, who was in charge of the scripts and dialogues, should be especially commended for their efforts. Both performances of this play were sold out. In fact, just as I was leaving Dar es Salaam, they announced a third performance due to popular demand. It was very impressive to see all the members of the Jain community coming together in this way to convey a positive message about Jainism. I truly wish there was some way they could take this show all over the world as it really was one of a kind. Special congratulations should go out to Shree Jain Sangh, for their hard work, creativity and initiative, and for touching the heart of hundreds with the inspiring life story of Lord Mahavir.
INSPIRING FIGURES OF MODERN JAINISM GRACE YJA CONVENTION Mahwah, New Jersey, USA, 4-7 July 2002: The 5th biennial YJA (Young Jains of America) Convention, this year entitled Walking the Path of Jainism, was a grand success. The opening ceremonies took place on the first evening shortly after registration. The 800-strong delegation felt honoured and privileged to have such distinguished Jain personalities as Gurudev Chitrabhanuji. Sadhviji Shilapiji and Satish Kumar amongst them. Gurudev Chitrabhanuji and Sadhviji Shilapiji both delivered inspiring keynote speeches. For his part, Satish Kumar enthused the delegates with a motivational discourse on his walk for peace across Asia and Europe.
Delegates then enjoyed a myriad of activities during the Mela Night festivities, complete with cultural booths, games and prizes. Each day nearly 800 young people took part in six interactive sessions as they walked the path of Jainism. These sessions provided in-depth discussions about Jain principles and the origins of Jain values. Many of the sessions were taught by learned Jain scholars, while those discussing how to apply Jain views in daily life were led by members of youth groups from across the country. The cultural atmosphere also proved to be a treat as the convention delegates dressed up in traditional Indian clothing such as lenghas and kurtas and embraced their cultural heritage at the raas garba. There was an America twist to the entertainment during the last evening. when modern popular music was played and everyone had a great time dancing the night away. This event was a truly spiritual and enlivening experience and reflected the hard work and dedication of all those who devoted their time and efforts.
Scene from Shree Mahavir Darshan, performed at Dar Es Salaam Jain Sangh
December 2002 - February 2003. Jain Spirit
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