________________
the community against such practices, this provides enough encouragement to the would-be doers. Below I offer a few actual examples to appeal to your conscience. o On Dalal Street (the heart of India's security trading) a Mehta, a Parekh, and a Bhansali—all prominent Jains— have been found to be big swindlers. Who knows how many Mehtas, Parekhs, and Bhansalis are still there and still doing it every day. When these things happen, there is very little condemnation, talk or discussion about it within the Jain community. Maybe some of these big swindlers follow and imitate Bernie Madoff and ENRON (in the US) and Satyam Computers (in India) as their role models. The pity is that the likes of Bernie Madoff are spending the rest of their lives in prison in the US but very little punishment (if at all)
happens to such people in India. o During Prime Minister Narsimha Rao's time, one prominent
Jain family became famous for havala kaand (illegal money
transfers and laundering) and only a few Jains condemned it. O About five years ago, one Jain, based in Dubai, was in major
international news for smuggling and laundering funds to India for use by underworld crime gangs and terrorist groups. I read and heard about this on CNN News. As a result, the US FBI and Interpol were after him. Finally he was arrested. In January 2010, his daughter was getting married in India. With Indian Police escort, officials allowed him to visit his family and give away his daughter in the marriage ceremony. Soon after, I met some Jains who had attended this wedding. They all talked to me how grand the wedding was but no one said a word about how big a criminal and traitor this person was. Such is the Jain sangh
today. o Thirty plus years ago, I had come to know that one very
prominent Jain in India, who was also in the business of making and selling vanaspati ghee (hydrogenated oil),
An Ahimsa Crisis: You Decide
243