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"Extending Jain Heritage to the Next Generation”
Marriage Information
Service Report
Digest, officers of JAINA, and its affiliated associations. Vocal sympathy will have to transform into concrete steps.
The traditional factors:
wealth of parents, doctors preferred', By F.J. Dalal
will have to be replaced by character,
commitment to values, and commuThe Concept: The idea of the affluent community appears to nity orientation. Imposing of views match-making is as old as Adam and be happy because of material pros- and deciding for the candidates will Eve. Varnashrama system of Vedas perity. There is no institutional help have to give way to communication provided a system of social organi- available to anxious parents and with children, preparing them for zation in the form of an institution of growing young adults.
shouldering responsibilities. caste. Among other purposes, the
High potential, inexpericaste system provided for the mar- The Birth: In light of above, enced, over-ambitious, and impatient riages of children among families the idea of marriage counseling was young adults on one hand and the very well-known to each other. With presented at the Fifth Biennial Con- "limids" on the other, who have been the advent of the Industrial Revolu- vention of JAINA in Toronto, Canada brought up in the affluence of tion, the shackles of the degenerat- in 1989. The procedural formalities America will have to turn realistic ing caste system were weakened. of the organization and the needed and practical— "Look yourself in
carefulness for avoiding any kind of the mirror" for happy marriages raisThe Conception: Migration liability resulted in an unusual delay. ing well-groomed families. from rural to urban areas and to for- However, the guidelines, procedure, eign lands, led to the breakdown of and the forms were finalized. The Need For Action: Promotional the Joint Family System. This re- quarterly Jain Digest could not pub- seminars will have to be organized sulted in inter-caste-language-race- lish the required information and around the world by Jain organizareligion marriages. The stability and promotional writing. Resistance of tions at various locations for parents durability of the institution of Mar- traditional and stubborn first genera- and candidates for vibrant and benriages and Family appeared to be tion continues to be an obstacle. eficial dialogue. Informative articles endangered. Mis-matches resulted in
will have to be published for educatmany unhappy marriages and di- Slow Growth: During this pe- ing the parties. Informal and formal vorces. The materialistic environ- riod about 300 inquiries were re- get-togethers will have to be arranged ment of the West added fuel to the ceived, 90 of which resulted in regis- for the candidates. fire and necessitated a rational sys- tration and about 25 were interested
Lastly, the total neglect of tem of match-making among the bi- in Matrimonial ads only. MIS made socio-cultural-educational activities cultural Indian immigrants.
about 30 information exchanges. Ads by Jain organizations engaged in tra
in the Jain Digest resulted in over ditionalritualism, celebrations, study Jains as Migrants: Among 200 known responses which were of dogmas, and lectures in vernacuIndian immigrants, Jains are a small directed to the parties. To our lar languages have kept the youth minority of resourceful businessmen knowledge, about 10 candidates were outside the corridors. The Jain comand professionals around the world. engaged/married. Parents and can- munity organizations are not there Choices for marriages for residents didates, to a large extent, do not care for religious activities only. Let us outside of India are limited. Tradi- to let us know the outcome of the widen our horizon for extended protional approaches for finding spouses responses and exchanges, resulting grams and the larger goal of Exfrom India is meeting with resis- in our not knowing the status of our tending our Heritage to the Future tance at both ends for obvious rea- candidates at the moment.
Generation. sons. Forcible marriages among un
Marriage and family are and known spouses and the 'Plum' idea A Long Way to Go: The or- will remain the institutional founof getting a GREEN CARD through ganization of MIS is on a sound dations of our culture and religion in citizen/permanent resident spouses footing and its efficient administra- any society. are resulting in an increasing number tion, nccds cooperation from all of broken marriages. On the surface, parties—parents, candidates, the Jain
6TH BIENNIAL JAINA CONVENTION
For Private & Personal Use Only
JULY 1991
93
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