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PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE
"From Cradle to Cremation - Jaina is There"
It is indeed a distinct honor and privilege for me to welcome you all to this historic 10th Biennial Jaina Convention at the dawn of the new millenium. I wish to thank Samarpan Jain Sangh and the volunteers from many Jain Centers for organizing this convention.
In the last 18 years, since the formation of Federation of Jain Associations in North America, inspired by Gurudev Chitrabhanu and Acharya Sushilmuni, a lot has been achieved. The organization with four Jain sanghs as its members has grown in to an umbrella organization of 58 Jain Sanghs and ten affiliates. It is run by eighty-member board, eleven member Executive Committee, thirty different committees and 300 volunteers.
We have made JAINA more democratic, more transparent, financially secure and better communicative and with JAINA's new mission statement "From Cradle to Cremation -JAINA is There" more responsive to its 100,000 constituents. The events of the last two years have taken JAINA to new height not only on a national stage but also on the international stage. But this is not enough. Great was our past but greater will be our future. We have made 'JAINA' a more religious and humanitarian organization.
10th Biennial JAINA Convention
As the new millenium draws upon us, we are going to celebrate in a single year, 2001 three great anniversaries:
The 2600th anniversary of the birth of Lord Mahavir, the 24th and last Tirthankar of the present era, the centenary of the death of Shrimad Rajchandra, the respected Jain Guru of modern time, and the centenary of the death of Shri V. R. Gandhi, the one who brought the message of Jainism to the western world. By celebrating these events, we shall be inspired by the lives of these great leaders and shall try to pass on that inspiration to others. JAINA has great plans to celebrate the entire year of 2001 including under serious consideration "Mahavir Ahimsa Award" in the same category as the Noble Peace Prize in honor of Lord Mahavir's 2600th Birthday. A prize will be awarded to anyone in the world who has contributed most for the Peace through Non violence. The award ceremony can take place in Washington D.C., London or New Delhi in the presence of head of respective Government or it can take place in New York in the presence of the UN Secretary General on the day of Mahavir Jayanti on annual or biennial basis. There can be no better way to project Jain religion in the forefront and side by side with other religions and at the same time provide greater identity to our children as proud Jains: All of these activities will be coordinated with Jains around the world.
I wish to thank JAINA Executive Committee, Board of Directors, all JAINA committee members, volunteers and all the Jain sanghs throughout this vast continent of North America for their cooperation during my presidency.
As we move into the new millenium, let us once again commit ourselves to spreading the principles of Mahavir, which are Ahimsa (Non Violence), Anekantwad (Multiplicity of viewpoints) Aparigrah (Non possessiveness) and Anukampa (Compassion). This will make the world a better place to live for every living being not for our generation only but for generations
to come.
JAI JINENDRA Dhiraj H Shah M.D. President, JAINA
PHILADELPHIA, PA
Jain Education International 2010_03
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