________________
SNATRA POOJA CELEBRATIONS
FIRST IN KENTUCKY
Lexington, KY Jain families of Lexington, Kentucky organised Snatra Pooja function for the first time on 21 August 1988 at 3564 Clays Mill Road. Although the number is small, their spirit in performing the Pooja was unequal.
The Pooja began at 3.00 PM and continued for an hour and half. On the occasion, many Jain families from the Jain Center of Cincinnati, OH participated in the performings.
A delicious dinner was served before sunset and it was followed by a Musical Night by Mrs Indu Dhanak from Gujrat, India. The night was a rare experience for the Jain families of Lexington as they were treated to melodious Jain devotional songs as well some folklore in Gujarati.
JAIN STUDY CENTER OF NC PIONEERS IN REPUBLISHING OLD JAIN BOOKS
Carner, NC. Old and out of print Jain books are sometimes hard to find and this kind of loss to the society can be immeasurable. In north America much needs to be done to see this loss can be controlled beyond damage. The Jain Study Center of North Carolina, in this direction, has done a pioneering job in republishing some old titles. Three years ago, the Center republished, "Kund Kundacharya Ke Theen Ratnas" from Navjivan Publishing Co in Ahmedabad, India. Just last year, "Sadhak Aur Sathi" by Dr Soneji and "Jain Dharma Ka Parva" by Pandit Sukhlalji were chosen by the Center to publish them in English, and they are currently in the press in the current year, the Center has a plan to republish seven books: 1) Achara Dharma 2) Samyama Dharma 3) Last Preaching and 4) Sami-Sanjano Upadesh-, all by Gopaldas J.Patel. And rest of the titles are by Pandit Sukhalaji.
The efforts of the Jain Study Center of North Carolina in undertaking this venture warrant appreciation and ackr.owledgement.
JAIN YOUTHS OF NORTH AMERICA CRAVE FOR INTERACTION & INTEGRATION
Toronto, Canada. Mona Sheth, Secretary of the Youth Group of the Jain Society of Toronto,lately released a letter calling for the establishment of links between Jain youths, aged 14 to 25, of various Jain organisations in north America. The call refered to the fact that this age group, in any given city, is constrained by its size in number, and therefore, lacks any cohesive strategy for a unified common resolve. There is not much of a scope to get together, interact and lead a rich and meaninful Jaina way of life.
The first generation of home grown Jain youths is emerging, or has emerged in north America and with no values imbibed in them, or having failed to prepare for a leadership, the Jain community plus its youth will face a future of uncertainities across the board.
Jain organisations in north America will hopefully create a congenial environment in this direction and devise strong effective measures to
Jain Edsation International 2010_02
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
