Jain Digest 1993 07

Author(s): Federation of JAINA
Publisher: USA Federation of JAINA

Page 25

7th Biennial JAINA Convention 1993 summary of youth programs
Reported by Sanjay Vora and Jayshree Ranka, Pittsburgh, PA
Jain youths from Pittsburgh, as well as many other states and countries, worked very hard over the past 18 months to put together a variety of presentations, seminars, panel discussions, and programs for youths of all ages for the 7th Biennial JAINA Convention held in Pittsburgh, PA on July 2-4.
On Friday morning the youth program began with Jain and Indian Holidays. This program provided a glimpse of various holidays, such as Diwali, Uttarayan, Navratri, and Mahavir Jayanti. The history of each holiday was described and then a comedy skit about each holiday was performed. Other sessions on Friday included slide show presentations on the Life of Mahavir and on famous Jain temples in India. Dr. Michael Tobias ran a seminar on Environmental Meditation. Vasant Sheth and Arhant Jain, of Toronto, put together a mock Jain Marriage Ceremony that began with an engagement and ended with the bride leaving her parents home to go to her new home. Two concurrent ses
sions discussing the basics of Pratikraman were presented by Narendra Sheth of San Diego and Dr. Surender Singhvi of Ohio.
On Saturday, Dr. Bruce Constain spoke on the basics of Jainism and conducted a seminar on Pure Soul Meditation. Dr. Prem Gada of Texas used a symbolic and pictorial method to explain many of the basic concepts of Jainism to young children. A lively panel discussion with audience participation was held on Evolution of Moral Values. Panelists from around the country and from various backgrounds discussed topics including dating, interracial marriages, vegetarianism,
Jain Digest
discrimination, and how Jainism affects one's life. Speaking the Unspeakable, on Saturday afternoon, provided a forum on women's problems and concerns today. The Vegetarianism seminar provided information on the environmental, medical/health, religious, and animal rights point of views toward vegetarianism and in general, the movement toward vegetarianism. Afterwards there was a panel discussion on surviving as a vegetarian in today's society. Vegetarian Cooking extended this further by providing examples on quick and easy recipes on various foods. A discussion on peer pressure for young Jains was also held. Young children enjoyed learning about vegetarianism from coloring books and also participated in a banner competition. The programs on Saturday ended with a lively garba/raas for every
one.
Sunday morning, Dr. Atul Shah of London, spoke on the Relevance of Jainism to Youths brought up in the West. Three young couples presented a panel discussion on the Roles & responsibilities of Young Jain Couples. Topics discussed included living in an extended family, compromising and making decisions together, and finding time for each other. Anup Vora of New York gave an explanation to the youth on Jain prayers and Songs. A session on storytelling was held where young children learned about the story of Rajul. A History of Jainism talk was given by Snehal Shingavi of Texas. Dr. Duli Chand Jain of New York then spoke on the Historical Aspects of Jainsim. The Jain Academic Bowl, run by Saurabh Dalal of Maryland, allowed teams of Jain youths from various cities to compete based upon their knowledge of the basics of Jainism.
On Saturday and Sunday morning, Shanti Parikh of Niagara Falls, Lalit Pansar, and Dr. Bruce Constain of Toronto provided youths with an opportunity to learn the basics of yoga, meditation, and
23
For Private Personal Use Only
samayak. Also on both days, a Young Jains Networking Seminar was held. This seminar provided young Jains over twenty with an opportunity to meet and discuss various concerns regarding marriage.
On all three evenings, open youth discussions were held on various topics, including discrimination in the workplace, and maintaining our heritage and passing it on to the next generation. The convention ended with a youth dance on Sunday evening.
The Jain Group of Pittsburgh would like to thank everyone who helped us in putting together this convention. It would not have been such a great success had it not been for all the help and support we received from everyone.
Views from youths on convention
Dear Editor:
I had the fortunate privilege of attending my first JAINA Convention. It was an eye-opener, to say the least. I had never been as "proud" of being a Jain as I was there. To be very honest, before the convention, I had been somewhat of a practicing Jain. I only slightly understood what being a Jain really means. One must
"It was time well spent and time meaningful to my own inner revelation."
realize that Jain religion is an insistence on love, a way of life that stresses a reverence for all life in thought, deed, and action. I suppose I know all that, but walking around the convention halls, sitting in lectures and seminars, and understanding what the speakers were saying convinced me that I must further acquire knowledge on Jain religion and become a more strict yet practi