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JAIN DIGEST
FALL 1998 VOL. 14, NO. 3 CIRCULATION: 8,000
In this issue
Meet the Trustees.
From the Editor in Chief......... 4 From the Publishing Editor... 4
Letters
Headquarters News ............... 5. International News... 6
Affiliate News
Regional News
Committee News
3
Matrimonials.
Young Minds....
1998 JAINA Essay Competition Results
.7
8
JAIN DIGEST Circulation
Federation of JAINA
14
Jain Workshop Info............... 22 Uvasaggaharam Sutra.......... 24 Virchand Raghavji Gandhi Fund Update 26
General Fund Update 26 Life Members Update Happy Occasions............
P.O. Box 700 Getzville, NY 14068-0700
Jain Education International 2010_02
15
20
Congratulations To.............. 26
JAINA Appeal
JSGA Center/Temple............ 27
For Our Health
26
26
26
MIS Information...
MIS Registration Form......... 31
28
29
Moving? Receving duplicate copies? Send your address corrections to:
30
PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE
Once again, 'JAINA' is there!
Time and time again, our principles of non-violence, non-possessiveness, multiplicity of viewpoints, and compassion have been tested. Without fail, we have proved to the world that we do indeed practice what we preach.
When there were earthquakes in Uttarkashi (UP), Northridge (CA), Latur (Maharashtra), and Kobe (Japan), JAINA was there to help restore the shattered lives of the victims. When the mighty Mississippi River flooded, JAINA was there to assist the residents of Quincy, Illinois. When civil war erupted in Rwanda, JAINA was there, working with the American Red Cross, to help the refugees. For this particular effort, JAINA was recognized as an 'Institution of the Year' by the Niagara Falls chapter of the Red Cross. When 1500 orphans were left helpless by the Latur earthquake, JAINA was there to rehabilitate them, working alongside the BJS. When both Ahmedabad (Gujarat) and Bahubali (Maharashtra) needed an ambulance, JAINA was there to satisfy the need. When hospitals in Bombay, Ujjain, and Gondal needed specific medical equipment, JAINA was there to provide Bombay with a new mammography machine, Ujjain with a much needed anesthetics machine, and Gondal with a sight saving phaco emulsification machine. When a draught struck Gujarat, JAINA was there to save the lives of animals by providing fodder. When the tribal women in Mangrol, Gujarat needed a women's health center, JAINA was there to construct one. When the needy people of Vasai needed a dispensary, JAINA was there to start one, free of charge to the village people. JAINA sets up medical camps in various parts of India and treats thousands of patients who would have otherwise died prematurely. JAINA also sends thousands of pounds of clothes yearly to India in order to help clothe the indignant population.
Once again, our compassion is being tested. On June 9, 1998, a cyclone devastated the west coast of India. Thousands are reported dead and many are without shelter and food. This is the time for all of us, the steadfast followers of jiv daya (compassion for all living beings), to rush to the aid of the victims who lost family members, farms, live stock, their homes and much more. In many areas, till this day, there is no power to supply essentials such as drinking water. With winds blowing at velocities approaching 150km/hr, the cyclone destroyed everything that crossed its path. Words are not sufficient to describe the havoc and destruction experienced by the people of Kandala and the neighboring towns by this, the worst cyclone of the century.
JAINA has immediately diverted a consignment of thousands of pounds of clothes to be distributed to the needy. Our co-chair of the World Community Service committee, Prakash Mehta, was immediately sent to India to assess the situation. Now, in response to his hands-on report, we have joined hands with Vivekanand Research and Training Institute and adopted two villages and taken full responsibility for the rehabilitation of the villages' residents.
The scars of devastation left by mother nature will never be forgotten. It is difficult to imagine the agony of people who went through the ferocity of the cyclone. We must do our best to help these victims as much as we can. I have no doubt that you have already sent your tax-deductible contribution or are planning to do so. We have already sent our first installment of $25,000 to India.
At the same time, a few thousand miles away, 133 out of every 10,000 children under the age of 5 are dying everyday because of a disastrous famine and war currently plaguing southern Sudan.
We can't bring peace to southern Sudan. We can't coax the rains to return. But, we can prevent the needless death of thousands of men, women, and children. To do so, we need your support. Your donation will help us fend off a looming catastrophe.
Please do not procrastinate. Time is of the essence.
Send your tax-deductible contribution (payable to JAINA in the U.S. and to the S.S. Jain Foundation in Canada) to: JAINA Headquarters, PO Box 700, Getzville, NY 14068-0700.
Jai Jinendra!
shat
ܐ .
Dhiraj Shah
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