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Celebrating Acharya Tulsi and Virchand Raghavji the Committees for their leadership and contribution in Gandhi
taking JAINA to the next level.
2014 also marked a momentous year to celebrate some of the most influential leaders in the Jain Community. It was Archya Tulsi's 100th birth anniversary. There are a number of accomplishments to acknowledge in Archya Tulsi's lifetime, which includes the founding of the Jain Vishva Bharati Institute (an education and research institute), the creation of the Anuvrat Movement, as well as the authorship of over 100 books. We also celebrated the 150th birth anniversary of Sri Virchand Raghavji Gandhi (VRG), who represented Jainism during the first Parliament of Religions Conferenc-e in 1893. VRG's commitment and contribution was the application of Jain principles and philosophies as it relates to business ethics and policy-making.
Official Days to Celebrate Jain Values
JAINA has been instrumental in establishing four official dates to celebrate Jain values. Here are the dates to put in your calendars:
April 2 - Mahavira Jayanti / Live and Let Help Day Sept. 21 International Forgiveness Day (Saturday following the Paryushan/ Daksh Lakshan Parv) Oct. 2 National Ahimsa Day
Nov. 2- World Compassion & Vegan Day
Celebrating World Compassion & Vegan Day Events across North America
On Nov 2, JAINA officially celebrated World Compassion & Vegan Day! The organizing committee comprised of volunteer teams from across 8 Jain centers in North America. Nearly 1500 people gathered in total to enjoy engaging and interactive presentations by industry experts, educators, and passionate community members drew connections between the application of Jain values with issues such as practices in the dairy industry, conscious investing, and other socially relevant topics.
In addition to the above highlights, we have also made progress in the provision of scholarships to Jain students within North American and abroad. JAINA's Upliftment Program has also achieved much success providing assistance to children and families in numerous states in India. To strengthen our ties with the Jain community in India, this past February, we sent a JAINA delegation to explore more opportunities for collaboration.
This year, we launched our yearlong Jain Leadership Fellows program as well. I would like to thank all of
JAIN DIGEST
As we look ahead, JAINA's main objective this year is to continue to transform JAINA from a volunteerbased organization to a professional institution and bring continued value to our community and spread the awareness of Jainism to the non-Jain world. In Oct of 2015, a JAINA delegation will be attending the Parliament of World Religions Conference in Salt Lake City. To further strengthen JAINA's sustainability, we would like to explore the possibility of incorporating a faith-based charity model that would enable our eligibility to receive corporate and government funding.
WORLD COMPASSION & VEGAN DAY
on the YO NOG
5I MAY-JUN 2015
