Jain Spirit 2000 03 No 03

Author(s): Jain Spirit UK
Publisher: UK Young Jains

Page 33

ARTES
PAINTING BY CHHAGAN PATEL
VILLAGE LIFE
Jain villages used to embody harmony, community and simplicity. Can we recreate them in modern western life?
people who lived with nature, embracing it, and adapting to it. Rarely did he hear people complaining about the hot weather. He found an extremely
" ndia lives in its villages," Gandhiji
would say, and he went to the
villages to find the real India. Even today, when we introduce ourselves to elders, one of the first questions they ask is which village do we come from. Not long ago, villages were our homes. They were our sources of food, clothing, shelter and education. They were our community centres, our places of worship, our playgrounds, our animal sanctuaries.
Artist Chhagan Patel spent three months in a remote desert village in Rajasthan and observed the lives of the local people (adivasis). He tried to capture what he saw on canvas, in the paintings you see overleaf. He found a
with one another and revelling in the simplicity of life. All festivals were celebrated with colour and music. The weddings, or the holi (harvest) were filled with deep joy, sharing and unity.
In the modern day, such a village may be described as poor, illiterate or even backward. However, Mr. Patel found it to be very much the opposite. It was rich, happy and peaceful - a haven which many in the West try to aspire to. The villagers did not give any lectures about the secrets of happiness and peace
of mind - they just lived it, quietly, simply. Perhaps our elders, instead of enquiring about the village we come from, should ask us which village are we building today? A village of technology and power, a village of wealth and greed, or a village of simplicity, co-operation and harmony.
In the twentieth century, we have generally done very nicely as a community, especially in material terms. Per capita, we are one of the wealthiest communities in the world, if not the wealthiest. But material wealth is the modern measure of success and happiness, not the authentic Jain measure. One of the most important steps we can take to embrace Jainism is therefore selfless charity of our material wealth. That will remind us of our higher goals in life. We also need to move swiftly from the I to the WE. This was not at all difficult in village India, but it certainly is a big problem in the modern global village. We must not
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Jain Spirit . March - May 2000