Jain Spirit 2001 06 No 08

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

Page 36

East Meets West
FESTIVALS AND FORTHCOMING EVENTS
Event: Date : Location : Contact :
Jain Ethics Lecture May 28th 2001 at llam Oxford University, Oxfordshire, UK joconnel@chass.utoronto.ca Professor Joseph O'Connell from Toronto University has taught a course in Jainism for many years and he is a visiting Professor at Oxford University.
yery friendly. It was her visit to Palitana which really changed the course of her life.
At Palitana, Riet experienced a deep peace and felt at home. "It was as if I was in Heaven", she explained. "The location on top of a mountain, the temple architecture, the incense and the acts of worship, all moved me very profoundly. I felt as if the world around me did not exist and I was in a very sacred place. I decided then and there that I wanted to study Jainism, and Palitana inspired me to draw and paint its glory." Unfortunately, there is no such thing as privacy in India, so the moment she started sketching, a whole crowd gathered around her - this obliterated the subjects she was trying to draw. "I decided to draw the children and the worshippers, and was really moved by the interaction between the worshipper and the Tirthankara images. So I tried to capture the spirit of these meditations. To help me with some of the finer details, I took photographs so that I could improvise once I returned home."
The work she did on Jain temples took longer than her earlier art as she really wanted to capture the impression accurately and let the spirit come out through the art. Dr. Gohel, an Indian scholar who lives in Antwerp encouraged her to learn about Indian philosophy and Jain culture. The exhibition of Jain Art in Antwerp inspired Riet to do a special series of sketches of Palitana, all of which were displayed at the exhibition. Many people showed an interest and wanted to buy the paintings, not just Indians but even Belgians. They felt that the art captured the spirit and emotion of India. Like so many dedicated artists, Riet decidednot to sell the art individually but to save it for a Jain community centre somewhere in the world that would be interested in placing them on a permanent exhibition and could be enjoyed by visitors to the temple. The entire collection is still available for any Jain organisation to purchase and display at their centre. Atul Shah is editor of Jain Spirit and has sacrificed a successful professional career to help modernise Jainism and put it on the world map. Riet cautbe contacted in Belgium on +32 (3) 2376922
Event : Date : Location : Contact :
11th Biennial JAINA Convention at Chicago July 4th - 8th 2001 Rosemont Convention Centre For registration visit the Jain Convention website on www.jaina2001.com or contact Hitesh C. Shah at 7hitesh a home.com or Tel (847) 397 8316
The 11th biennial JAINA Convention will be hosted by the Jain Society of Metropolitan Chicago at Rosemont Convention Centre, Chicago, USA. Thousands of Jains from all over North America attend this event and foreign Jains are always warmly welcomed. If you are planning to go to America this summer then do put this event in your diary, It is a must see for young and old alike, a unique opportunity to meet lots of distin guished people in one place. The convention theme is "Practising Jainism in the 21st Century.
August 8th:
Death Centenery of Jain Scolar Virchand Raghavji Gandhi
PARYUSHAN August 16th: Paryushan Parva, eight days of penance period
starts for Swetambars. To be celebrated worldwide
RIET
August 23rd : Samvantsari Paryushan ends with the kshmapana -
Day of Forgiveness DASLAKSHAN August 23rd : Daslakshan Parva for Digambars begins.
To be celebrated worldwide
September 2nd : Daslakshan ends with Kshmavani
Day of Forgiveness
June - August 2001. Jain Spirit
35
Jain Education
national 2013