Jain Spirit 2002 06 No 11

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

Page 22

FEATURES
ENCOURAGE DREAMING
Founder of four academic institutions in Bangalore, Chen Raj Jain explains how young people
can be inspired
to go beyond their personal
HEN RAJ JAIN IS THE FOUNDER OF THE JAIN GROUP OF and one-third moral education in our curriculum. I foresee a Educational Institutions based in Bangalore. A school lot of competition and uncertainties in the future. We need to
leaver at the age of 13, Mr. Jain is today one of India's equip the future generation with inner balance and courage. I leading educational innovators and has a bold vision to create a am trying to prepare the youth of tomorrow to face the new generation of talented young people. In 1990, the Sri challenges of life bravely and positively. Bhagawan Mahaveer Jain Educational and Cultural Trust was
We have started various institutions at primary, formed to set up the Sri Bhagawan Mahaveer Jain College, one undergraduate and diploma/postgraduate levels with courses of the most popular colleges in Bangalore today. They have which relate to the modern world but at the same time prepare since expanded into children's education with the Jain the students for the future. This millennium talks about speed, International Residential School and the Jain Vidyaniketan, a about knowledge, survival of the fittest and we incorporate free school for 2000 rural children. The Mahaveer Academy of modern ideas into our courses. The environment at our Technology and Sciences aims at creating and developing institutions infuses positive energy and enthusiasm for the professional managers, technocrats, entrepreneurs and future. We hope to have more community-based colleges for business leaders who would strive to improve the quality of basic education for everyone, with the aim of 100,000 students human life. Mr. Jain spoke to Jain
in 15 years. There is a huge gap in Spirit about his mission:
needs-based practical adult Gaining knowledge is like
"We encourage students education, which Europe and growing a tree. Its value is seen in
America have started but India is its fruitfulness. Every aspect of it,
seriously lacking. We want to when carefully nurtured, fertilised
provide vocational training at all and reared will assure us of its
levels, not just educate the perpetual beauty and identity. Our
boundaries.”
professionals or the elites. Our aim is to provide intellectual
vision is to have a deemed nourishment and stimuli, and at the
university in the next two or three same time train the tender mind to emotional stability and years. We would like to revive the Gurukula concept with a strength. Today the world has made huge technological modern outlook and provide holistic education. progress, but we have lost our inner happiness. Internal
Modern education is generally in the form of structured progress and external qualities are both required together. Our syllabuses and modules. This is often very dry and alien. I moral values are disintegrating. The human being is strongly emphasise the personal contact with each student and an influenced by materialism and is living a temporary life understanding of their core interests and strengths. This is not without any sense of lasting values and ideals. My work with done in most modern educational institutions, where the children in the last ten years has taught me that they are our student is part of the assembly line of a factory which produces only hope for a better future. There is nothing wrong in standard products. To me, this is an insult to the creativity and making money, but humanity has to have values. These can potential of each soul. It contradicts the essence of Jain only be done in educational institutions where we can instill philosophy which states that every jiva is unique. We ideals into the actions and dreams of young people. We are emphasise in all our education the importance of making a sincere attempt in trying to balance the best of east communication and human relationships. We encourage and west.
students to look for positive qualities in others. We observe our Living in this knowledge society', I feel that the youth students closely and give them challenges according to their today are 100 times more intelligent than the past generation. strengths. We avoid looking for weaknesses or criticising our We should really nurture them with confidence and self- students. All our teachers are instructed never to put anyone esteem, equipping them with internal values at the same time. down - there is a Swami Vivekananda or a Rabindranath To do this, we should have one-third theory, one-third practical Tagore or Albert Einstein in everybody. This is why in a short
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Jain Spirit . June - August 2002