Jain Spirit 2003 06 No 15

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

Page 10

GLOBAL NEWS
AASTHA TV PLANS JAIN CHANNEL
Mr. Kirit Mehta and his wife Mrs. Neena Mehta, the owners of India's largest faith channel AASTHA, have ambitions to set up a 24-hour global Jain channel. The channel would broadcast major Jain festivals, interviews, pilgrimages, worship ceremonies, lectures, music concerts, educational and programmes for the children. This formula has been very successfully applied in the main channel, which has a global audience of millions and is widely credited for highly professional programming and quality broadcasting. The Mehtas are very proud of their Jain heritage and keen to use their professional expertise to promote a tradition that is very close to their hearts.
In an interview with Hinduism Today magazine, Mr. Kirit Mehta explained:
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"The negative influence of the West on our youth is partly our fault. We have JAIN APPOINTED TO Mr. Dilip Gandhi has been appointed to the Indian Cabinet as Minister of State for Shipping and Transport. His key assistant in this post is Mr. Rajiv S. Jain who is an IAS Officer on special duty. Starting from very humble roots as a juice-seller in the small town of Ahmednagar in Maharashtra, he is now a major businessman and Member of Parliament. From a very young age, Mr. Gandhi stood firmly against the abuse of power. A policeman who was trying to collect protection bribes from local shops was jailed as a result of opposition by Mr. Gandhi. This trial attracted much support and publicity and led to a revolution in the local government. In 1980, he became president of the local youth wing of the BJP, becoming Municipal
Jain Spirit June-August 2003
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Mr. Kirit Mehta, founder of the AASTHA channel
encouraged it. At the same time, Western countries and their people are being influenced by the Indian way of life and the 'Exotic East'. AASTHA tries to show both the East and the West from a positive point of view, so that people can judge for themselves what is good and what is bad. Young people today have more problems than older people. In our presentations, we show how religion and science go together and give them understanding of the rituals. The new generation wants clear answers to their questions and logical solutions to their problems.
an
"We have a dream that every
Councillor in 1985. He rose to become Vice-President of the Municipal Corporation of Ahmednagar and brought about major reforms, which gave him significant grassroots popularity. He rose from MP to Minister in 3 years - one of the
SENIOR POSITION IN INDIAN CABINET
fastest rises in the government.
A special ceremony was organised in New Delhi by the entire Jain community to congratulate Mr. Gandhi on this major appointment. The eloquent keynote speech was given by Mr. Venkaiah Naidoo, President of the BJP, who spoke of the importance of serving the small man through public service. Mr. Sunderlal Patwa, a former senior Jain Minister, was also there to give advice and support. In his parting words, Mr. Gandhi told Jain Spirit that "Jains should actively support one another and not put down their own people. This will bring lasting unity and success for the community. We should focus our energies on raising ourselves and others at the same time."
Mr. Dilip Gandhi (left) talking to Mr. Naidoo at the felicitation ceremony hosted by the Jain community in New Delhi.
house around the globe should be watching AASTHA. We are holding more than five thousand years of wisdom from hundreds and thousands of saints and sages, and we have not even begun to put a fraction of that forward. This channel will become a part of every Hindu household, just like water, electricity and gas."
Neena Mehta added: "I fully believe that if one's intentions are good, then good happens. Even our karmas are created based on our intentions. How AASTHA has come up is truly a miracle. That is why we continue to put our heart and soul into it. We have realised that due to faithwhich is the meaning of AASTHA - much can be achieved. The whole world should have faith and the whole world should progress. Things may be difficult to achieve, but they are never impossible."
Jains anywhere in the world interested in investing in this unique vision to set up a Jain TV channel should contact Mr. Kirit Mehta, CMM Ltd, Mumbai,
tel +(91 22) 249 64221/2/3/4 or email cmmltd@vsnl.com website: www.aathatv.com