Jain Spirit 2003 10 No 16

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

Page 20

BIWEREOVA
18
ORTHON
PRESERVATION OF
10TH CENTURY
JAIN TEMPLE SOUGHT Jaipur, India
In June 2003, the Rajasthan High Court has issued notice to the Archaeological Survey of India and the state government on a Public Interest Litigation seeking conservation and preservation of a 10th century Jain temple in Sanganer near Jaipur. A division bench of the court consisting of Chief Justice Anil Dev Singh and Justice K. S. Rathore, while issuing the notice last week to the respondents, including management of the Digambar Jain Temple, known as Sanghiji Ka Mandir, ordered them to "take steps to conserve and preserve the temple." The court considered a letter addressed to the Chief Justice by Shiva Jan Samasya Nivaran Samiti as a writ petition and issued notices returnable by July 30. The samiti complained that in the name of renovation of the temple, declared as protected monument, unauthorised basic and substantive changes were being made in it by some elements for their own vested interests. Because the Supreme Court asks all Indian state governments to ensure proper maintenance of historic monuments, it was felt that it was the duty of the Rajasthan state to stop the construction work that was playing havoc with the basic structural characteristics of the Jain temple in question.
Briad
LORD MAHAVIR JAIN CHAIR FOR INDIAN UNIVERSITY Kolhapur, India
The news circular of the Higher & Technical Education Department of Maharashtra Government reports that the famous Shivaji University of Kolhapur is going to establish a new chair known as the 'Bhagwan Mahavir Jain Chair'. The Education Department has granted Rs. 25 Lakhs to Shivaji University
AD
NEWS IN BRIEF
for this purpose. This is the result of the demands made by Dakshin Bharat Jain Sabha and the interest shown by ex-Chief Minister Shri. Vilasrao Deshmukh and Chief Minister Shri Sushil Kumar Shinde. Vice Chancellor Mr. Takwale is very much interested in this project and he has appealed to the Jain community to take interest in the project. It should be noted that Kolhapur, where Shivaji University is situated, is a major Jain centre in India from ancient times.
CALL FOR RELIGIOUS SOLIDARITY
Jain Spirit September - November 2003
Chicago, USA
A conference entitled 'Religious Solidarity in the Midst of Communal Violence' is being organised in Delhi from 7-10 December, 2003. The opening session is expected to be addressed by Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam, the President of India, who will speak on this important theme. His Holiness the Dalai Lama has been invited to give the valedictory address. The events will be held at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi, as well as in the Chinmaya Mission and the India International Centre. The purpose of the conference is to invigorate the consciences of all Indians regarding the need for mutual respect and harmony; to leave a legacy of spirited groups in every state, and within every religious and spiritual community who will speak out with a united voice against intolerance, prejudice, violence and injustice; to affirm the spirit of the Indian people, particularly in times of stress and communal violence and inspire groups at the community level to work together for social and economic justice, harmony and peace. The Chicago Organizing Committee has made a commitment to raise $15,000 in support of the conference. These funds will be used toward bringing 600 participants from throughout India to exchange ideas and
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resources to create inter religious dialogue and engagement within India. The conference is also supported by the Council for a Parliament of the World's Religions (CPWR) whose board approved a memorandum of understanding and whose staff is assisting the organizing committee with planning and communication and will participate in the event.
SETTING PULSES RACING s
es
Los Angeles, USA
In July 2003, PETA announced that Hollywood Homicide hunk Josh Hartnett and model and first niece Lauren Bush had won its 2003 "Sexiest Vegetarians Alive" poll, narrowly edging out a host of other famous veggies, including Jude Law, Pamela Anderson, John Corbett, Common, Kelly Osbourne, Sir Ian McKellen, and Russell Simmons and previous winners Tobey Maguire, Natalie Portman and Shania Twain. Celebrities cite many reasons for forgoing flesh foods, from avoiding the cruelty to animals that is inherent in meat production to improving their health and energy levels to helping the environment by not contributing to hog- and chicken-farm pollution.
Hartnett's decision to go meat-free came several years ago and happened in an instant. "One day I was cutting up a chicken for my mom, and I hit a tumour with the knife," Hartnett said. "There was pus and blood all over the place. That was enough for me."
Bush, the face of Tommy Hilfiger and niece of the President, has been a vegetarian since the age of 4 and is passionate about animal-protection issues. Last Thanksgiving, she told friends that she'd contribute a pie to the family meal but would not cook stuffing for the turkey, saying, "I am a vegetarian. I won't do anything that has to do with the turkey."