Jain Spirit 2004 10 No 20

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

Page 10

08 NEWS IN BRIEF
INDIA: Mahavir Memorial Coins Issued
Obverse
mar
Reverse
Bhagwan Mahavir, the twenty-fourth Tirthankara. The coins, 5 Rupees and 100 Rupees, are for general circulation and commemorative collection respectively, but they can be
obtained as a set in a small pack. The Rs 100 coin is silver and both depict the Jain symbol, with the inscription 2600th Janam Kalyanak year of
Lord Mahavir'. The coins were issued by the former Prime Minister of India, Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
Indian stamp specialist Pradip Jain, who is also interested in coins, persuaded the Indian government to issue the coins, as a mark of respect for India's Jain heritage. The government of Nepal has issued a similar coin commemorating Lord Mahavir.
The Government of India Mint has released two new coins commemorating the 2,600th anniversary of the birth of
For more information, email Pradip Jain: philapradip @hotmail.com
Commemorative Stamp For Jain Thinker
The Department of Posts in India has released a commemorative postage stamp for Dr. Indra Chandra Shastri, a prominent Jain scholar. The stamp is in the denomination of Rs.5/-. Dr. Indra Chandra Shastri was a philosopher, an exceptional author and an authority on poetics. He pursued an individual spiritual path unclouded by sectarianism and was inspired by the Jain doctrine of anekantvada. He considered himself a rationalist in matters of faith, in the best Jain tradition. Born on 27 May 1912 at Dabwali Mandi, now in the Sirsa district of Haryana, Dr. Shastri came to Bikaner for education where he studied Sanskrit and Prakrit. He campaigned against Bal Diksha, a practice of forcible adoption of poor children by Jain ascetics in Rajasthan, prevalent in those days. This resulted in the tabling of a bill in the Assembly of Bikaner. As a recognition of his pioneering efforts and creative talent, he was awarded the 'Sahitya Seva Samman' by the Hindi Academy. He was also conferred the "Sahitya Ratna Alankaran' by the Vice-Chancellor of Delhi University. The President of India awarded him a 'Certificate of Honour on 15 August 1986. Dr. Indra Chandra Shastri passed away on 3 November 1986.
USA: First Annual Gandhian Non-Violence Conference, 8-9 October 2004
The first annual Gandhian Non-violence Conference will be held at the Christian Brothers University and Rhodes College, Memphis, Tennessee. It will be presented by the Gandhi Institute, the National Civil Rights Museum and the National Conference for Community and Justice. Memphis was one of the centres of the civil rights campaign by African Americans in the 1960s, and Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. was strongly influenced by Gandhi's concept of satyagraha (truth struggle). Gandhi, in turn, was
influenced by Rajachandra, a Jain thinker, and placed ahimsa at the centre of his vision of India. The conference "will bring together activists and academics to focus on how [they] may help each other in continuing the legacy of Gandhian non-violence." It will encourage 'case studies' and focus on themes such as militarism, terrorism, ecology, meditation and non-violent leadership.
For more information, email: gandhiconference@yahoo.com" or visit wwgandhiinstitute.org
Jain Education Interational 2010_03