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WELCOME 01
oon after you receive this magazine, our ancient and most important festivals of Paryushan and Daslakshan will commence. The essence of these festivals is to put a sharp brake on routine life and have a physical rest for one whole week, focussing purely on the spirit and
its uplifiment. Satish Kumar's article in this issue describes the spirit of this festival and explains scientifically why it is really relevant in today's hectic life. In the age of science and materialism, ancient customs like festivals face a continuous threat. However, in spite of all this, it is heartening to see that in the West, Paryushan is celebrated in all comers of the world, wherever Jains live. Daily turnouts of 500 or more people are not uncommon in major cities or conurbations like Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, London, New York, Manchester and Antwerp. This creates a spirit of unity and harmony which is rare in today's individualist society.
Thank you to all of you who were very generous with your comments on the last issue. We received a lot of compliments and hardly any criticism, suggesting that we are certainly moving in the right direction! The Jain Spirit team is proud of this accomplishment, and is now particularly keen to spread the magazine all over the world. My summer tour of North America helped us to secure large city deals for San Francisco, San Diego and Los Angeles, increasing our subscriber base by a significant percentage. We would like to appeal to all our existing readers living in different communities to consider giving Gift subscriptions to your local community as a way of introducing Jain Spirit to a large number of people at the same time. You will be surprised to hear the thank you's that you will get for one whole year.
As always, we try to innovate in our coverage. The interview with Prem Jain, one of the leading Jains in North America, demonstrates the practical and scientific relevance of Jain values in modern life. Tiruvalluvar was a saint who gave practical wisdom to India hundreds of years ago. We write about his life and message. Ajay and Mira Gudka's article on the Youth Hostel Association is another attempt to cover issues relating to ethical travel. Jyoti Kothari writes about the diamond industry and reasons why Jains today are doing so well in it. Simon Cohen demonstrates how sport can build active bridges between faith communities. In the Youth Section, the short interviews of Samir Ajmera and Rina Shah are a different way of presenting information to attract young readers. Ravin Mehta, a very talented photographer in London, is introduced to our readers for the first time in this issue through his photo of an evening beach scene in our Environment section. When nature is so stunning in its beauty, why would we even think of destroying it?
The Viewpoint by Nipul Shah explains the importance of creativity at Jain events. I spent three days with Nipul and Renuka in San Diego, and discovered this couple who are very dedicated to promoting ancient wisdom through art. Nipul has constructed a number of life-size replica temples for JAINA conventions and Hindu organisations selflessly. During the creation work, they open their garage to the local community in San Diego, inviting them to come and help whenever they are free. This open-heartedness and shared spirit has built a unity there, which I have rarely seen anywhere else in the world. Children and teenagers look up to them as unique role models and when the temples are finished, everyone feels a sense of pride and accomplishment. I saw clearly that unity is best built through action rather than words. Nipul's temples are infused with spirit and as a result, emanate spirit wherever they go.
Jai Jinendra,
Atul Shah
Atul K. Shah Executive Editor
Education International 2010_03
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