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VIEWPOINT
JAMBO
"WE NEED A HIGH DOSE OF HUMILITY AND CHARITY."
Jitendra Shah takes us back to the future
Then the first migrants arrived here way back in 1898, they had very little baggage but very high culture. Fortunately for them, Kenya welcomed them with open arms and allowed them to practise their culture and religion without any hindrance. In fact, they actually supported their work - today many of the core workers in our schools, hospitals, temples and community centres are Indigenous Africans. We treat them fairly and in return they are very loyal to us. Many want to learn our culture and some even speak Gujarati very fluently. In our Jain schools, I have even heard African students saying the Navkar Mantra!
What our forefathers did for our community was nothing short of remarkable. They had very little education and perhaps that was their major advantage. They had no hang-ups but tremendous determination and will-power. Above all, they had the highest humility and sense of community - everything they did, they did together. I feel very proud to say today that this spirit still lives on here in Kenya. Only recently, we have constructed one of the best new schools in Kenya in Mombasa. Our $7-million Oshwal Centre in Nairobi is regarded as the best Jain community centre outside India. Our community-managed schools are some of the best in the country and students from here have even gone to Oxford and Cambridge Universities. When we hosted our recent International Jain Conference in Nairobi, we had over 300 volunteers working day and night to make it happen. In fact, two out of every ten members of the community here give at least five hours a week to voluntary service. Many of these have very successful business and professional lives but they still give us their time.
Our business and commercial success has also been unprecedented. I would estimate that the net worth of the Kenyan Jain community would be over $10 billion. This has been built on our ethics of trust and mutual support, which continue to this day. Also, our 'people exports' have been very successful - in the UK, the Kenyan Jains really shine and have built some significant cultural and educational institutions.
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Many are leaders in various professions and industries. The first Jain temple in London is about to be opened by the Oshwal Association UK. The crucial challenge we face is to keep our values alive against this growing global climate of materialism and selfishness. We all need to be alert that our education does not become subverted into our greed and individualism that the knowledge we have is used for social upliftment not private extravagance. And the key thread for all this is our religion and culture. Religion and community are twin partners one cannot live without the other. For our youth it is important that all elders set a good real life example and live by the values that our forefathers brought to Kenya. We need a high dose of humility and charity. Our own local experiments of building unity have reaped bountiful rewards. I would encourage all Jains to rise to the challenge of transferring our beautiful culture to future generations.
Mr. Jitendra H. Shah is the Chairman of the Visa Oshwal Community, Nairobi.
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