Vardhaman Book on Jainism

Author(s): Jayshree Menon
Publisher: Bennete Coleman & Co Ltd

Page 83

atch him on a wintry afternoon in Mumbai Acharya Sushil Kumarji and Gurudev Chitra and he is a man in a hurry. It's his last day Bhanuji. Jaina has evolved from its initially small
in Mumbai, India and he is on his way back beginnings to embrace 57 centres at present. Sighome. Time is crucially short as Dr. Mahendra nificantly, it represents Jains irrespective of their Pandya is set to fly back in a few hours to Staten language, region or traditions and has, hence, Island, New York. But he agrees to talk about life provided an effective forum to foster friendship as a NR Jain and President, Jaina.
and unity among all the Jains in North America The 65-year-old Dr. Pandya is a first-generation and Canada. American. He left India way back in 1966 after Initially, as with any organisation, financing was he'd completed his MD (medicine) from Gwalior a problem, but now with each committee seeing University. He travelled to the USA for further to its funding and the funding of its projects, studies, then stayed back to practice from 1972 things move with a greater degree of smoothto 1997
ness. Over the years Dr. Pandya has seen Jaina Soon after he settled there, his wife Asha joined grow. "It is the largest non-sectarian organisation him and his sons Sanjay and Rajiv, who are now of Jains. We want to propagate our beliefs, parboth based in New York, grew up on foreign ticularly amongst people who do not adhere to shores.
age-old traditions. We believe in unity and not in Flashbacking to his early days, Dr. Pandya says uniformity. Rather our belief of anekantuada that he did not find it too difficult settling down (multitude beliefs) tells us that we do not know in New York, "As a physician I found it easy," he the complete truth. says. "Settling down socially was also easy as We can learn from othhad two of my family friends living in New York ers as well."
SINCE WE who helped me and my family."
"Jaina," continues
LIVE FAR Today, Dr. Pandya has retired from active medi- Dr. Pandya, "is com
AWAY cal practice. His sons have not followed in his mitted to social ser
FROM OUR footsteps. They are busy with their family busi- vice and humanitarian COUNTRY, WE ness of diamond jewellery, Ashi Diamonds. Dr. activities both in
HAVE COME TO Pandya explains that while the overseas opera- America and overseas.
REALISE THE tions are looked after by his sons, his nephew Through its World handles the Indian side in Mumbai at his Opera Community Services it
DIRE House office in the heart of the city.
IMPORTANCE OF
has rushed aid to Dr. Pandya's involvement with Jainism is not earthquake victims in
PRESERVING something new or taken up as a fad. "Obviously, Latur (Maharashtra), OUR CULTURE, distance does make the heart grow fonder," the Uttar Kashi (Uttar SOMETHING Jaina President says. "But right from the begin- Pradesh), North Ridge THAT IS TAKEN ning I have adhered to the precepts and principles (California) and Kobe
FOR of Jainism, whether in India or abroad."
(Japan). In 1998, GRANTED Incidentally, Dr. Pandya was the founder mem- when a highly destruc
HERE ber of the first Jaina unit in New York and he was tive cyclone hit Gujarat also involved with establishing the first Jain (India), Jaina adopted temple in the city there. "There was already a two villages in the state. Recently, Jaina also group of Jains interested in coming together to rushed aid for the victims of the Gujarat and make an association. The leader of this group was Rajasthan drought. So, even though Jaina does Dr. N.K. Sethi who hailed from Indore and hap- not have its office in India, its representatives here pened to be a family friend as well. Once estab-monitor the activities and needs of the times." lished, the initial links soon grew and so did our T he medical camps that Jaina conducts regucontacts."
larly in India in places like Bidada in Gujarat, the • What is Jaina? Dr Pandya patiently explains. Bhagyodaya Teerth Hospitals in Sagar (Madhya "There is a sizeable population of Jains in the Pradesh), deserve special mention. US, but scattered as they were, they hardly inter- Doctors are flown in from America and with acted in any significant way. So though there were contributions and donations needy people are several unitary bodies, there was no single unify- provided with the requisite medical care. These ing body. Jaina filled this vacuum. Established in camps and activities are carried out in collabora1981, Jaina is the umbrella that guides and com- tion with the local health centres. bines all the Jain centres in North America and Jaina has donated in a big way to educational Canada. The idea of a national organisation was institutions like Mahila Vidyalaya in Mahivirji, the first conceived by some of the Jain leaders in the Vidyasagar Sansthan in Bhopal and is involved in US like Lalit Shah, Jagat Jain, Sulekh Jain, Dr. the Ahimsa Bhavan and Sant Niwas in Aligarh. To Salgia and Vinay Jain, to name a few," he states. ensure the availability of socially relevant basic
Jaina took firm root with the blessings of education, Jaina is committed to seeing that each
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