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Presidenti Wall of Fame
in this momentous occasion of YJ's 20th Anniversary, we asked those who helped mould and shape YJ as it is today, the previous presidents, about their memories from their time on the committee. It was also
a great excuse to see how much they have changed (or aged?) over the years! It is an opportunity for us to thank and congratulate not only these leaders, but also their respective committees for all their success and enthusiasm over the past 20 years. Today's teams continue to build and progress on the foundations you have laid. Thank you.
Atul Keshavji Shah 1988-2000 What is most memorable from your time as President? Hard work but fun, the Shibirs were excellent and real team-building events.
What legacy do you feel you and your committee have left YJ? Lots of new ideas which have now become mainstream - like the newsletter, the Bi-annual Conference, the regular retreats/shibirs, varied events and varied speakers, many of whom were totally new to the community
Sailesh Premchand Shah 1992 - 1995 What is most memorable from your time as President? My most memorable event was the shibir to a small village called Sutton Courtney near Oxford. We thoroughly enjoyed it and it was very important whilst we were laying the foundations and building Young Jains. On one of the shibirs we were very fortunate of have with us the Late Dr L M Singhvi who was then the Indian High Commissioner to UK. We also made a trip to attend the JAINA Convention in San Francisco held at Stanford University where we took a small team with us and made presentations about Young Jains and empowered the North American Jains to set up a similar organisation.
What legacy do you feel you and your committee have left YJ? When we set up Young Jains there was no similar organisation of this kind which tried to teach the principles of Jainism to the younger generation in a more modern setting. Setting up a new organisation was both enjoyable and a fantastic challenge. In its early stages it was difficult to attract an audience to our events. However we persevered and it paid dividends. Some of the new innovations that we made were the shibir and a quality newsletter. We made the overseas trips during the early stages and hope it has now become an international organisation. We left Young Jains in a phenomenal good state and with a vision for youngsters and hope that as a result, that youngsters and people are able to learn more about Jainism.
Dina Shah 1995-1996 What is most memorable from your time as President? Most memorable memory was meeting the Pope at the Vatican as a representative of the Jain youth.
What legacy do you feel you and your committee have left YJ? Being the 1st female president of Young Jains was very empowering for me as a woman; and strengthening links with other organisations by holding joint events with the Young Jains. * Dina has left Harrow for sunnier climes! In the past eight years, she has lived in Jakarta (Indonesia), Seoul (South Korea) and is now living in Perth, Australia. [Ed]
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