'Consuming Food In Post-Twilight Zone Is Equivalent To Killing Living Beings'
Hemali Chhapia and Mansi Choksi | tnn
Mumbai: Tangy farsaan and cashew-stuffed meva won't be on an evening wedding reception menu, nor will Jain Thai Curry. In a landmark decision, the Jain community has decided to call off all social events after sunset.
According to the Jain scriptures, food or water should be consumed only before evening settles in because, when the temperature dips, bacteria in the air increase and settle on the food. Consuming any food or even water in the post-twilight zone is equivalent to killing living beings.
Efforts to endorse this belief with priestly backing has been on for the last few months, especially in Ahmedabad, Surat and Delhi, where it is widely followed. On Saturday, hundreds of Jain monks from all over India met in Matunga to give it the official seal of approval, and thousands of Jains in Mumbai immediately agreed to comply. For instance, Harshil Savai, a 25-year-old who supplies cosmetics and who is set to tie the knot in December, says that he will get married in the morning.
The call to abstain comes at a time when monks have been lamenting the erosion of Jain traditions. "It is a pity that monks from across the India have had to gather and remind the community about the most basic tenet of Jainism," said Hemchandra Sagarji Maharajsaheb, a senior monk. There was a time when Jain households closed their kitchens with sundown. "Earlier, religion influenced the way of life in Jain society. Today it seems society and religion are completely disconnected," added Vimal Sagarji Maharajsaheb.
To convince those who have reservations about the practicality of not eating after sunset, Vijayraj Ratnasuri Maharajsaheb said it was a scientifically accepted practice that "an early meal leads to better digestion".
Community members have responded positively to the dietary call. Walkeshwar resident Pradip Shah, one of the heads of the Ghoghari Samaj Nath sect, said that it was important for people to follow the norm voluntarily and not out of fear of retribution. Adds Sudhir Patani of the Matunga Jain Sangh, "It's not that not following it will result in some punishment. You see, it's not as if eating early is binding under the IPC."
It may not be binding but community elders say that social pressures can be brought to bear on 'errant' Jains. "If someone refuses to budge and holds a party at night, either don't attend it, or if they are close relatives, don't eat a morsel," Mahabodhi Maharajsaheb told the 3,000-strong audience at Shanmukhanand Hall on Saturday.
Patni said that even a Delhi millionaire's reception dinner had to face a mute satyagraha with almost 80% of the guests politely rejecting dinner.
"It was quite an embarrassment for this rich family which has a high status in the community. Large quantities of untouched rich food had to be thrown away," added Patani. According to Pradip Shah, the community needs to be wooed not bullied. "We don't have to take people by a storm," he said.