new delhi:
the year-long celebrations of lord mahavir’s 2,600th janam kalyanak mahotsav came to a close on thursday at a samapan samaroh organised by the ministry of tourism and culture at delhi’s siri fort auditorium. to commemorate the occasion, prime minister atal behari vajpayee, who was the chief, released commemorative coins of rs 5 and rs 100 as well as a 24-carat gold medallion sponsored by the punjab government. among those present were union home minister l k advani, finance minister yashwant sinha, minister for fourism and culture jagmohan and times group chairman mrs indu jain. the jain community turned up in large numbers and spirited cries of ‘‘bhagwan mahavir ki jai’’ rang out periodically. the evening began with a recitation of the jain navakar mantra - the prayer for auspicious beginnings.
advani impressed many with his deep knowledge of jain philosophy as he spoke of the ratnatraya - the three jewels of jainism, which are right faith, right knowledge and right action. he agreed with a message sent by acharya mahaprajna, head of the shwetambar terapanth sect, which said: ‘‘amidst so much violence, should we celebrate mahavir jayanti? yes, for this is when mahavir’s message is needed the most.’’
in her speech, mrs indu jain laid out in simple terms the spirit of jainism, its spirit of unselfish giving and its timeless message of eco-friendliness, secularism and pluralism. ‘‘what greater religion can there be but ahimsa?’’ she questioned, while referring to the ongoing communal violence in gujarat. she called for the need for a ‘‘change of heart’’ rather than a ‘‘change in governance’’ in gujarat. the appeal by mrs indu jain to the government to grant minority status to the jains received enthusiastic applause from the audience. ‘‘perhaps the government hesitates to grant us minority status because the jain vision and ideals are so grand,’’ she quipped. the pm took up this point in good humour as he commented: ‘‘why does this vast community want to be known as a minority?’’ a message sent by jain acharya vardhman sagar spoke of the function as not a samapan samaroh but a link in the never-ending chain of celebration of mahavir’s eternal message of ahimsa, pluralism and brotherhood. the prime minister assured the continuance of the celebrations, but said that ‘‘it must be the community, especially the women, who must come forward and do this’’. jagmohan affirmed this continuation of celebrations with the announcement that work had already started on 81 projects, for which rs 51 crore had been sanctioned, to restore ancient jain temples and pilgrimage spots around the country, from hampi to dilwara, and from ranakpur to ellora, so that people could visit them and ‘‘absorb their artistic and spiritual beauty’’.