29.08.2016 ►JAINA Convention 2017 ►Registration begins on Monday August 29, 2016

Jai Jinendra!

JAINA cordially invites you and your family to the 19th Biennial JAINA Convention. The Convention will be held at the New Jersey Convention and Exposition Center in Edison, NJ from Friday, June 30 to Tuesday July 4 2017. It will be an exhilarating journey for your mind, body and soul. The Theme for the 2017 Convention is “Jainism and Science”. We hope to highlight the science behind the Jain principles of Ahimsa and Non-Violence, taught to us by our Tirthankars. We plan to invite many Scientists, religious leaders & scholars and have a dialogue that may reinforce our faith in universality of Jain philosophy anchored in the eternal laws of nature and science.

JAINA held a competition to design a logo for our theme - “Jainism and Science”. Dozens of entries came from North America and India. The winning design shown above is by a 23 year old Sachin Doshi of Washington D C. He has used five colors to depict colors of Jain flag, circling electrons representing science and the light bulb in the center that stands for Thomas Edison who is considered “father of electricity” and name of the town where the convention is being held.

The 19th Biennial JAINA Convention promises to be enchanting. The convention will be planned and executed by a seasoned team of JAINA volunteers and members of many Jain Centers. We are trying to invite prominent leaders as keynote speakers to grace our convention. Additionally, there will be a unique slate of scientists and scholars from all corners of the world to explore the convention theme in great detail and to explain why Jainism is considered most scientific religion. We want our attendees to discover that the most ancient religion given to us by our Tirthankars is also the most modern and timely message for the current climate of instability in the world.

Every convention night will offer spiritually uplifting entertainment. We are planning to offer a Hindi play on ethical issues involved in testing on animals in cosmetic industry and a Gujarati play based on Karma Philosophy. Our Pathshala kids will demonstrate what they are learning through Jain Academic Bowl (JAB) competition. A young Bharat Natyam dancer will present expressive dance on Mahavir’s encounter with Sangam Dev. An eight-year-old Veerayatan student will demonstrate her memory power with the help of Tatvarth Sutra and there will be a melodious presentation of Anand Ghanji’s prayers. As is our tradition, we will also try to invite a Bollywood celebrity to entertain us.

So mark your calendar and visit to register early and save on registration fees. Registration begins on August 29. Early bird registration will end as the first 1000 individuals register after which, the registration fee will gradually increase. We strongly urge you to register early to save money and be certain to be part of this historic event. More details and updates on the convention are available at jaina.org and Convention.jaina.org

Once again, we look forward to greeting you and your family in Edison, New Jersey on Friday, June 30, 2017!

Gunvat Shah - Convener
JAINA Convention Board 2017