The Times of India
Ahmedabad
TNN | Dec 31, 2011,
It has often been seen that those settled away from homelands feel the need to connect with roots, religion and culture more intensely. So, it shouldn't surprise one to know that apparently the best online resource on Jainism recently was conceived in London, UK.
The website, aptly called JAINpedia, has it all - right from answering queries about the basics on Jainism, to offering option of search from 5,000 manuscripts, all in a way to engage the young generation. After a soft launch in beta version at Mumbai in September, the website went live mid-December.
The website announces that JAINpedia is a 5-year project with an aim to ushering in Jainism into the 21st century. Besides having a rich online version showcasing rare and sacred manuscripts, the project is also conducting a series of exhibitions, cultural events, and educational activities at different partner institutions - theVictoria & Albert Museum, the British Library, the Bodleian Library and the Welcome Trust Library.
And what is bound to make the Jain community here proud is the fact that a third generation non-resident Gujarati (NRG) has been a driving force behind the project.
JAINpedia project director and London-based entrepreneur, 45-year-old Mehool Sanghrajka had already been working for long to make Jainism relevant for today's kids. He has edited and published two books for primary schools.
His efforts ensured that Jainism was included into UK's national curriculum. "I saw Jainism as my identity. I am a Gujarati, born in Kenya and brought up in UK, so religion was the only constant factor! However, I struggled to understand it as I speak, but do not read Gujarati or Hindi. I therefore studied Jainism formally at University of London and informally through meeting saints and reading books translated into English."
Sanghrajka joined Institute of Jainology (IOJ) in 2003 as director of education and is now on the main board. "When IOJ published the catalogue of Jain manuscripts in the British Library, which was launched by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Prince Philip of the UK, we saw the need to bring ancient texts to new generation through technology and thus, the idea for JAINpedia was born," he says.
The project has been supported by the Jain community worldwide and also by the Heritage Grant Fund. It will soon offer a dedicated community space in the form of Jain Spirit - an international magazine, which is being relaunched online.
JAINpedia is advancing scholarly work too. The Jain collections in the UK, particularly those in the British Library and the Victoria and Albert Museum, are among the largest and most important outside India.
The digitized manuscripts and contextual information on the website enables the worldwide academic community to examine and analyze many of these fragile artifacts without having to travel to their host institutions.