Shivani Bothra
I had intended to further investigate to see whether the Anuvrat Movement has secular characteristics, broad appeal, individual and social relevance among the Jain diaspora. During my fieldwork in India, some respondents had pointed out to me that as the Anuvrat Movement was meant for the Indian masses, they were not sure what specific roles the Jains in the diaspora could play. I understood their perspective, but I felt that as the Jains in the diaspora are not disconnected from their origins, why would it not be possible for the movement to be relevant outside of India as well?
When Jains in the diaspora informed me that there was not sufficient knowledge of the Anuvrat Movement among American Jains to persuade them to take the survey on the movement, I decided to substitute a limited number of interviews. I started interviewing among those Jains who do know the movement with the following questions: How do they understand the Anuvrat Movement? Does the Jain immigrant community in the United States, which is much less sectarian than Indian Jains, feel the relevance of the movement against the global background of social, ethical and environmental crises? Could the prescribed Anuvrat code of conduct apply in the same way to their diasporic setting? Lastly, are there opportunities that come from an increasing number of Jains in the American diaspora, to succeed in transcending the movement's tradition-based religious and geographical boundaries and, if so, how?
