Jains throng temple to cheer Centre's `positive steps' towards bal diksha

MUMBAI: The serpentine bylane leading to the rustic Motisha Lalbaug Jain Derasar in Bhuleshwar was choked with devotees on Sunday morning. Thousands of Jains, from septuagenarians to teenagers, had thronged the century-old temple to be part of historic celebrations to mark what the community sees as `positive steps' from the central government towards bal diksha or the initiation of minors as Jain monks.
After representatives from Jain groups met officials of the Women and Child Development department in Delhi recently, a notification was issued which said that bal diksha is a centuries-old practice, said community leaders. "The notification has made it clear that bal diksha is our religious right and does not violate any law in India,'' said Acharya Vijaykirti Yashashsurishwarji Maharajsaheb to the 2,000-strong audience. He added that the Law and Justice ministry had also endorsed the same with clarification saying that bal diksha is an age-old practice, on April 28.
The temple's community hall was strung with vibrant streamers and a giant banner declaring `jwalant vijay' or historic win. Devotees started filling up the hall hours before the function was to start so that they could get a glimpse of the Jain monks who were conducting it.
Senior Jain monks, like Naypadma Suriji Maharajsaheb, Ashok Sagarji Maharajsaheb, Rajsekhar Suriji Maharajsaheb and Rajhans Suriji Maharjsaheb spoke to the audience about the historical significance of bal diksha. Also present, was a Jain monk in his teens who endorsed the thoughts of his seniors.
Naypadma Suriji Maharajsaheb said the world was seeing more and more incidents of violence. "When a child leaves his family and house to take diksha, he gets hundreds of families and homes in exchange,'' he said. Ashok Sagarji Maharajsaheb echoed his sentiments and said diksha is the right of every Jain since birth.
The Gujarati press quoted community leader Niraj Kumarpal Shah as saying that with new ministry taking heed, it was possible that soon the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2000, would be amended to curb the interference of child activists. But with many cases pending in the high court, there is still a long way to go. Child and Welfare Department were officials were unavailable for comment. Child rights activist Snehal Rane, of NGO Balprafulta, who intervened in the case of 11-year-old Shubham Jain last month with the help of the police, said, "We heard about the notification which says diksha is a religious right. We are not against religious rights of any community, all we are asking is that they should wait till the child turns 18, so that he/she can make an informed decision.''
Shah said the fight for bal diksha began eight months ago. "In Mulund last year, when Acharya Vijaykirti Yashashsurishwarji Maharajsaheb was conferring bal diksha, it was abruptly interrupted. Then he started a relentless fight against intruders and today, we are bearing the fruits of it,'' said Shah. Deepchandji Gardi, trustee of Bhartiya Jain Sangathana and trustee of Jain Shashan Seva Trust, said that the mood in the community was upbeat because of the positive signs. "We will take this forward now,'' he said.
Ironically, bal dikshas have drastically gone down over the years. Only a small percentage of the roughly 13,000 monks in India were minors in 2007. "The number of small boys and girls taking Diksha is dwindling. The largest number of Dikshas come from the age group of 18 to 27 years, followed by those in the early 30s,'' said Gunsunder Vijayji Maharajsaheb.