Jain Digest Editor’s Note

Editor’s Note

Om Shri Veetragay Namah

Jai Jinendra,

I am pleased to let you know that with blessings of Bhagwan and support from all of you, our Editorial Team completes 5 years of service to the Jain community. I thank all our team members and writers for their commitmentand hard work. I am grateful of ouradvisors and JAINA officials for their support and guidance. And I am humbled that you, the readers, encourage us and spend your valuable time in reading the magazine, Thanks!

The theme of this October 2020 issue of Jain Digest is COVID-19. Unfortunately, the pandemic is still with us with no end in sight. Our Editorial Team wanted to find out how the Jain community in North America and India has responded to this crisis. Hence, in late July and August, over a period of three weeks we conducted a survey. In the survey we asked one set of questions to those from 10 to 18 and another set of questions for those 19+above.

The questions forthose 18 and under were: 1) Share what fun and creative activities you are doing and new things you are learning during this lockdown time. 2) It must have been hard to stay home and not be able to go to school and see your friends. Share how you managed this challenge. 3) Many of you were attending online classes and remotely connecting with friends and family. What did you most enjoy about t his experience and anything that you wished was different? 4) Many of you have been attending pathshala to learn about Jain religion. Tell us which Jain teachings & values (Ahimsa, Compassion, Self -Control, Faith, etc.) & practices (Darshan, Prayer, etc.) are helping you in dealing with the challenges of the lockdown & how?

The que stions forthose 19 and above were: 1) From front-line workers to ordinary people of all ages, many have shown extraordinary bravery and compassion to help others. Share a story that you have read or heard that you found most inspirational. 2) Many things in our daily life have changed significantly. Tell us about how things have changed for you at home and at your workplace. 3) Many people are using some of the extra time they have to be creative, have fun and learn new things. Share some of the things you are doing to use this time in a constructive way. 4) In a crisis like this, many of us turn to religion and spirituality to find hope, meaning and peace. Which Jain teachings & values (Ahimsa, Anekantvad, Compassion, Self-Control, Equanimity, Faith, etc.) and practices (Darshan, Prayer, Satsang, Samayik, etc.) are helping you in dealing with the challenges oflockdown and how?

The 5 th question for all was to share anything else that was not covered in the other questions. We received responses from about 110 people. These responses are included in this magazine in four age groups –10 to 13 years, 14 to 18 years, 19 to 65 years, and 65+. We hope you enjoy reading these responses. Except for correcting grammar and rewording some of the answers, we have not modified most answers. My sincere thanks to our editors Sanjay Bhandari and Giriraj Jain for their hard work in compiling and editing. Their enthusiasm and positivity has made this possible. Many thanks to Jayanaben Shah for her wonderful artwork that makes reading the responses a pleasant experience. She has worked many late nights to do the painstaking work of putting together the pages of this magazine. Thanks to Reena Shah and Rajkumar Jain for their help in proofreading. In addition, we also have articles related to Jainism & COVID-19 from the Jainism Blog, Dr. Sulekh, Jain, Anop Vora, Ramesh Khandhar, and a young 13-year-old Rishabh Jain. Dr. Somnath Chattopadhyay from Mumbai shares his experience of working in hospital and Mackinnon Engen, from Watsi, a charitable organization, tells us about the challenges faced in providing medical help to the needy. Also read about Jyoti Kumari’s 1200km bike ride in India!

Hope you enjoy reading all articles in this issue. Stay safe. Stay healthy.