Shree Jain Svetamber Derawasi Sangh Mombasa
e-Newsletter
October 2015
Jai Jinendra & Pranaam Welcome to the October e-Newsletter devoted to highlights from the programmes from Paryushan 2015. "Apne paisa thi ke bija na karwathi dharam nathi kari shakta. Aje apne etla badha busy thai gya chhe ke potana mate, aatma mate time nathi. Aapne etla mate Derasar aavye chhe ke jyan sukh ane shanti made ane apne kaun chhe ane su chhe eni yaad apave chhe. Jethi sara kaam karvani bhavna jage chhe. Punya nu bhatu bandhe chhe. Jaate marya vagar swarge na jaway – kehevat chhe". The above is an excerpt from the last skit performed on the second day of Paryushan. Translated it means: ”We cannot practice dharma by just giving money or asking someone else to pray on our behalf. We have become so busy today that we do not have have time for ourselves, our souls. We come to the Derasar to get some peace and spiritual joy, we are reminded then what we are and who we are. In so realising our true self, our desire to do good deeds is born. We bind good karma in this process. It is said that we cannot go to heaven without experiencing or realising true dharma ourselves.” In the next newsletter, there will be more details of the Water Dam project and reply to reader’s question— ”Being an atheist, I do not believe in the concept of a soul. How can it be proved, with tangible evidence, that there is a soul in every living thing?” All views expressed in the articles are those of the writers and not necessarily of the Sangh. Editorial Team.
INDEX
NAVPAD Kanchanbhai Profile Page 2
Katha Geet— Shalibadra
Page 10
Suryakantbhai
Kalpa Sutra Varghodo
Page 11
Gautam Kamal Tap Page 3
14 Swapnas
Page 11
Aangi & Lighting
Page 4
Sanji for Tapasivs
Page 12
Skits
Page 5
Sangh Parna
Page 12
14 Dreams
Page 6
Navkasi Bhojan
Page 13
18 Paapsthanak
Page 6,7,8
Scholarship Program Page 14, 15, 16
Page 2
Laghu Shanti Dance Page 9 Kumarpal Aarti
Sports Day
Page 17
Page 9
Ayembil Oli The Ayembil Oli will be from 19 October to 27 October. This Oli is sponsored by Vaghjibhai Velji Gudka parivar. There will be lectures on Navpad by Kanchanbhai from 10 am to 11.15am daily and daily evening Pratrikraman at 6.30pm ( except on Chaudas at 5.30pm ) daily during the above days. The Ayembil lunch will be at 12 noon in the Ayembilshara. In ayembil one does not take food containing or prepared with ghee, oil, curds, jaggery, sweets, sugar, spices, vegetables, fruits etc. Food is taken only once in a day time and at other times only boiled water has to be taken. In this penance an important principle is conveyed through this message, "Life is not for eating, but food is taken to maintain the life”. 1 SJSDS Newsletter October 2015
A profile of our religious teacher, Kanchanbhai Kanchanbhai came to Kenya on 10 July 2010. Prior to Kenya, he was a teacher at Tapovan in Ahmedbad. He has studied Jain religion at Nakoda in Rajastan and at Tapovan for over 6 years. He is married to Ashaben and he has two children—Arham and Jainam. During the year, he does various religious activities—Sutra classes, Pathshala for both Children and adults, Sangeet classes, Bhavnas, and various Poojans. During this Paryushan, he gave lectures on two days : 1. One day he explained the 5 essential duties during Paryushan. The 5 essential duties were mentioned in our last newsletter. 2. The other day, his topic was Vidharaah thi Vitaraag. Essentially the gist was this : It is our aim to become vitaraag - ie one without any desires, for it is only when we have desires that we for dislikes, and with these two desires/likes and dislikes, we bind karma and get stuck in the endless cycle of life and death. So the ultimate aim in Jain dharma is to become vitaraag - one without raag. In order to reach this state, one has to emulate or copy the attributes of our Tirthankars who showed us this path - much like a businessman copying Kenya's Top 100 companies in order to improve his own business. One should study the attributes of the Tirthankars, acquire knowledge about those attributes, apply that knowledge. Furthermore, Kanchanbhai spoke about the importance of doing kriya - ie pratikraman, samayik, tap - as these are all necessary processes in becoming vitaraagi. Finally he guided that since Tirthankars are no longer with us, we should seek guidance and follow the next nearest living personalities Archarya, Sadhu, Sadhviji. Niraj Sudhir Shah is an ever willing Dhol player
Mrs Ashaben Kanchanbhai—a surprise singer. She also took part in skits, opening dance and at the same time did Atthai . Suryakantbhai Lakhani and Bhaveshbhai gave talks on 20th & 21st September. They had come to Nakuru from Mumbai for the Paryushan and invited our Sangh to come and give talks in Mombasa. The talks were in simple Gujarati and very powerful points given : 1. We need to have complete faith in the Jain religion instead of doubting its applicability or relevance today. An analogy given was like we have complete faith in the ability of an aircraft pilot and mechanical soundness of the aircraft when we travel by air. Do we question if the pilot is qualified or in sound mind to fly the aircraft? Do we go and check if the aircraft tyres are ok? Yet there are airplane accidents. 2. We must protect the religion at all times. It is our ‘mother’. Other religions are like our uncle, aunt etc. So we must protect our religion first. Even when we are travelling, or in foreign lands we have to strive to maintain our Jain ways of living. 3. Why do we greet other people with greetings of their religion eg. Jai Shree Krishna, Salaam Alaikum, Jai Swaminarayan, Jai ... ...etc. We should always greet with Jai Jinendra to non-Jains and with Pranaam to Jains. 4. A bhavik raised a question “ If I have given up, on say, not eating after sunset, do I still recite the attichar during pratrikraman and seek forgiveness for the same?” His reply was Yes you do because you may have given up by Vachan/ Speech and Kaya/ Conduct but it is difficult to give up by Man/Thought. You may have desired to eat after sunset etc. These are just some of the simple points made of many others. Certainly we would have liked Suryakantbhai to have spent more time with us, so we could engage in some discussion with him. 2 SJSDS Newsletter October 2015
Shree Gautam Kamal Tap The Sangh recently organized the Shree Gautam Kamal Tap which lasted for 18 days from 20 th August 2015 to 6th September 2015 with parna on 7th September 2015. There were 18 tapasvis who did the tap in which one fasts for one day (upvaas) and eats only twice the next day (beaasnu) alternating. In this tap Shree Gautam Swami (the chief disciple of Lord Mahavir) is worhsipped as a Sadhu. A sadhu is one who has 27 qualities and therefore all activities including saathiyo, khamasaman, kausagga etc are done in counts of 27 and Shree Gautam Swami is bowed down to in all activities.
Shree Gautami Swami stuti: Anguthe Amrit Vase Labdhi Tana Bhandaar Shree Guru Gautam Samariye Vanchhit Phal Daataar
(Let us remember Guru Gautam Swami who has nectar (amrit) in his thumb and who is full of special powers (labdhi) and who fulfils our desires (vanchhit phal))
Story on the nectar: On one occasion, Gautamswämi went to town for the alms. He was returning with the kheer (a sweet made from rice and milk) in a patra (bowl) when he saw fifteen hundred hermits. Gautamswämi felt that they were hungry and offered them the kheer. They began to wonder how Gautamswämi would feed all of them. Gautamswämi requested all of the hermits to sit down, and then he served everyone with the kheer with the help of Aksheenmahanasi (non-diminishing) Labdhi (special power). While serving the kheer, he kept his thumb in the kheer. To everyone's surprise they were all well served from the small patra (bowl). The hermits were all so impressed by Gautamswämi, that all fifteen hundred decided to take diksha (renunciation) from Lord Mahavir. One’s life becomes auspicious by worshipping Shree Gautam Swami and all sorts of barriers are removed by simply remembering his name. One obtains various special powers and achievements by his blessings. Lots and lots of obeisance to such a Guru bhagwant – Shree Gautam Swami ji!
Names of people who did the Tap CHANDANBEN SOMCHAND SOMCHANDBHAI MULJI ANJUBEN HASMUKH MANJUBEN JAYANTILAL ASHABEN KANCHANBHAI MAYABEN SUDHIR SUREKHABEN DINESH BHAVESHBHAI VINOD DOSHI DIPTIBEN ANISH
MINABEN MANOJ SHAH PRATIBHABEN MALDE CHANDRIBEN HARISH TEJALBEN SHETH USHABEN NAVIN KANCHANBHAI VECHAT ILLABEN RAVINDRA DINABEN NITIN NIMUBEN MANEKCHAND
The parna on 7th September 2015 was sponsored by Ms Kiranben Oza. 3 SJSDS Newsletter October 2015
Colourful Aangi During Paryushan
Different Shades of the Derasar
4 SJSDS Newsletter October 2015
Skits窶認riday 11th September 2015 Script Producers : Falguniben Sanjay Savla Ajulbhai R Shah Kirtibhai L Shah
Library Skit : This skit carried several messages : To always start the day by doing darshan, make use of the library publications for furthering religious knowledge, and avoid consumption of root vegetables. Encourage other people to do all of the above with you. Actors :
Vijaybhai R Shah
Bijalbhai Pattani,
Pratisbhai Dhanani
Preet Sanjay Savla.
Samayik Skit : The underlying moral in this skit was to practice Samayik correctly i.e to avoid all forms of distractions while in samayik like daily household chores, visitors, phones, and instead maintain absolute concentration on dharm for the 48 minutes. Actors : Laxmiben Shah Surekhaben Dinesh Shah
Harshil Manish Shah
Attham Tap Skit : Attham tap means doing Upvas for 3 continuous days during Paryushan and it is one of the 5 requirements of Paryushan. In this skit, we learnt that we should not hold high desires for all sorts of food for Parna and be aware that other people may be doing a similar tap and so not to make excessive demands of them. However, we also see how younger generations can learn from older generations from doing such tap. Actors : Anjuben Hasmukh Shah
Ashaben Kanchanbhai
Smitaben Manish Shah
Derasar Skit : The first part of the skit was about the correct etiquette of doing darshan in the derasar. Once inside the derasar we should concentrate solely on the darshan and not distract or be distracted by other bhaviko. Avoid conversations and loud recitation. A very important message was given about fruits of coming to the derasar - message is on the first page of this newsletter. In the second part of the skit, we show the correct way of doing basic darshan vidhi.
Actors :
Binduben Niteen Shah
Niteenbhai M Shah
Harshnaben Pratis Dhanani
Svetaben Mukesh Malde
Saritaben Ashok Shah
Mirav Pratis Dhanani
5 SJSDS Newsletter October 2015
14 Dreams & 18 Paapsthanak Depiction by Pathshala Children
Compered by : Preet Sanjay Savla in Gujarati & Meer Shah in English.
1st Pranatipat or causing violence : depicted by Jain Character called Megh Kumar who eventually attained Moksha due to compassion in his previous life as an elephant. There was once a fire in the forest and all animals gathered and cramped up in a very small area safe from fire. The elephant raised his leg to scratch himself and a rabbit took that place. Out of compassion, the elephant kept his leg up so that he would not harm the rabbit. He stood like that for a few days due to the uncontrolled fire. His leg swelled up and he could not put it down even after the fire was over. He eventually fell and died. He risked his own death rather than hurt another living being. He was then reborn as Megh Kumar. Practice compassion rather than violence.
2nd Mrishavad or Lying : Mahavir Swami said that Human beings speak lies due to four main reasons— Out of anger, greed, fear or as a joke. Lies may bring temporary benefit but finally it leads to loss. Depicted by a boy who kept on calling out, “Tiger, Tiger!” as a joke and each time the villagers came to save him. Once the Tiger came for real, but the villagers did not as they thought he was joking. Never tell lies. It is best to keep quiet unless somebody’s life depends on it.
3rd Adattadan or Stealing : Stealing means unauthorized, illegal, unpermitted use or ownership of an article, idea or creation. Depicted by two friends. One is listening to catchy music and the other asks him how he managed to get the music on his phone. But when the friend saw the site, he said that the site is illegal and therefore he would rather not download from it as that would be stealing. There will always be two paths that you can take when doing or obtaining anything. One will be the easy but wrong path which leads to hurting somebody through your actions, while the other may be a harder or more expensive but morally right path. Always opt for the right path. 6 SJSDS Newsletter October 2015
4th Maithun or Unchastity : For lay people Mahavir Swami said that we should practice partial celibacy. This requires control of our sensory activities. Thought must be given before we use all our sense organs. Depicted by some teenagers, teasing a girl. Never, use your senses negatively as this binds a lot of Karma.
5th Parigraha or Possessiveness : Jainism gives importance to simple living. Learn to limit your desires and needs. You can set your own limits but then stick to them. Else desires will always be one step ahead of you due to greed. Satisfaction with what you have is very important. Learn to share your possessions by reducing your attachment to it. Depicted by three people. One has everything and craves more. She is very possessive of her belongings and thus always worried and stressed. The other has just enough, but is happy and stress free. She makes the most of what she has. She uses it carefully and enjoys it. She is even willing to share it with the third person who has nothing except what she is wearing.
6th Krodh or Anger : Mahavir Bhagwan explains that anger is normally a result of our expectations not being met. Anger fuels other sins such as violence. It is very important to control our expectations and in turn our anger. Depicted by Chand Kaushik, a cobra that has a lot of anger and poison.
7th Maan or Ego : One who is full of ego loses his sense of judgment and politeness. A proud man invites his own destruction. We can obtain the knowledge only if we are humble. Humility brings good thoughts where there is no room for the pride or ego. Humility is at the root of religion and it is rather difficult to develop religious feelings as long as ego exists. Depicted by Indrabhuti Gautam. He was very knowledgable person but had a lot of ego.
8th Maya or Deceit : Deceit is responsible for a dishonest life. Due to deceit one loses friends. Honesty helps to realize the truth. A deceitful person has a little understanding of religion. We should stay from such inclination and try to be honest. Depicted by posing as Kenyan instead of Foreigner in a game park to save Park fees. This is wrong and we should be ready to pay the fees that we are liable to pay. Do not defraud anyone or any institution. Also, depicted by parents asking their children to lie about their ages when checking into a hotel to get children rates. The family may pay less for the child, but they bind Paap Karma which they will have to bear one day. It is important to teach children to be honest from the tender age as they learn by example.
7 SJSDS Newsletter October 2015
10th Raag or Attachment : E.g. When hobbies such as TV serials, following sports on TV or playing (like cricket, tennis, football, golf), Cards, Facebook, Computer games, Whats App become our central focus at expense of our social and religious duties.
12th Kalah or Quarrelling/ fighting : Do not pick fights and avoid conflicts. Depicted by three motorists on a Mombasa Road. They all think that it is their right of way and start quarrelling with each other to move out of the way. If one of them had backed up first, would he have lost out? Mahavir Bhagwan says that we must keep calm in all situations. Fighting and Quarreling only leads to more anger and will never lead to a solution. It is better to remain calm and think of a way out of a situation.
13th Abhyakhyana or False accusation or allegation : This includes slandering, disgracing, accusing others falsely. Depicted by a householder and the maid. They are taking stock of the cutlery and the lady starts accusing the maid of taking one teaspoon without any proof. The maid’s feelings are hurt as she knows she has worked honestly. Eventually, the teaspoon is found with the tablespoons. Never accuse anyone of wrong doing unless you have tangible proof.
14th - Paisunya or Slander and backbiting : Mahavir Swami said that we should never blemish somebody’s name. We have no idea what the other persons situation is even when there may be some truth in the matter. Depicted by an Indian Netaji who is talking to a journalist about a political rival. He feeds the journalist all sorts of stories to try and slander his rival in the press about all the vices that the latter indulges in. Politics may be far from where we are but we can learn a lesson. Do not interfere in what others are up to. Even if they are doing wrong, do not make it your business!
15th - Rati/ Arati or Extreme Like / Dislike : This is when one bursts with joys in situations that they like and are extremely sorrowful in unlikeable situations. Example a football fan who cannot contain her happiness as her team has reached the final of FA Cup. Then her team loses the finals! She becomes extremely sorrowful and unresponsive to others. In every situation, whether it is winning or losing, youth or old age, health or sickness, profit or loss; please ensure your emotions are balanced.
16th Para-Parivada or Criticize, backbite, or gossip : Depicted by a group of people who are responsible for spreading some news about someone, whether it is true or just a rumour. The amazing thing is that none of them are directly affected by the news in any way as they have nothing to do with the person they are talking about. See how telling only one person leads to telling many more! Jainism says that do not spread news unless they are beneficial to the listener. Never talk negatively about a third party. 8 SJSDS Newsletter October 2015
Dance—Based on Laghu Shanti Kajalben Dipak Sheth
Tejalben Jitu Sheth
Harshaben Piyush Sheth
Eshaben Dipak Sheth
Nishitaben Hitesh Sheth
Nikiben Mayur Mehta
Simranben Alkesh Simzya
Ashaben Kanchanbhai
Kumarpal Aarti—Bid by Sarojben Shantilal Pethraj Parivar
The practice of ärati and mangal deevo was started around 12th Century AD (almost 900 years ago) by the inspiration of Acharya Hemchandraji. It was a time when a lot of Jains were getting converted into other religions such as Hinduism and the practice of animal slaughter that Mahavir Swami had stopped during his times was getting popular again. Acharya Hemchandraji inspired the then Hindu King Kumarpal of Gujarat with his teaching of non-violence and explaining the true meaning of religion. King Kumarpal became a Jain shäravak and is said to have started the practice of Ärati and Deevo and declared the state of Gujarat as a non-violent state. Thus the mangal deevo we sing has the name of Raja Kumarpal in the song. The Ärati that we say today was written by Sheth Mulchand of Dhudeva (Kesaryaji) in Rajasthan. 9 SJSDS Newsletter October 2015
Katha Geet—Tuesday 15th September 2015 The story of Shalibhadra told in a form of Katha Geet— a classical style of telling stories through narration, music and songs in different raag. Performed by : Rekhaben Satish Shavadia Ashokbhai Vora
Bindiben Ashwin Shah Kanchanbhai
Once upon a time, there lived a poor mother and her son in a small village. One day, there was a festival in the village and all the kids, including the poor son gathered to play. After playing, everyone started to eat khir (sweet rice pudding and milk) which they brought with them. This poor boy did not have anything with him. He felt bad and ran back to his mother. He asked her if she would make him the khir since all the children were eating it. His mother said that she could not make khir and told him to eat whatever she had cooked. He started crying and insisted on the khir. His mother did not want to see him cry. So she went to the neighbor's house and borrowed some milk, sugar and rice to make the khir for her son. She poured the khir into a dish and left to get the water from the well. As the boy was about to start eating, he heard the words, "Dharma Labh," (meaning, you be blessed of spirituality, usually spoken by a Jain Sadhu). He saw a monk at the door for the alm (food). Without any hesitation, the hungry boy invited the monk in and offered him the khir. While pouring the khir all of it slipped into the monk's pot. He was happy that he could offer this to the monk even though nothing was left for him to eat. His good intention brought him good karmas, and in his next life, he was born as a famous Shalibhadra. Shalibhadra's mother was Bhadra Shethani and his father was Gobhadra Sheth. His father had left the house when the boy was young and became a monk. Shalibhadra was a born multimillionaire. His life was like being in heaven. It was said that even the heavenly angels were jealous of his lavish lifestyle. He had 32 beautiful wives. His mother never let him out of his palace in a fear that he might become a monk like his father. One day, some merchants from Nepal came to sell some very expensive saris. They went to king Shrenik's court where the king told them that he could not afford to use his citizens' money for such expensive saris. They were going back with disappointment because they had the high hopes about this city. When Bhadra Shethani came to know about this, she sent for those merchants. The merchants were reluctant to go because if the king could not buy, how any resident could buy such expensive thing. But they went there anyway. Bhadra Shethani asked, "What do you have?" They said they had sixteen saris. She said, "Only sixteen? I need thirty-two saris because I have thirty-two daughter-in-laws." The merchants thought she was joking and would not buy even one. She said, "What are you waiting for. Take out those saris." They took out those sixteen saris. The merchants were surprised that without any second thought she bought all sixteen saris. They were further dazed to see her tearing such precious saris into two pieces in front of them and giving a piece to each of her daughters-in-laws to wipe their feet. The merchants were stunned but left with joy. The daughters-in-laws used these pieces once and threw them away. One of the servants liked the queen, so she took one piece for the queen. The queen was baffled but happy that such rich people lived in her kingdom. She told this to king Shrenik. He also felt very proud of such rich people who uphold the good name of his kingdom. He invited Shalibhadra to his court to honor him. When Bhadra Shethani found out, she went to the king and told him her son was very shy and invited the king to come to their palace to honor Shalibhadra. King Shrenik accepted the invitation and went to Shalibhadra's palace. When King Shrenik reached there, he realized that his palace was nothing compared to Shalibhadra's palace. Bhadra Shethani offered him a place to sit and asked Shalibhadra to come down to see the king. Shalibhadra did not know anything about king or kingdom and thought that there was some sort of merchandise that his mother wanted to show him. So he said, "I do not want to see that but go ahead and buy it." His mother said, "This is not the merchandise. He is our king, our master, and you need to come down to greet and honor him." The word "master" started ringing in his ears. He wondered, "Why should I have a master over me. I should be the master of myself." While thinking like this, he came down, and paid respects to the king, but he could not stay very long and went back. He kept on thinking that he was not free because there was someone over him. He started to think about his father (who had became a monk) and the real meaning of life. He decided at that moment to become a monk and told his family about the decision. His mother and wives tried to convince him to spend some more time with them and maybe later think about it. But he did not listen. At last, he agreed that instead of leaving all thirty-two wives at once, he will leave one wife at a time, and then he would definitely become a monk. He started to do that the very same day. A few days passed by. One day, his sister Subhadra was giving her husband Dhanna a bath and suddenly tears rolled down from her eyes and fell on him. He looked up, and saw his loving wife crying. He asked her what had happened. She told him that her brother had decided to be a monk and he had been leaving one wife every day. Dhanna laughed and told Subhadra, "Her brother was a coward. If he wanted to leave his wives, why wait?" Subhadra was upset to hear that, and told her husband, "It is easier said than done." This sparked an awareness in Dhanna's mind, and he told her, "I am leaving all eight of you right now, and I am leaving right now to be a monk." Subhadra was taken by a surprise. She told him that he must be joking. But Dhanna said, "It is too late now. I am determined to be a monk. If you all want to join me you are welcome." Seeing Dhanna determined, Subhadra and the rest of his seven wives, also decided to become nuns. Now, Dhanna came to his brother-in-law Shalibhadra's place and challenged him, "Hey coward! If you really want to leave the family and become a monk, then what are you waiting for? Join me."Shalibhadra heard and accepted the challenge. He told his wives, "Sorry, but I am leaving you all today." He went down to join his brother-in-law. His wives joined him too. All of them went to Lord Mahavir and took deeksha. What an incredible ending to such a luxurious life! After observing the penance as monk, he was born as an angel in Svarthsiddha viman. From there, he 10beSJSDS Newsletter Octoberand 2015 would born in Mahavidehkshetra ultimately attain liberation, moksha.
Kalpasutra Varghodo—Bid by Ms Kiranben Oza
Mahavir Bhagwan Janma Vachan—14 Dreams of Trishlamata
We are fortunate to have a beautiful derasar. In the West, Jain community members hire school halls, community halls for Paryushan. See picture on left—the 14 swapnas kept at someone’s house! Regrettably, our Mahavir Bhagwan Janma vachan programme was attended by very few people. The swapna for Laxmiji went for a far higher bid than the rest of the swapnas including the Painu or Cradle. 11 SJSDS Newsletter October 2015
Sangh Sanji for Tapasvis on Wednesday 16th September 2015
PREET SANJAY SAVLA
JAYBHAI SURESHBHAI
AMARBHAI SURESHBHAI
MITULBHAI CHANDRAMOHAN
SANJAYBHAI RAMNIKLAL
DAHYALALBHAI DHARAMSHI PUNRAJ
TEJALBEN SHETH
CHANDRIBEN HARISH
DINABEN NITIN
KAJALBEN SHETH
SAROJBEN JATIN
MINABEN MANOJ
NISHABEN HARISH
SNAHALIBEN RISHI GOSRANI
DEVKI KETAN SHAH
DINABEN RASHMI SAVLA
MUKTABEN MANSUKHBHAI
FALGUNIBEN SANJAY SAVLA
Sangh Parna by Ms Kiranben Oza
12 SJSDS Newsletter October 2015
DIPTIBEN ANISH
Navkasi Bhojan – Sunday 20th September 2015 Sponsored By Family of LATE PREMCHAND MEPA AND LATE RANIBEN PREMCHAND MEPA RAJNIKANT PREMCHAND AND NISHABEN RAJNIKANT RISHIT RAJNIKANT AND DEVKI RISHIT RAM RISHIT AND SHYAM RISHIT
Bahuman by the Sangh
Pathshala Children helped to serve food. Training by the veteran—Viren Shah. 13 SJSDS Newsletter October 2015
M M Shah & M V Shah Academy
Scholarship Program 2016
The Jain Education Board would like to thank and appreciate the over whelming support given to the Scholarship Program for 2016 in the Paryushan Parva. Anumodna to all the sponsors both those who renewed and the new sponsors. We are pleased to inform that we have in total 33 scholarships for 2016 - 18 renewals from the previous year and 15 new sponsors including an ex-student now residing in London and from a group of exstudents residing in various parts of the world. A list of all sponsors is on the next page. As you will see from the attached list of sponsors, even groups can be formed to contribute towards a single scholarship. The children are selected from homes for orphans. These children do not have the love of a mother and father, nor do they have access to good education. What better than, we as Jains, to bestow Gnan daan to give an equal platform to these children through education. They will receive the best education at our school. For anyone still wishing to pledge a scholarship, kindly go through the FAQ page for more details on the program. Our members in charge of the program will now recruit the additional students from various children's’ homes in Mombasa based on entrance tests and interviews. All sponsors will receive a termly report on the progress of the sponsored students. Anyone who would still like to sponsor can contact the following : Mr Niteen Shah (0733 234482)
Mr Atul Gudka (0727 067488)
Email : jaineducationboard@gmail.com
JAIN EDUCATION BOARD
14 SJSDS Newsletter October 2015
Mr Dhiren Shah (0722 752713)
List of Sponsors for 2016 Sponsors who renewed Family of Late Mr. Amritlal Punjabhai Gudka & Mrs. Kundanben Amritlal Gudka Mrs. Chandramaniben Raichand Shah Mr. Chuni Devshi Shah Mr. Jayendra Raichand Shah ( 5 Students ) Family of Late Mr. Keshavlal Rupshi Shah Mr. Ketan Shantilal Shah Kikambala Group ( 2 Students ) Mr. Kirti Ramniklal Shah Mr. Lalit Doshi in memory of Late Mrs Lilavanti Popatlal Doshi Mr. Mukesh Shantilal Malde in memory of Late Mrs. Ratanben Shantilal Malde Mr. Prabhulal Narshi Samat Shah Mr. Ramesh Devchand Shah Mrs. Suryaben Chandrakant Meghji Parivar
New Sponsors 1973 - M M Shah Primary Class 7 Group Mrs Harsha Mahesh Chandaria Mrs Indiraben Jayantilal Shah Family of Late Mr Jayantilal Narshi Shah Kantilal Tarachand Sanghrajka & Family Karania Foundation, Nairobi Mrs Kasturben Lalji Shah in memory of Late Snehal Vimal Lalji Shah c/o Adarsh Trading Mrs Muktaben Mansukhlal Shah Mzuri Sweets Ltd ( 2 Students ) Mr Rohit Zaverchand Chandaria Mrs Sadhanaben Bhogilal Doshi Simran & Sonali Diviyesh Maganlal Shah, London Anonymous ( 2 Students ) 15 SJSDS Newsletter October 2015
Frequently Asked Questions 1.
What is the Sponsorship amount for 2016 ? Kshs 110,000/= for one year
2.
What does it include ? The selected child will get all costs paid for from the sponsorship including :
Tuition fees
Socks
Transport for carer if required
School Uniforms
Lunch
Text books
Sports Uniforms
Break snacks
Exercise books and stationery
Black shoes
School trips
Sports shoes
Transport to & fro from school
3.
How are the children selected ? All registered Children’s homes in reaching distance from the school are contacted to send suitable children for an entrance test. The children are all interviewed by the teachers. Based on the interview and the test results the children are selected. We try to get children from various homes.
4.
How is the progress and welfare of the children monitored ?
Two teachers have been appointed to be mentors to these children—they look after the progress and welfare of the children and also liaise with administrators in the homes. In addition, two members from the JEB also monitor the progress and also visit the homes before the children are selected. 5.
What happens if the sponsorship is not renewed ? Once selected the child will complete his or her education at the school. In the event that the sponsorship is not renewed, a new donor will be solicited. In the final result the school will bear the costs. But the child will complete Class 8 at the school.
6.
Can non-Jains sponsor ?
Yes, non Jains can also sponsor a child. Many ex students of the school are non Jains. 7.
Does the Sangh contribute towards this sponsorship ? Yes, admission fees and caution monies are not charged. In some cases, expenses are higher than sponsorship amount. For example , extra transport cost is incurred for carers or when the home is far eg Likoni. Or trips costs are high for that class eg Rift Valley trip for Standard 7 costs above 10,000/=. In addition, the Sangh underwrites all future costs in case sponsorships are not renewed.
16 SJSDS Newsletter October 2015
M M Shah & M V Shah Academy Sports Day 26 September 2015 at Municipal Stadium Chief Guest : Mr Vijaybhai Ramniklal Shah
Vijaybhai & Malaben receiving a bouquet of flowers, introduction to members of the Staff and signing of the visitors book.
Lighting of the torch
Vijaybhai & Kirtibhai with parents Warming Up !
Principal : Mr Kennedy Arogo Deputy Principal : Mr Lucas Mwakiswa
Sangh Chairlady, Sadhanaben Doshi, Vijaybhai and Malaben enjoying the welcome song with big smiles !
Medals given out by Sangh Chairlady— Mrs Sadhanaben Doshi, Sangh Treasurer— Mr Saileshbhai Shah, JEB Chairman—Dipanbhai Shah and Sangh member—Ashokbhai Zaverchand Punja. 17 SJSDS Newsletter October 2015