BY DEVIKA C. MEHTA
RIVERSIDE, CA - “Never having known my true nature, Infinite sorrow I attained, The enlightened master unveiled it to me, for that I bow at his lotus feet.” These lines by Jain spiritual guru, Shrimad Rajchandra, reverberated at the main hall of the University of California, Riverside on February 17 when history was made by the...
RIVERSIDE, CA - “Never having known my true nature, Infinite sorrow I attained, The enlightened master unveiled it to me, for that I bow at his lotus feet.” These lines by Jain spiritual guru, Shrimad Rajchandra, reverberated at the main hall of the University of California, Riverside on February 17 when history was made by the...
Indian-American Jain community following the signing of an agreement, for a Chair in Jain Studies, by Dr. Meera Modi, UCR Development Staff Member Hieu Nguyen, Dr. Jasvant Modi, Mahesh Wadher, and Usha Wadher in the presence of Chancellor Wilcox and Dean of School of Humanities Milagros Pena.
The Chair was later named Shrimad Rajchandra Endowed Chair in Jain Studies, to commemorate the 150th birth anniversary of the spiritual guru. Now, Shrimad Rajchandra Mission Dharamur and Jain Center of Los Angeles will help raise funds of $1million for the UCR chair. Both Wadher and Modi families have committed $250,000 each and Vijay & Madhu Chheda family have committed $100,000. Another $400,000 from the community is required and UCR will further the process of recruiting a chairperson after getting the due amount and an approval from the UC President’s office.
Notably, the negotiations for the Chair started in December 2015, just after the community signed for the Shri Parshvanath Presidential Chair in Jain Studies at UC Irvine, the first ever Endowment for a Jain Chair in the US in August 2015.
After signing the agreement, donors Dr. Jasvant Modi and Mahesh Wadher talked about the teachings of the Jain philosophy and its principles – Ahimsa (non-violence), Aparigrah (non-possessiveness) and Anekantvad (Non-absolutism, pluralistic perspective) that are of great benefit in resolving world conflicts.
Wadher also emphasized the role of Shrimadji, who was a great poet, philosopher and a practitioner of Jain Principles. “He was a self-realized soul who had extraordinary talent and claimed to have recollection of his past 900 lives at the age of seven. He preached Jainism to the world. Mahatma Gandhi learned about Ahimsa (Non-Violence) from him,” he further stated.
UCR Sikh Department Chair Professor, Dr. Pashuara Singh and ‘Sahota Perfusion Balloon’ inventor, Dr Harvinder Sahota noted, “Today’s historical event will have a profound impact on developing academic opportunities for the study and research of Indian religions which are not widely known or understood outside of India. The endowed chair will prepare those citizens who will make that change.” Chancellor Wilcox more than agreed with this view and discussed the roles, responsibilities and possibilities for both American and Jain communities and ruled that perpetuity will go hand in hand in future.
Moderator Nitin Shah also called it a very proud moment for the Jain community and Shrimad Rajchandra followers around the world- “To the best of our knowledge, this will be the first Chair or Professorship named after Shrimadji outside of India. We hope that the chairperson will be hired by summer/fall of 2018 and hopefully, he or she will start taking Jain classes by fall of 2018.”
Explaining about the endowed chair, he elaborated, “It is a fund that provides resources to recruit, retain, and reward the finest scholars. The annual interest in the endowment provides resources in perpetuity for faculty salary, teaching, research and related activities.” More than 40 community members attended the event. The ceremony concluded with recital of the Navkar mantra followed by a delicious lunch . Notably, so far, more than 700 students or faculty members have learned about Jainism through the International School for Jain Studies, an institute based in India but coordinated from Houston, TX.
The Chair was later named Shrimad Rajchandra Endowed Chair in Jain Studies, to commemorate the 150th birth anniversary of the spiritual guru. Now, Shrimad Rajchandra Mission Dharamur and Jain Center of Los Angeles will help raise funds of $1million for the UCR chair. Both Wadher and Modi families have committed $250,000 each and Vijay & Madhu Chheda family have committed $100,000. Another $400,000 from the community is required and UCR will further the process of recruiting a chairperson after getting the due amount and an approval from the UC President’s office.
Notably, the negotiations for the Chair started in December 2015, just after the community signed for the Shri Parshvanath Presidential Chair in Jain Studies at UC Irvine, the first ever Endowment for a Jain Chair in the US in August 2015.
After signing the agreement, donors Dr. Jasvant Modi and Mahesh Wadher talked about the teachings of the Jain philosophy and its principles – Ahimsa (non-violence), Aparigrah (non-possessiveness) and Anekantvad (Non-absolutism, pluralistic perspective) that are of great benefit in resolving world conflicts.
Wadher also emphasized the role of Shrimadji, who was a great poet, philosopher and a practitioner of Jain Principles. “He was a self-realized soul who had extraordinary talent and claimed to have recollection of his past 900 lives at the age of seven. He preached Jainism to the world. Mahatma Gandhi learned about Ahimsa (Non-Violence) from him,” he further stated.
UCR Sikh Department Chair Professor, Dr. Pashuara Singh and ‘Sahota Perfusion Balloon’ inventor, Dr Harvinder Sahota noted, “Today’s historical event will have a profound impact on developing academic opportunities for the study and research of Indian religions which are not widely known or understood outside of India. The endowed chair will prepare those citizens who will make that change.” Chancellor Wilcox more than agreed with this view and discussed the roles, responsibilities and possibilities for both American and Jain communities and ruled that perpetuity will go hand in hand in future.
Moderator Nitin Shah also called it a very proud moment for the Jain community and Shrimad Rajchandra followers around the world- “To the best of our knowledge, this will be the first Chair or Professorship named after Shrimadji outside of India. We hope that the chairperson will be hired by summer/fall of 2018 and hopefully, he or she will start taking Jain classes by fall of 2018.”
Explaining about the endowed chair, he elaborated, “It is a fund that provides resources to recruit, retain, and reward the finest scholars. The annual interest in the endowment provides resources in perpetuity for faculty salary, teaching, research and related activities.” More than 40 community members attended the event. The ceremony concluded with recital of the Navkar mantra followed by a delicious lunch . Notably, so far, more than 700 students or faculty members have learned about Jainism through the International School for Jain Studies, an institute based in India but coordinated from Houston, TX.
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