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Thursday 24 September 2015

SSB General Awareness: Paryushan - time for meditation or distress?

The Jain community forms 0.37% of the total population of India. Mumbai holds one of the largest Jain population in the country with a number of Jain temples and monuments. The Jain community in Mumbai is not only very prosperous but also one with the highest literacy rate amongst other communities. A religious organization, The Dakshin Bharat Jain Sabha is responsible for the interests of the native Jains in Maharashtra and Karnataka. 
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The Jains are a community that has a principle of ‘Ahimsa’ and which is their basic tenet, this is the reason we find Jain Monks and Nuns covering their mouth with cloth so that not even insects are hurt or affected in any manner, their places of worship called ‘sthanaks’, do not have any statue or image or any material substance as is usually associated with other religions. Followers of the Jain religion observe a fast and pray for forgiveness during the annual Paryushan  festival. The two sects of the Jain community, the Swetambars and the Digambars will be celebrating this festival on different dates.

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Out of respect for the sentiments of the Jain minority , the Mumbai city’s administration ordered a ban on the sale of all meat products for about four days in Mumbai and three days in Rajasthan. This particular ban rings a bell and brings us back to the ban on cow slaughter,the common factor in both is the communal politics practiced by the Bhartiya Janata Party(BJP),which ostensibly violates the secular nature of our constitution. The ban on the sale of meat and poultry in different parts of the country poses a gigantic question on the secular values of the nation. Should the rituals of a single community be allowed to become an inconvenience for some other community?

In particular this ban would not only be acting against a vast population of meat eaters but also the myriad meat-sellers, causing a great deal of loss. Some organizations(Hindu Right wing Shiv Sena and Left –of centre Congress party) running in the region have questioned the ruling pointing out the interference this would cause in the people’s right to choose what they eat. Non vegetarian food items like beef are not only consumed by the Muslims and Christian’s but also by a number of low caste Hindus for whom it is a cheap source of protein. This ban is certainly a slap on the faces of all the butchers, meat-vendors and even the leather industries.
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There is a need for every community to observe the vow of austerity during their important religious dates, the Jains ask to kill nothing, the Muslims ask to ban liquor, so how can one expect all these demands be met keeping the interests of the minorities in mind. This year Bakra Eid is just after Paryushan, but what about later when both these festivals coincide.

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This is a matter that requires grave attention as it can very well be a cause for some kind of internal disturbance in the future. India has a secular nature due to very deep rooted reasons, it demands unity in diversity, we as Indians should learn to differentiate between the wrong and right and learn from the mistakes we have committed in the past.

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About the Author:

Rishabh Raj Singh is currently a student at Delhi University and is whole heartedly dedicated to join Indian Army .It’s his dream too to serve the country like every other aspirant. He loves music (Guitar) and art (Pencil Sketching), sports (Boxing) and games (Table Tennis) and is a state level Swimmer.

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