Portcullis House  House of Commons
 15th October 2008

The sixth Ahimsa Day celebration started with the compére for the evening Miss Anupa Sanghrajka introducing herself  and then requesting the Respected Samaniji’s to recite the auspicious Namokar mantra and explain the meaning of the mantra briefly. 

Deputy Chairman of the Institute, Nemu Chandaria  then formally welcomed all the guests  and thanked the hosts for helping with the venue and helping arrange the facilities there. He outlined the activities and the achievements of the institute during the year. He said the Institute was justifiably proud of having secured a grant of £365,000 from the Heritage Lottery Fund for the Manuscript Digitisation project, aptly named Jainpedia. He also referred to the progress being made with the various SACRE authorities and sale of the book ‘Learn Jainism’. He mentioned that the second part of that book was at proof reading stage and would be published soon.

The catalogue for the Jain manuscripts from Wellcome  Trust would be published during the next year.    Work on Bodleian Collection at  Oxford is in progress and that at Florence University will start next year.

Discussions are going on with V & A Museum to hold programs and exhibitions  there.

He referred to the successful tour of the Far East by the Institute’s Hon Secretary and Trustee Dr Harshad Sanghrajka delivering courses in Jainism at three Jain centres.

Barry Gardiner MP is the Chairman of Labour Friends of India, began by pointing out that although 2nd October, the anniversary of Gandhiji’s birth, has been made Global Non-Violence Day, everyday should really be Ahimsa Day.  Barry Gardiner focused on humility as an essential aspect of Ahimsa, and an essential aspect of other religions, including his own.  He also spoke about the necessity to recognise our place in the world and our relative insignificance, which would cultivate our humility.  Gardiner also informed the audience that at a recent meeting of Labour Friends of India, where the Prime Minister Rt Hon Gordon Brown  they had discussed the sustained Jain contribution to UK society in the fields of finance and culture and in particular the contribution by the Institute of Jainology .  He concluded by congratulating the launch of  JAINpedia project.

Shailesh Vara MP Chairman of the Conservative Friends of India started his address by rebutting his preceding speaker, Barry Gardiner, on his suggestion that the Attlee Suite was not a grand enough venue for Ahimsa Day. Vara pointed out that within this building the ideas and laws to alleviate global poverty are born, which indeed is the theme of this year’s Ahimsa Day.  Vara enlightened the audience with some statistics ascertaining to poverty, such as that one in sixteen women in Africa die at childbirth.  He outlined that access to food, healthcare and sanitation were all necessary factors to lift people out of poverty, but warned that there must be accountability for considerable sums of money given in aid, particularly by British people.

Virendra Sharma MP was responsible for booking the venue for the Ahimsa Day event.  Being of Indian origin, he is very familiar with the role of Jainism in society, and in particular spoke of Bhagwan Mahavir’s message of love and peace.  He spoke of Ahimsa as a form of responsibility to those who are less fortunate – the necessity to ensure that our neighbours should not be without food or shelter.  Citing the Prime Minister, Rt Hon Gordon Brown, Sharma said he was very proud to be a part of a society and government that has pledged to alleviate poverty from the world. 

IoJ was fortunate enough to have Lord Puttnam as the chief guest and keynote speaker.  He is famous for his films Chariots of Fire and The Killing Fields and has been the  President of UNICEF UK for the past seven years.  He began by informing the audience that during his many travel, his favourite place in the world is the Jain temple in Ranakpur. 

 Lord Puttnam drew on his career in media to speak about the positive role media can play in the fight against poverty.  He suggested that informed, great reporting can effectively lead to great social reform.  He spoke of the many facets associated with our responsibility to alleviating poverty, which encompasses our attitudes to development politics and climate change.

 He had recently returned from a trip meeting Palestinian youths in Syria and Jordan who were all concerned with the issues of peace and reconciliation.  He was saddened and disappointed that hardly any of these youths had ever heard of Gandhi, who was indeed a symbol of peace and reconciliation.  This was further disappointing because   Sir Richard Attenborough who he considered to be his mentor, had translated the Gandhi film into Arabic.

He spoke poignantly about the necessity of cultivating a sustainable society as a method of alleviating poverty.  He cited the term ‘The Global Village’, which was coined by Marshall McLuhan, and suggested that now more than ever we live in a global village with a shared global identity.  Inevitably this means that we are all interdependent.  He spoke of the idea of rights vs. responsibility and suggested that perhaps the time had come to sacrifice a few luxuries we have come to regard as our rights and take responsibility for the impact these luxuries have on people around the world.  He elaborated on this theme by suggesting that we must adopt certain moral responsibilities even if they may affect our economy.

He concluded his powerful address by highlighting the urgency if his message and reiterating his call for collective responsibility.

A long-term friend of the Jain community, Tony McNulty MP,  began his address with the perennial crowd-pleaser of ‘Jai Jinendra!’.  He highlighted how the previous speech by Lord Puttnam was laced with Ahimsa.  He quoted Martin Luther King when he said: ‘Injustice anywhere threatens justice everywhere’.  He then mentioned that as well as our global concerns about poverty, there is still a problem of child poverty in the UK which must also be addressed.  He outlined his interpretation of Ahimsa by suggesting that it means an absence of violence, threat and humiliation and clarified that non-violence in no way means capitulation to violence.  He concluded his speech by suggesting that even if everyday could not be an official Ahimsa Day, the Institute might want to have such an event three or four times a year to maintain a constant reflection on Ahimsa. 

Jaysukh Mehta, a Trustee of the Institute and the co-ordinator for the Ahimsa Day event announced Acharya Mahapragyaji as the recipient of the Institute of Jainology’s Ahimsa 2008 Award.

He outlined the considerations by the Trustees in choosing Acharyaji as the recipient of the award.  He cited his spiritual devotion from a very tender age, his scholastic achievements and ascendancy in becoming the Acharya of the Terapanth Sect. 

It was his Rath Yatra through out the country to create an awareness of the poverty and at the same time calming the ill communal feelings between  Hindus and Muslims, and inspiring the various Indian leaders to implement the principles of Ahimsa as part of the national policy that decided the Trustees to present the award to him.

 Mrs Sayer Choradia representing Acharya Mahapragyaji accompanied by the two Samnijis then accepted the memento for the award from Lord Puttnam.

Mr Manick Choradia then read the acceptance message from Acharyashriji:
Acharyaji described Ahimsa as the greatest gift from Bhagwan Mahavira to the mankind. He went on to draw the co-relationship between aparigraha (non-possession) and ahimsa (non-violence) and highlighted the fallacy of many Jain philosophers of highlighting only the non violence and ignoring non-possession.

He emphasised that one could not exist without the other. He suggested that those celebrating the Ahimsa Day should also celebrate the non-possession day.

Dr Rashmi Zaveri, the Jain speaker from India started with the ailment suffered by the society as a whole – affluenza, that is material richness or pining for that richness. He then drew up the picture of global poverty  and went on to describe how ‘Mahavir Economics’ would have us resolve the issue of global poverty. Please click here for the full text of Dr Zaveri’s address.

Following the unofficial theme of the evening in commenting on the appropriateness of the Attlee Suite as the venue, Navin Shah compared the venue to a Jain upashray.  He cited the bare, minimalist walls as an appropriate place to concentrate on the theme of Ahimsa.  He concluded his brief address by speaking of the importance of applying today’s discussion to our actions and decisions and thus not just leaving the discussion of Ahimsa and alleviating poverty in the theoretical realm. 

Finally, Hemali Shah, a young Jain gave the vote of thanks and invited everyone to some light refreshments. This gave an opportunity to the guests to mingle with the speakers and amongst themselves.

Jain philosophy prescribes one of the major motto of one’s life should be:

  ‘Parasparopagraho jivanam’
         Souls Render Service to one Another – All Life is Interdependent

In very simple terms it means you share your resources with those who need them – thus we have chosen this year’s theme as : ‘Alleviation of Global Poverty’.

Following is an excerpt from a circular our Chairman, Mr Ratibhai Chandaria circulated round the world a few weeks ago:

This same theme, 2600 years after Lord mahavir preached it  is going to be one of the major focal points  for the United Nations and of course it is very close to our Prime Minister, Rt Hon Gordon Brown’s heart. He has been promoting the theme actively for past several years.

Ahimsa Day 2008   15th October
Portcullis House
House of Commons
London

Synopsis of the paper presented by Dr Rashmikumar Zaveri

Theme: Jainism and Alleviation of Poverty

INTRODUCTION

 Jainism is one of the oldest living religions of the world. Mahavir was not the founder of Jainism but a rejuvenator, propagator and exponent of it. He was born as a prince in 599 BC. His entire teachings revolve around purification of soul. His values are based on five vows of non violence, devotion to truth, non-stealing, celibacy and non-possession. The quintessence of his Sermon was compassion.

The Jain philosophy is essentially a super spiritual ideology, with the final emancipation from the mundane state as its summum bonum, which means end of the perennial sufferings. A very relevant corollary of this high objective is that the sufferings in the worldly life also cannot be mitigated through material and economic developments only. The whole humankind is making strenuous efforts for such developments through science and technology and gigantic macroeconomic projects. But, alas! The result is quite the opposite. The more we achieve, the more are the problems.  We are getting materially richer and richer but simultaneously less and less happy. We are afflicted by the virus of, in the words of Oliver James, ‘Affluenza’. Let us try to evolve a new paradigm of philosophy, mainly based on Jainism through which a balanced view of life can be made acceptable and a viable sustainable development can be made.  Before we discuss the Jain concept of economics, let us briefly have a picture of global poverty.

Poverty
A recent report of the World Bank on latest estimation of global poverty states that the global poor living below the new international poverty line of $1.25 per day is pegged at as many as1.4 billion people! These statistics are based on estimates of the purchasing power parity (PPP) made by the World Bank. These shocking facts reveal the extent of poor people living below poverty line and their ranks are swelling
But according to me the real issue is not alleviation of poverty. Because “poverty” is a relative term. Its definition and connotation change with reference to time, place and individual view point. The real issue that should be addressed is how to make available the most basic and primary needs of a human being- food, clothing and shelter and the minimum adequate medical and education facilities to all.
 Jainism offers a direct solution to this issue and suggests following steps to alleviate the problem of global poverty: Jainism advocates a life-style based on the cardinal principles of spiritualism – ahimsa, stoicism, reduction and/or giving up the desire for material things. It says that one should pursue one’s needs rather than one’s wants
 This brings us to the Economics of Mahavir.

Mahavir’s Economics 
 Lord Mahavir said, “Dhammo mangal mukkitham ahimsa, sanjamo tao”. That means Religion or spirituality based on non-violence i.e. ahimsa, restraint and austerity is the best auspicious for mankind. Mahavir’s economics is based on these three principles. He was not an economist and He didn’t express any views on economic principles directly, but Acharya Mahapragya (receiver of today’s Ahimsa Award) has developed these principles from the farmer’s utterances on renunciation and self-restraint. Mahavir has laid down the standards governing desires and prescribed the limits of consumption. We must realize that economic systems emerge from interactive human behaviour. The imbalance in the economic social order is generated by man’s deviation from a righteous path. Mahavir studied these patterns of human behaviour and propensities for deviation and laid down a twelve-fold code of conduct for his disciples based on twelve small vows. 

          One of these vows, viz., yathasamivibhaga vrata, that means sharing plays an important role in giving rise to a new economic model envisioned. This vow alone, if observed by most of the people of this world, can create a sustainable and non-violent society in the world. Mahavir goes to the extent of saying that asamvibhagassa hu natthi mokkho meaning he who does not share his resources, eatables and other objects of daily use with others will not attain liberation.
Another important vow is upabhoga-paribhoga parimana.. It says that one should daily make a list of things or articles of daily consumption that one will use during the day and refrain from consuming any other article. Mahavir said annahanam pasae pariharejja. He said that a seer or an enlightened person will consume things differently. He will use and consume only those things which are absolutely necessary for his sustenance. He will not waste anything nor will he crave or pine for unnecessary or luxurious things. He will not succumb to his desires for material things

Economics of Mahavir lays down following cardinal principles:

• The central focus should be man and not money or material
  
• One should voluntarily limit his desires and needs A man’s richness should be measured not by the amount of his material wealth but by the fewness of his wants.
  
• One should earn his livelihood by his own labour and refrain from exploiting labour of others.
  
• One should not resort to unfair, unethical, immoral, dishonest or illegal means to earn his livelihood. One should not cheat others {e.g. using wrong weights or measures}, nor resort to adulteration nor sell spurious articles
  
• One should put a limit on one’s personal consumption. One should not buy or consume or accumulate things which are not necessary for his livelihood.
  
• One should put a voluntary limit on accumulation of wealth. If he is fortunate to earn more than this limit by his skill, dexterity or labour, he should consider himself as a trustee of that extra wealth, rather than considering himself as owner of it. 

Economics is the science of material prosperity while the voluntary limitation of accumulation of wealth is the science of peace as prescribed by Mahavir. Man does need economic resources – both natural resources and man made products – both of which are necessarily limited. Now if majority of these are owned and or controlled by a few individuals or nations, there will be imbalance of economic affluence and economic power. This will always lead to unrest. Greed, tendency of wanton spending and uncontrolled consumption of the rich have pushed up the prices of basic necessities. The tendency to purchase certain things at any cost- just because of the fancy of the rich and their capacity – has sent the prices sky- rocketing beyond the reach of the ordinary man.

LIFE STYLE PRESCRIBED BY MAHAVIR 
Mahavir prescribed a life style of balancing. He advocated the principle of self-discipline, restraint, abnegation, sacrifice and voluntary limitation of accumulation of wealth. He said that. Initially wants arise from hunger, and then the wants themselves turn into hunger – hunger for more wealth, more accumulation, more consumption, leading to loss of direction and peace.

The root of the problem lies in our lifestyle propelled by competitive modern economics which is totally devoid of ethical values. It is making people self-centered, greedy, insensitive and violent.
If economics continues to remain merely the economics of utility, it will not be possible for us to remove social disparities. Only if the basic human values like non-violence, peace, purity of means, self-restraint as propounded by Lord Mahavir are integrated with the modern economic principles, it will bring about a big change in social outlook towards production, distribution and consumption. It will also result in the fulfilment of the primary needs of the poor and weaker sections of society. Lord Mahavir has laid down the vow of non-possession for ascetics. He knew that it was not possible for the house-holders to refrain completely from possession, so he propounded the principle of limiting individual desires and wants. If an individual can limit his desires and wants, it will pave the way for an economically sustainable society.

One of the essential steps in changing the life-style is bringing about a change in pleasure seeking life-style. Pleasure seeking is not bad in itself, but now thirst for pleasure has become limitless. If the desire for pleasure and comfort becomes insatiable, the appetite for glamour and pleasure will forever go on increasing. Jainism firmly believes in the aphorism: “samyamah khalu jeeanam”  which means discipline coupled with stoicism is life. Life is where discipline is. If passion increases, the entire world may find itself on the brink of annihilation.

ECONOMICS OF NON-VIOLENCE, PEACE AND CO-EXISTENCE 
Violence and acquisitiveness (parigraha) are inseparably welded together. Voluntary limiting the possession and consumption of material objects through curbing own cravings and pining called Iccha-parimana is the best solution for solving the problem of global poverty The vow of Ichha-parimana should be associated with modern economics and concept of development. This will evolve new paradigm in economics, leading to develop “Economics of Non-violence and Peace’. This will minimize the disparity between the rich and the poor and combat the problems on humanitarian basis by giving a new life-style. This will make our life happy and peaceful in true sense of the words. 

Practice of  Preksha Meditation is a practical form of spiritualism capable of bringing about bio-chemical transformation including neuro-endocrinal secretions and hormones. This ultimately makes psyche (and mind) free from perturbance, delusion, agonies etc. We shall have to re-define the basic philosophical principles and interpret them in context of the global problems, and apply them to find out the solutions thereof, which can be accepted globally.

To overcome the problems of unnecessary violence, fundamentalism, environmental crisis, socio-cultural conflicts, human solidarity and techno-scientific challenges we need a holistic thinking, peaceful co–existence, socio-economic policies governed by ethico-spiritual or eco-human values and self-restraint lifestyle followed by training in non-violence and transformation of consciousness.

The ideas of balanced and sustainable development, global ethics, inter-cultural dialogue, equality, justice and peaceful co-existence unfold themselves in the restraint, compassionate, rational and Jain ethics of tolerance, inter-connectivity, reciprocity.

Portcullis House
House of Commons 
London

Full Transcript of Jaysukh Mehta’s address announcing the rceipient of the IoJ Ahimsa 2008 Award

Pujya Samnijis,
Lord Puttnam,                                                                            
Joint hosts of this event 

Chairman of the Institute of Jainology,  Mr Ratilal Chandaria,

Ladies and gentlemen:

The recipient of this year’s Ahimsa Award is Param Pujya Acharya Shri Mahapragyaji. He is the current Acharya and head of the terapanth Jain sect. 

To say a few words about a giant personality is not difficult, it is impossible!  

Acharya shri was born as Nathmal to Tola Ram and Baluji Choradia, in Tamkor, Rajasthan on 14th June 1920.  Very shortly after his birth, his father had passed away.

There was no school in their village and Nath Mal did not have an opportunity to receive formal education.  However, he had demonstrated very strong spiritual inclinations from a very young age and he was deeply impressed by the personality of Acharya Shri Kalu Ram Gani.  

On 29th January, 1931, at the tender age of 10 he was initiated by Acharya Shrimad Kalu Ram  as a disciple of Acharya Tulsi. The effectiveness of the guru-disciple relationship  in Indian tradition is reflected by the wisdom of the young disciple in that,  without any formal schooling he had mastered subjects such as History, Philosophy, Logic, Grammar, Physics, Ayurveda, Politics, Economics, and Social sciences. 

Since then, he has evolved not only as an author but also as a poet, and that too in diverse languages such as Hindi, Prakrit and Sanskrit.

Muni Nath Mal, through his devotion established an incomparable rapport with his Guru.  Acharyashri Tulsi also recognised the exceptional talents in his young  disciple   and placed heavy responsibilities on him:

• In 1955 Acharyashri Tulsi nominated Muni Nath Mal as the Chief Secretary of the Terapanth organisation.
• On 4th February, 1979 he was appointed successor-designate to Acharya Tulsi and was given the title of Yuvacharya Mahapragya.
  
• On 18th February 1994 Achary Tulsi relinquished his post,   and Yuvacharya Mahapragya became Acharya Mahapragya.   A holy ceremony in followed in Delhi on 5th February, 1995 when he was formally pronounced the tenth Acharya of the Terapanth sect.
  
• Acharya Mahapragya is the torch bearer of some of the most successful projects initiated by Acharya Tulsi:  First one being the
  
• Anuvrat Movement
  
• Acharya Tulsi launched the Anuvrat Movement on March 1, 1949.   Within a year, it exceeded all expectations when thousands of people from different faiths recited the lesser vows to live a mindful and aware daily life.  The movement is universal and is not based on any particular sect or religion.  It is a way of life to improve one’s own quality of life,  harmonising it  with all living beings.  Its relevance to present times can be appreciated by looking at the vows taken to protect the environment and to avoid waste, misuse and pollution of nature.
• Since its inception, Acharya Mahapragya has made it popular not only in India, but internationally.  The Anuvrat Global Movement  is now a dedicated organisation under the patronage of Acharya Shri Mahapragya. The first vow it administers is that of practicing AHIMSA.
  
• Then there is Preksha Dhyan
  Acharya Tulsi assigned his young protégée to investigate the reasons for the disappearance of the practice of meditation in Jainism.
  Acharyashri Mahapragya spent over 20 years studying the Jain Agams -  that is Jain Scriptures  and concluded a system of meditation which is now popularly known as Preksha Dhyana.

This  is a non-sectarian system of meditation which has spiritual as well as physical benefits.  It is complimentary to the Anuvrat movement in that its practice makes the observation of the vows a matter of routine without any special efforts.

For his efforts in this task, Acharya Shri Tulsi gave him the title  of Jain-Yoga-Punruddharak              (Resurrector of Jain Yoga).

Acharyashri Mahapragy’s most recognised contribution to AHIMSA is in the journey he undertook to quell the communal violence that had  erupted in India between Hindus and Muslims.  Ahimsa Yatra, as it was named, was launched on 5th December, 2001 in Rajasthan. As if Ahimsa Yatra was destined to be a precursor to the events that followed,  in February, 2002,   communal violence broke out in Gujarat and its ugly aftermath affected many Indian states.

Addressing a gathering at a village in Gujarat, Acharya Shri said, 

 “Only that country becomes strong,  whose citizens know the way to control their emotions. No country can emerge powerful,  without peaceful coexistence, and it is impossible for a country to ensure peaceful co-existence of its people without restraint and discipline. Some people are educated into communal and caste frenzy. The frenzied state of their minds gives rise to an anti-social environment. The government tries to resist it through its might, but it is the duty of the citizens to see that the hooligans do not convert it into communal frenzy. ………”

Touched and inspired by these efforts of Acharyashri, the then President of India, Dr. Abdul Kalam,  ignoring all protocols, met him. Many political leaders including, the deputy Prime Minister of the time, Shri Lal Krishna Advani,  Congress President and Leader, Smt. Sonia Gandhi, the supreme of RSS,  Shri K.C. Sudarshan travelled to Gujarat and met Acharyashree to discuss the adoption of Ahimsa as a national policy. 

The famous Surat Spiritual Declaration of Unity of Minds was signed by 20 leaders from all different faiths of India and presented to Dr Kalam on 15th October, 2003.

Acharyashri moved from state to state, undertaking journeys of thousands of kilometres, and convinced multi-faith congregations to accept four principles in their lives:

“1. I will believe in human unity.
2. I will not resort to quarrels and conflicts on the basis of caste and sectarian issues.
3. I will try adopt  integrity in my personal life as far as I can.
4. I will try to remain free from drug addiction.      “

Just as a drop of ocean water,  gives the flavour of the whole ocean, in the limited time available, I have narrated only a sample of Acharyashri Mahapragya’s virtues, achievements and greatness but enough to give you a flavour of his whole being. From this narration, you will all agree that the Trustees of Institute of Jainology have made the right choice for the presentation of AHIMSA AWARD 2008 to PARAM PUJYA ACHARYASHRI MAHAPRAGYA.
Thank you.

On behalf of our chairman, Mr R.P.Chandaria I have pleasure in welcoming you all to this sixth annual Ahimsa Day celebrations in the House of Commons. 

To commemorate the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, last year the United Nations declared 2^nd October as International Ahimsa Day. The Institute decided that it would celebrate the achievements of Ghandhiji by presenting an AHIMSA AWARD each year to an international personality who had lived a life dedicated to non-violence.  

Those of you who were present on this occasion last year may be aware that two awards were declared in absentia: one to Dr Nelson Mandela and the other to HH The Dalai Lama.  We were fortunate that His Holiness granted us an audience on 21^st May 2008 when he expressed his appreciation for the award as well as discussing the subtlety of non-violence in Jain philosophy and its relevance to contemporary times. 

Our theme this year is the  ALLEVIATION OF GLOBAL POVERTY.   

Earlier this year, the Prime Minister called for  action at the UN from global leaders to support the commitment to alleviating global poverty. This call  resonates with AHIMSA. Alleviating poverty is a duty for all those that believe in non-violence as well as compassion.  

The Institute supported by various Hindu Organisations, sent by e-mail a letter with a Flyer ‘BE THAT CHANGE’ to about 100,000 Jains all over the globe requesting active part in achieving Millennium Development Goals by any one or all three i.e. Switching of lights at 900pm, skipping a meal or sponsoring a child in india. . The response has been encouraging.  

This year’s AHIMSA AWARD  will go to a Jain ascetic who has been called a living saint by many. We are delighted that he  has agreed to receive this award and sent us a message which will be read later in the programme.  

The past 12 months have continued to provide the Institute with further progress and, if I may, I shall spend a few minutes giving you a brief update. 

After we published DISCOVER JAINISM, for the primary Religious Education curriculum, the London Boroughs of Harrow and Barnet both organised a formal launch. It has since continued to be taken up by many schools around the country.

The second book in the series – Jain Tales – is expected next year and we hope that it too has equal success.  

Many of you will remember that we catalogued the Jain Manuscipts collection at the British Library and this was launched by Prince Philip and the Prime Minister of India. We are now in the final stages of producing the catalogue of the Jain collections in the Wellcome Trust. We plan to publish this sometime next year.  

Following this we hope to move our attention to the collections in the Bodleian Library, Oxford and the collections in the Florence University and the National Library in Florence. 

We also announced last year that we wanted to digitise some of these manuscripts so that we can widen access to them.We am delighted to announce that we were successful in receiving a grant of £375,000 from the Heritage Lottery Fund as part of the £700,000 JAINpedia project. 

The project was formally launched on 17^th September at the V&A Museum and some of you were present there.  We hope to be able to launch the first version of JAINpedia next year, where we will be able to show you some of the finest Jain manuscripts held by UK institutions with background material. We will then tour this project around the UK and hold exhibitions at the holding institutions. 

We have also expanded our education portfolio over the past year and held our certificate courses in Jainism in the Far East. We ran 10 session courses in SINGAPORE, KUALA LUMPUR and PERTH.  There has been tremendous feedback which is available on our brand new website for you all to read. 

We also continue to partner with leading education and learning organisation in the UK:  Birkbeck College, School of Oriental and African Studies, Victoria and Albert Museum, The British Library, The Wellcome Trust Library, the Bodleian Library at Oxford, Religious Education (R E) Council of England and Wales, Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA), Interfaith Network of UK, and several Government Departments. 

We continue to pursue our aim of promoting Jain culture, art and education in order to make more widely known the philosophy of Bhagwan Mahavir as it continues to be relevant today as it was some 2,500 years ago. I sincerely hope that you will continue to support and participate in our work. 

Ladies and Gentlemen:

 I welcome you all once again.  Please sit back, relax and enjoy the presentations this evening.
Thank you.