Mansi Jhaveri- Why?
A 28 year old should be deep in the throes of life and should be planning her next career overture, but Mansi was different. She chose the easy(?) way out and decided to put all her ambitions at rest. What makes young people like Mansi want to give it up all? She could have helped from the outside; she could have funded her organization. She could’ve proven to be the missing link between the worlds of here and there. She could’ve started a debate on whether it’s a good idea to leave the world. She could’ve been the eye opener to the ills facing her community; but she didn’t. She passively gave in to the demands, or should I say orders, of her religious leaders and willingly became a sacrificial lamb. No, she shouldn’t have.
Like in previous cases, the government should intervene and ban child and adult ‘dikshas‘ and renunciation rites as its totally against the diktat of the policies of the present world. We need the youth to work for us today. In governance, in the corporate world, in education, in hospitality, in NGOs, social work, the possibilities are endless. A 28 year old has neither the wisdom nor the knowledge required for austere life. Before you actually step out you have to be a bookish scholar, experienced, a champion of life. She could’ve been a religious scholar and a comparative religious scholar at that. But just walking into the sunset like that is not convincing at all. It’s certainly not advisable to be ‘Ranchhod’ at such a young age. You’ve got to fight it out, silence your critics, take on more responsibilities and excel in a competitive environment. She could’ve taken a 2/3 year hiatus or sabbatical and returned rejuvenated with more skills to succeed in the world.
I particularly dislike the Swetambar and Digamber Jains because they believe in torturing the body, but are serious followers of ‘Ahimsa’!!! They won’t kill any living object but will dementedly wrangle with their own minds and bodies. At least she should have the brains to accept and reject what her religion prescribes for her and the society instead of giving in to an old, defunct order that may not necessarily work in these times. Mansi, you’re setting all the wrong precedents and I hope you have the discrimination to alter the trend you have started.
Neha Singh
