I have recently come across some interesting information about the Jains of India which although may not be substantiated, nevertheless, I would like to share it with the readres of AV.
Even though the Jains are in minority in India, representing only 1% of the population, the community contributes 24% towards the total income tax. It contributes 62% towards the charity fund and runs 12,000 out of the 16,000 gaushalas.It has established more than 50,000 temples in India alone. 56% of share holders in India are Jains and they own most of the leading newspapers. Jains also own more than 28% of property in India and contribute 25% towards Indian GDP growth. It is the richest community in the world.
It is the most peace loving community and refrains from harming even the tiniest living creatures. Jainism’s tenets of Ahimsa, non- violence, were adopted by the likes of Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela in their struggle for independence for their respective countries. In today’s atmosphere of violence and terrorism, where so many innocent people are being killed in the name of religion, Jainism’s principles of live and let others to live need to be adopted worldwide. George Bernard Shaw who was a great writer and philosopher, had said” I adore so greatly the principles of the Jain religion, that I would like to be reborn in a Jain community.”
Dinesh Sheth
Newbury Park, Ilford
