6th Biennial Convention of the Young Jains of America

The YJA Convention took place at the Westin Business Hotel in Santa Clara, California. This is the second time that the Westin in Santa Clara hosts such a convention. The San Francisco Bay Area (and particularly the Silicon Valley) has a vibrant South Asian—and hence Jain—community. The Jain Center of North California recently built a temple, has more than 800 students attending the local pathshala (Sunday school), and has already successfully hosted two YJA Conventions. For four days the hotel was open exclusively to the participants of the convention, offering its spacious conference halls to lectures, presentations, social dinners, music performances, and even a Hawaiian Luau.

Almost 1000 young Jains, aged 14 to 29, attended this year's conference, filling the massive hall where the opening ceremony was held. Attendees represented all regions of the country, including Hawaii and Alaska. Some flew in from Canada and the United Kingdom.

Dr. Dipak Jain, dean of the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and a successful entrepreneur, gave the keynote address at the opening ceremony of the convention. Dr. Jain spoke of the Jain principles of ahimsa (nonviolence) and anekantavad (multiplicity of viewpoints) as being the steps to success—emotional and financial. He advocated a rational approach to religious adherence and encouraged systematic inquiry into the Jain system of beliefs.

Five semi–ordained nuns of the Terapanthi Jain order representing Veerayatan, a humanitarian organization based in Gujarat, attended the convention as its special guests. As fully ordained Jain ascetics are barred from transport–facilitated travel as to avoid moments of possible violence, the Terapanthi semi–ordained ascetics have been some of the only monastics to visit the US. Their particular idiosyncratic interpretation of Jainism, with a focus on multi–sectarianism, modern education and the spread of Jain values among non–Jains, has had a significant influence on the attitudes of America–raised Jains.

At the core of the convention were discussion sessions like this one, where participants exchanged their diverse experiences of being Jain in America—from post–9/11 episodes of harassment to attempts to explain Jainism to non–Jains, and the difficulties of finding Jain spouses. The focus of this discussion, moderated by Usha Jain, a well-known speaker in the Jain community, was discrimination. In its course many Jain youths shared shocking stories of racial and ethnic discrimination in schools, on the job and on the streets; and discussed the ways of dealing with such situations.

The organizers of the convention made an effort to provide ample time for "cultural performances." An Indian cultural show, a Gujarati dance party and a Hawaiian Luau made for exciting midnight parties. Here some young women present their own rendition of the traditional Gujarati Garba–Raas dance and of the traditional Indian dress.

In the halls of the hotel we saw yet another traditional Indian activity—the creation of mandala patterns from colored rice grains—rendered with the use of both traditional and non–traditional design.

The Dallas Jain Youth Group presented the basic principles, lifestyle, and ultimate goals of Jain monasticism to a group of peers, other high school–aged Jains of America. The Dallas Group has been an active Jain youth organization with activities ranging from participation in the Habitat for Humanity projects to organization of humanitarian drives.

The Dallas Jain Youth Group presented a skit in which the monastic vows, including biennial plucking out of hair in penance for accidentally committed acts of violence such as the killing of insects.

A poster, created by the Dallas Jain Youth Group, urges to take diksha—the Jain monastic vows.

An educational poster created by one of the youth groups, listing the mahavrats—the five great vows of conduct in Jainism. The poster also describes the different types of possible action and the extent to which it contributes to the accumulation of karmic residue that burdens the human soul, preventing it from ultimate liberation—moksha.

One of the most popular speakers at the convention was Rina Shah, a well–known designer of footwear and accessories from Bombay. Rina is a pioneer of design and production of shoes and accessories made from non–animal–derived materials such as leather and silk. Her high–end boutique "Rinaldi Designs" in Mumbai is popular among the stars of Bollywood and Hollywood. Rina spoke about her initial predicament of footwear manufacture and about the possibilities of incorporating of the core Jain principle of ahimsa (nonviolence) into life today.

Rina Shah, a Mumbai based Jain designer of non–animal–derived shoes and accessories, spoke about non–violent living. She distributed brochures on vegetarian cuisine, a list of non–animal–derived cosmetics, and wrote down a list of websites of animal rights organizations.

Under the guidance of Rakhi Jain, a group of students representing the pathshala (Sunday school) of the Jain Center of Greater Boston presented a skit based on the popular television show "Saved by the Bell." The presentation addressed the difficulty of moral decision making in light of the Jain values of non–violence, non–attachment to material possession, and acceptance of multiple viewpoints. The JCGB pathshala has been one of the most active Jain youth groups in the country.

Substance Seven, a Jain musical band with members from Boston and Chicago performed traditional Jain songs to rock songs composed in traditional Indian musical modes. As Shrenik Shah, the leader of the band explained, "The group tried to make Jain songs available to the modern youth who often find traditional chants quite foreign and monotonous." The group, which includes violin, electric guitar, bass guitar, and keyboards, hopes to rekindle enthusiasm about Jain devotional music among America's young Jains.

The older attendees of the convention—college graduates and young professionals—had a separate set of activities. The convention held discussion this age category, whose professional attachments have scattered them across the country, the convention provided an important opportunity for social interaction, professional networking and perhaps for the meeting a potential spouse. The Young Jain Professionals (YJP), a group that organizes social events geared toward the needs of the college graduate Jains, was founded in 1997 and follows the YJA organizational model.

To a great extent the convention was a social event. Although some attendees complained that more focus was directed toward social functions rather than religious educational activities, for many the convention was a rare opportunity to mingle with other Jains, make friends and potential spouses.