Hyderabad: The Jain community in the city observed “Bhikshu Daya” on Sunday, wherein over 1,500 affluent community members lived as monks for a day. Sporting dhotis and carrying special brooms, Jain CEOs, industrialists, professionals and businessmen wal-ked barefoot in Kache-guda, begging for food, and spending the day in prayers, silence, meditation and spirituality.
Some of the prominent community members who became monks for the day included Mr Jitendra Veda, teacher at the National Police Academy, Mr Vikram Kimthi of GoK Udyog Private Ltd, Mr Swarupchand Kothari of Kothari Group of Companies, and vice-chairman of Mahaveer Cooperative Bank Ashok Kothari.
The members undertook the day’s hardships in the presence of Jain gurus Shri Vinay Muni alias Verghese, Gautam Muni, Sanja Muni and Sagar Muni.
The day started with prayers, followed by oath taking, a change of clothes, meditation, preaching, bhikshatan and spending time in silence.
They abstained from using phones, cars, fans, air conditioners etc. throughout the day.
“Bhikshu Daya is a concept wherein a person enjoying the luxuries of life, who cannot leave his family, leads the life of a monk for a day,” said media convener Manoj Kothari.
“When you renounce all wealthy possessions, that is when you realise that materialistic comforts and substances will not travel with you when you breathe your last,” said Mr Swarupchand Kot-hari of the Kothari group.
“I have thoroughly enjoyed the life of a monk for a day. This taught me how difficult the life of a Jain monk is. The hardships of Jain monks can only be known when you are a monk. And that is what we want people of this modern age to experience so as to enable us to take them back to our roots,” said Mr Jitendra Veda.
The Bikshu Daya was organised by Sri Vardhaman Sthan-akvasi Jain Shravak Sangh, Greater Hyderabad and Sri Vardhaman Jain Yuva Sanghatan, Kacheguda.
