We would like to invite you to a special Jain Study Day on Saturday the 24^th of March at London’s Victoria and Albert Museum, where we shall share our inspiring story with you. Tickets for this very special event can be booked through the V&A website.

About JAINpedia

JAINpedia is a 5 year project taking Jainism into the 21st century. Besides a rich online website showcasing rare and sacred manuscripts, the project is conducting a series of exhibitions, cultural events, and educational activities. The technical work for this project is undertaken at King’s College London. (For more information, visit our new beta-site at www.jainpedia.org )

Main tasks

• Assist the content manager
• Media sourcing
• Populating the website
• Compiling data

Skills/experience required:

• An excellent command of English is essential
• Advanced computer skills
• Editing and journalistic writing experience is useful
• Excellent attention to detail
• Knowledge in Jainism, Indian Art, Indian languages, Manuscripts and History is useful
• Excellent organisational skills and a flexible approach to work

You must:

• Be able to commit to a minimum of 4 months working
• Be available to work 4-5 days a week (at King’s College London)
• Previous research experience (highly desirable)
• Flexible (role will include occasion travel)
• Be able to take direction and report progress on your work with others
• Be able to manage projects independently, with limited management direction, as required

To Apply for this role, please send a CV and covering letter to jayni.gudka@jainpedia.org.  Interviews will be held on the week commencing the 23rd of January.

Ahimsa Day celebrates the central Jain tenet of ‘non-violence’ as a means to peace, positivity and prosperity, encouraging MPs, Lords and Ministers to discuss how current world issues can be considered from an alternative ‘compassionate’ perspective.

The focus of this year’s Ahimsa Day was Climate Change and the Contemporary World, a theme on the minds of many people around the world who are seeing first-hand the catastrophic effects of global warming.
The keynote speaker for the evening was Mr Phil Wynn Owen, the Director General for International Climate Change & Energy Efficiency in the Department of Energy & Climate Change [DECC]. He reminded us that even though we in the United Kingdom, contribute to less than 2% of the world’s carbon dioxide omissions, it is our duty to set an example and find ways of helping other countries, within the EU and elsewhere, to reduce their emissions and take active measures to slow down the pace of Climate Change.

The inspiring speech about what we could do to make positive changes for the world of our children was followed by Dr Mehool Sanghrajka, Director of Education at the Institute of Jainology, who responded with the Jain view on Climate Change and the Contemporary World. He reminded us of two basic premises of Lord Mahavira’s 2500 year old philosophy, perhaps the greatest environmentalist theory in our history:

• The earth is a living entity and we are interdependent. We should respect the right of all life to exist, and learn to live in harmony with it rather than exploiting it.
• The earth has enough resources for all. It is accumulation by the few that is the cause of the scarcity. We should learn to live within what we need.

He explained that these two principles offer us all the solutions that we need to solve the problems that the world is facing, if we based our actions and thoughts on science rather than politics!
The evening’s programme ended with the presentation of the Ahimsa Award for 2011 to Mr Nitin Mehta of Croydon UK, for his selfless contribution to the causes of vegetarianism and compassion for animal life. As the founder of the Young Indian Vegetarians Society and an active resident of the Croydon Council, the Board of the Institute of Jainology were unanimous in their decision of awarding Nitin Mehta’s efforts in promoting Ahimsa in this way. The award was presented by Lady Dholakia on behalf of the Institute.

The celebrations of this year’s Ahimsa was another great success, and with an open invitation to hold a future Ahimsa Day at the House of Lords, we hope that we can continue to spread the message of Ahimsa even further!

This cultural gathering is the biggest event in the Oshwal Calendar, with an outdoor stage event and several stalls of food and activities. The Institute of Jainology, will be there showcasing their various publications and activities from the past year, including the JAINpedia project and its achievements. The ‘Mela’ opens at 12.00pm and closes at 8.00pm. Come and see us at Stall B31 and see what is happening at JAINpedia including some screenshots of the upcoming authoritative and elaborate website.

DATE: Thursday 16 June 2011
TIME:  10.00am to 5.30pm
MEETING PLACE: Hochhauser Auditorium in the Sackler Centre, Victoria and Albert Museum

Enjoy a behind-the-scenes day in two parts

In the morning you’ll take a closer look at some of the rare Jain manuscripts held in the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. You will learn how conservation has enabled their digitisation and public display.

The Śvetāmbara temple at Potters Bar, Hertfordshire, the first Shikharbandhi Jain temple to be built in Europe. Image taken from the Learn Jainism website, used by courtesy of OAUK.

In the afternoon you will begin the second part of the event. You will be taken to visit the first Jain Śvetāmbara temple in Europe, in Potters Bar, not far from London. Completed in August 2005, this spectacular building uses 1300 tonnes of pink sandstone and 500 tonnes of Indian marble. The individual pieces were carved in India and then assembled on site by Indian craftsmen.

Visitors will be treated to a personal tour of the temple and its extensive grounds, and then to tea.

Organised in collaboration with the Institute of Jainology and supported by the V&A Jain Art Fund, this event is available at the special rate of £30 per person.

To book and pay for your place online, please click on the button at: http://www.vam.ac.uk/whatson/event/1108/

You have just less than a week to book so you’ll need to hurry!

A limited number of groups with a maximum of 6 people in each group will be able to compete.

Enter your group into the Treasure Hunt by contacting the JAINpedia team NOW!

Email Bansri Mehta at bansri.mehta@jainpedia.org and, if you’re quick enough to be one of the lucky teams, you will receive a set of requirements and instructions.

• story-telling sessions by highly acclaimed story-teller Seema Anand
• hourly tours of the JAINpedia display
• a drop-in craft workshop for children organised by the British Library
• a beautiful dance recital in the Bharat Natyam dance form, performed by founders of the Prakruti Dance School.

Here is the programme for the day:

Look out for our volunteers in their bright orange JAINpedia t-shirts and they can help you find your way to any of the above activities.

Join us for a fun-filled day for you and your family – we look forward to celebrating Mahavir Jayanti with all of you!

Jain artefacts in the Sacred Texts display at the British Library © Institute of Jainology

The temporary display of ‘Jain Sacred Texts’ at the British Library began on 8th October 2010. The display highlights some of the most important collections of Jain manuscripts outside India.

The earliest specimen in the display is from the Jītakalpasūtra, a very rare manuscript on palm leaf, which is only one of the two existing in the British Library. The manuscript, dated 1201, is in the Prakrit language, in Devanagari script.

The entire display consists of approximately 40 objects from across the Library’s Jain collection. It includes pages from the Saṃgrahaṇīratna, the Kalpasūtra, the Uttarādhyayanasūtra and, very interestingly, the Ādityavaravratakatha. This last is a Jain story from the Digambara sect, the only manuscript from this sect in the display. Finally, the love story of Prince Ḍhola and the maiden Māru is also illustrated. Being fond of all types of stories, Jain monks made it their own even though it is considered to be a Rajasthani folk tale.

The IoJ recently published the book Jain Tales, with original artwork by Kamini Gupta, and text by Colin Hynson. The book has been designed for young readers, giving them an insight into the Jain religion, ethics and principles through stories that illustrate the Jain teachings. The launch of this book adds to the entry-level book, Discover Jainism, which is part of the English religious education curriculum.

We look forward to seeing more of you at the next event at the British Library on 15th April 2011. This event will be held to celebrate Mahavir Jayanti, a Jain festival celebrating the birth of Mahavira. Look out for more details of this FREE event!