‘Couple’s deeksha bid cruelty to child’
NEEMUCH/BHOPAL: A young Jain couple’s decision to relinquish the material world, including their 3-year-old daughter, to become monks has triggered a debate as their families and the community argued the move amounts to cruelty towards the child.
Sumit Rathore, who is 35, and wife Anamika, a year younger, are scheduled to take deeksha or the first step towards monkhood under Sudhamargi Jain Acharya Ramlal Maharaj in Gujarat’s Surat town on September 23.
Other than daughter Ibhya, they will be renouncing property worth around ₹100 crore in their Madhya Pradesh hometown of Neemuch.
But many in the community are stupefied by the Rathore couple’s decision.
Sumit’s cousin Sandeep Rathore spoke against the decision and the influential munis, or monks, who inspired the couple .
“From this day I take an oath that I won’t bow before any Maharaj (those who allow such deekshas to take place) because I love my daughter, parents and wife. The work of a sadhu is to educate not to give deeksha,” he said in a Facebook post.
Neemuch-based eye surgeon RK Bhandari, who is close to the family, has also offered similar views. “This is not the right time for taking deeksha. The first task is to raise the child properly and discharge all their other duties,” he said. As the debate raged, RTI activist Kapil Shukla wrote to the National Human Rights Commission seeking a ban on deeksha.
“The family is not speaking because it is a matter related to religious beliefs and they don’t want to run foul of religious leaders. Also, they are not considering what is best for the child who will definitely suffer … Jain community should come forward and stop this deeksha.”
Top Jain spiritual leaders and elders had last October warned against any interference with their religious practice.