Jains seek the ascetic life at a younger age
Tomorrow, Bhavesh Bhandari and his wife Jinal, both 46, will give up their home and construction business, luxury vehicles and everyone they have ever known, to start a new life walking the streets of India barefoot seeking alms.
Their only possessions will be two white robes and a white broom to sweep insects out of their paths.
The couple will undertake deeksha, a Jain renunciation ceremony, to be mendicants for the rest of their lives. Jainism is a minority faith with 4.5 million practitioners in India, according to 2011 government data.
In 2021, their son Bhavya and daughter Vishwa, 16 and 19 respectively at that time, undertook deeksha and began new lives of austerity. The family are part of a growing trend among Jains undertaking the renunciation ceremony at a younger age.
In 2017, businessman Sumit Rathore and his wife Anamika, who were in their thirties, gave up their lives in Madhya Pradesh, and left their five-year-old daughter to her grandmother. In 2019, eight young women from affluent families in the states of Gujarat, Rajasthan and Maharashtra, between the ages of 14 and 27, undertook deeksha together.
Last month, three generations of a family in Gujarat underwent deeksha at the same time.
Satish Mehta, head of the Palanpuri Jain Association in Mumbai, said the act of renunciation carried prestige among Jains, who revere those who chose the path. But the number of renunciations had not risen, Mehta said.
“It has always happened regularly, but there wasn’t any media exposure earlier,” he said.
Giving everything up appealed to young Jains who felt weighed down by worldly concerns, Mehta said, and priests typically recommended a year-long “trial period” for young people who expressed interest.
Many Jains are wealthy, live in mansions and enjoy luxury cars and travel. Most belong to India’s top wealth quintiles, according to the country’s National Family and Health Survey. They are highly educated and are major players in the global diamond business.
“Once a person realises he or she can’t live without committing sins and hurting others, they adopt the path of deeksha,” Ahmedabad-based Jain priest Acharya Rashmi Ratna Surji said.
Jainism encourages followers to live a life of non-violence to all living creatures with as little impact as possible.
Jains are vegetarians. The most orthodox use face masks to avoid swallowing insects. Some avoid eating root vegetables such as onions and garlic. Most abstain from alcohol and eat sparingly, despite their standard of living.
During the deeksha ceremony, priests chant prayers, and the heads of converts are shaved. They say farewell to friends and family, knowing they will never see or speak to them again.
They sleep on floors, walk barefoot, give up their phones and seek alms as they are not allowed to cook. New hairs that grow on their heads have to be plucked.
On Monday, the Bhandaris, dressed in elaborate outfits, stood on a chariot-style vehicle that drove through Himmatnagar’s streets. They flung small possessions – jewellery, phones, branded clothing, handbags – into the crowd. “We are both feeling light and full of joy. We are moving to a higher plane, free from desires,” Bhavesh said.