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Diverse Ethics - Atul Shah - Wisdom Blog

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MOMBASA JAINS GLOBAL IMPACT

The beautiful Jain temple in the heart of Mombasa has historic significance as a fountain of faith, ethics and leadership

FIFTY YEARS OF JAIN HISTORY AND INFLUENCE - FROM THE SPRINGBOARD OF MOMBASA, KENYA

As many of you know, I am a proud son of Mombasa, Kenya. I lived there for the first eighteen years of my life, and it was a momentous experience, rich with culture, diversity, community and spirituality. Migrating to the UK in 1980, I brought with me this experience, which I later used to transform the community by founding unique institutions like Young Jains, Jain Spirit and Diverse Ethics. I also became an active writer and speaker about culture and ethics. I was really priviliged to be invited back by the community in August 2013, to celebrate 50 years of their temple and provide a glimpse of its global impact. We got an amazing welcome from the community, and over 200 people came out to listen to what I had to say. As the majority of the audience was Gujarati speaking, the language is a mixture of Gujarati and English. You can listen to the whole recording in the resources link below - I encourage you to do so.

In my lecture, I gave examples of the multi-generational impact of this temple. Kenya won its independence in 1963, the year the temple was opened. There was a unique atmosphere of hope and optimism. The temple was built right at the centre of town, on a two acre plot - a very bold gesture of cultural pride. We were also very fortunate that the Kenyan Africans allowed us to keep our cultural identity and never saw us as a direct threat. Not only did we open this beautiful building, but we began to actively use it for daily worship, cultural education, social and business networking, and the celebration of festivals. Visitors and speakers from all over the world were given a platform, with a special connection with India during our festival time - there was a huge open-mindedness, and a desire to learn and transform the whole community by pioneers like my late father and many others. The words, poetry and the music really uplifted the community, and gave them the inner strength and confidence to prosper and grow, together with a huge generosity of spirit.

Here are some pictures of the audience for my lecture:

 

My speech was recorded live, and you can listen to it by clicking the resources link below:

I gave the lecture in memory of my late father, Mr. Keshavji Rupshi Shah, who had just passed away in June 2013, and could not attend the 50th anniversary celebrations - you can read his eulogy in the link to his name. He had dedicated nearly forty years of his life to community service, and we collected a special 'manpatra' from the community to honour his contribution.

Memorial Letter for Late Keshavji Rupshi Shah, presented to Meerav and Atul by Mr. Chotalal Dodhia, Chairman, Jain Sangh Mombasa

I have so many dear friends from Mombasa, who have been a part of this historical journey and have many beautiful memories of that time. They live all over the world, and have taken this faith fountain with them, enriching the lives of many others in the process. Countries touched by the Mombasa spirit include USA, UK, Australia, Uganda, Tanzania, India, Singapore, China, and many others. I hope and pray that my words have done justice to your experience. In reciting my stories of the global impact, I had too little time to share the vast tapestry that you have all created in spreading the wings of the Mombasa Derasar far and wide. There was much more I wanted to say, but alas, time was short. Apologies in advance for any factual inaccuracies.

The Mombasa Jain Sangh is still strong and vibrant, and they have done amazing renovations to the temple. You are all very welcome to visit there anytime, and connect with your roots and memories. Please feel free to discuss this article and speech and add your own personal stories and memories in the discussion section below so that the whole world can read them and learn about them. It would be great if you could share this article with your friends and family, so they too can travel on this historical journey and draw strength from it.

Article added on 12th September 2013 at 9:02am
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