JAINIST IDENTITY

Radio 4 does it again. Defining identity was at the root of the One to One broadcast (today at 9:30 am) between Ritula Shah and Satidsh Kumar. The main topic of their conversation concerned Jainism. Ms Shah was apparently brought up as a Jain and Mr Kumar is an ex-Jain monk. Jainism prescribes a path of non-violence towards all living beings. It is one of the oldest religions of the world. It emphasises spiritual independence and equality between all forms of life. Practitioners of this religion believe that non-violence and self-control is the means by which they can obtain liberation from the cycle of reincarnations.

Ritula Shah

From Mr. Kumar’s description of his early practice of Jainism, it appeared to be a strongly isolationist existence. The practitioner is responsible only for him/herself and does not interfere with any other. One is not one’s brother’s keeper. One does not participate in any form of society. One is able to give assistance if asked, but I got the impression one did not offer assistance, though oddly enough, if offered assistance one took it gladly. The life seemed to involve being responsible solely to oneself by keeping to oneself and living off the generosity of others. One defined one’s identity through separateness. At least that appeared to be the gist of the conversation.

Satish Kumar

Mr Kumar, however, is anything but an isolationist, which is probably why he is an ex-Jain monk. He is founder and Director of Programmes of the Schumacher College international centre for ecological studies, and of The Small School. His most notable accomplishment is a "peace walk" with a companion to the capitals of four of the nuclear-armed countries - Washington, London, Paris and Moscow, a trip of over 8,000 miles. He insists that reverence for nature should be at the heart of every political and social debate. Defending criticism that his goals are unrealistic, he has said,

“Look at what realists have done for us. They have led us to war and climate change, poverty on an unimaginable scale, and wholesale ecological destruction. Half of humanity goes to bed hungry because of all the realistic leaders in the world. I tell people who call me "unrealistic" to show me what their realism has done. Realism is an outdated, overplayed and wholly exaggerated concept.”

He is also the current editor of Resurgence & Ecologist magazine.  Inspired by Bertrand Russell’s civil disobedience against the atomic bomb, in 1962 Kumar and his friend E P Menon decided to dedicate themselves to undertaking a peace walk from India to the four capitals of the nuclear world: Moscow, Paris, London and the U.S., and decided to carry no money on their trip. They called it a 'Pilgrimage for peace'.

They began their walk in Bangalore. There, Vinoba Bhave gave the young men two 'gifts'. One was to be penniless wherever they walked. The other was to be vegetarian. They first travelled through Pakistan, where they met great kindness from a country with a huge historic conflict and antipathy towards India. They continued through Armenia, Georgia, the Caucasus Mountains and the Khyber Pass. They visited Moscow, Paris, London and Washington D.C. Travelling by foot and carrying no money, Kumar and his companion would stay with anyone who offered them food or shelter.

While on their way to Moscow they met two women outside a tea factory. After explaining what they were doing one of the women gave them four tea bags, one to be delivered to each of the leaders of the four nuclear powers and to also deliver a message, “when you think you need to press the button, stop for a minute and have a fresh cup of tea”. This further inspired their journey and became in part the reason for it. They eventually delivered 'peace tea' to the leaders of four of the nuclear powers.

Not my brother’s keeper. Ha!