Hyderabad, May 10, 2024….108 Jains who fasted by eating an alternative day for the past year broke their fasting by consuming sugar cane juice today at Dadawadi Jain Temple at Karwan.Some of the people who fasted were as old as 86 years and young were just 19. It had more women than men. Some of them have fasted for 35 years.The ceremony is called Akshay Tritiya Parna Mahotsav. It kicked off yesterday and concluded today.
Earlier all these 108 Jains fasting drawn from across India, including 32 from the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad were ceremoniously taken in 25 well-decorated chariots in a km-long procession from Saibaba Temple in Gudi Malkapur to Dadawadi Jain Temple Karawan.
Vimlabhai Kochar from Nashik has been fasting by eating alternative days for the past 35 years. Kantha Bhai has been fasting for 16 years. Ugam Bhai Gandhi is an 81-year-old woman who has been fasting for the past 24 years. Kishore Golechs from Secunderabad who is into the cycling business has been fasting for 24 years. Sangeetha Kothari, a 52 years old woman has been fasting for the past 7 years.
Sunitha Vinod, 52 from Nashik has done it for the first time. Krishi Bandari, a 19-year-old girl from Hyderabad has done fasting a second time. Says that fasting has taught her to exercise control over anything we do excessively. It has also taught me a very good discipline in life.
Mahendra Lunawath from Hyderabad who has been fasting for 20 years said it is mind control over food. I decided in mind and I never had any problem in fasting. He urged youngsters and first-timers to start fasting at least once a week. In an era where food is available at the click of a mouse from food delivery platforms such as Swiggy and Zomato, fasting is the only way forward to exercise control over food. We are what we eat. Obesity is on the rise. The best way is to fast at least once a week he said the fast-breaking ceremony was organised under the guidance of Jain Guru Dr Samkit Muni Ji and two other Jain Monks.On this day about 2000 Jains from across India such as Nashik, Pune, Jodhpur, Karnataka, Chennai and Hyderabad participated.
108 Jains ended their year-long alternate fasting with sugar cane juice disclosed by Swarupchand Kothari, Gautam Chand Dank, Sajjan Gandhi, Annaraj Bafna and Vinod Kimtee, the office bearers of the organising body.
In Jainism, Akshaya Tritiya is important as it commemorates the first Tirthankara, Rishab dev Bhagwan, ending his one-year asceticism (severe self-discipline and avoiding all forms of indulgence) by consuming sugarcane juice poured into his cupped hands. Some Jains refer to the festival as Akashya Tritiya Parna Mahotsav. The ascetic practices include simple living, begging, fasting and ethical practices such as humility, compassion, meditation, patience and prayer. Akshay Tritiya Parna Mahotsav brings to an end to such a year-long strict self-discipline.