Bhanwar Lal Raghunath Doshi built a business empire worth Rs 600 crore
($100 million) trading in plastic raw material. He started his
empire when he borrowed Rs 30,000 from his father in the late 70s to
start his own plastic trading business in Delhi. The son of a small
textile merchant from Rajasthan, who embraced crippling hardships when
he rejected his father's offer to join his family's modest business, was
clear about reaching the top by himself and he did.
On Sunday he gave it all up to become a Jain monk at a highly publicized
and heavily attended event at the Ahmedabad Education Society.
His consecration ceremony was attended by both Jain spiritual leaders and the city's top industrialists.
The father of three, 2 boys and 1 girl, now looks at a life of austerity
-- he can't cut his hair and has to walk without any type of footwear.
Doshi had been planning to become a Monk since 1982 after Jain lectures
drew him to spirituality. However, he wasn't able to convince his
family until last year.
As many as 101 people from the audience also took a sankalp (resolution) to take Jain diksha during the next five years.
"Taking diskha is not easy. A Jain muni's life is like that of conch
shell that cannot be painted by any other colour," Surishwarji Maharaj
said.
Doshi's status as a Jain monk will be unique since he's a married man, has money and considerable social standing.
A Times of India report said 1,500 servers were appointed to serve food
to guests during the three-day ceremony. The venue was built in the form
of a ship. 500 hotel rooms were booked to accommodate guests. An
estimated 150,000 people participated in the event.
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