Jains apologise for Gujarat communal riots

AHMEDABAD: A section of Amdavadis recently apologised for the communal riots that had gripped Gujarat.
''Michchhami Dukkadam'' (beg forgiveness for the wrong done) proclaimed a written statement with signatures of over 1,000 Jains of the city. The statement was made public at the recent Amrut Mahotsav celebrations organised by Gujarat Yuvak Kendra to mark Paryushan (period of abstinence for followers of Jainism).The week-long programme was inaugurated by city Mayor Himmatsinh Patel.
And no, none of the signatories were part of those horrendous mobs that tore through the social fabric of the city and the state at large. Instead, these ''good Samaritans'' are examples of Jainism - followers of Ahimsa.
Not only do they condemn the communal strife that gripped Gujarat, they have gone a step ahead and apologised for the barbarism unleashed by Gujaratis. "Apologising for recent riots does not make us guilty of the wrong. We have just behaved like an elder member of any family would - seeking forgiveness for the wrong done for the society at large," explains Pramod B Shah, a member of the Kendra and general secretary of city Congress committee.
Parag Shah, a local businessman, reasons, "Though we were not among the rioters, we are part of the society. We are also among the educated masses who neither took part in the rioting nor did anything to stop it. And, like true Jains, it becomes our duty to say ''Michchhami Dukkadam'' on behalf of all concerned."
While this move has drawn "strange" questions even from their closest of friends, this group of Jains is steadfast in its belief that "after all somebody has to take the lead in seeking forgiveness and vowing that such barbarism will never be allowed to recur."
Founder-trustee of Preksha Vishwa Bharati (Koba), Subh Karan Surana, feels the best way to get over this crisis is to forgive and forget. Surana says: "Gujarat being the land of Mahatma Gandhi, who preached non-violence throughout his life, we had to take the lead in an effort to break the ice."
"The Jain Samaj is sad that such bloodshed and destruction was witnessed in Gujarat. That too at the behest of political leaders. Thus the apology," explains Jashvantlal C Shah, local industrialist and former managing director of Sarangpur Co-operative Bank.