They bring in a breath of fresh air to city

VIJAYAWADA: Migrating to Vijayawada for business from late 1920s, Jains are the largest migrant community in the city. And it would be fair to say that Vijayawada's tag of being a 'trading hub' is partially due to the dedication and hard working attitude of this community.
With over 1,200 families, four major temples and three community halls, most of the Jains live in Shivalayam Street of One Town and are a very closely-knit community.To put it in the words of the locals of One Town, the Jains bring in a fresh flavour in terms of living style and business into the city giving it a new dimension.
One of the first families to come here was that of Sushil Jain, proprietor of Bombay Jewellery. Throwing light on the events that led to his ancestors coming to the city way back in 1926, he says initially it was to do with business. "The Jains usually have their roots in Rajasthan. And Jains are a community that is good at business but our native place doesn't have much scope for it. So in order to make a living, my grandfather moved here in the 1920s. And it has been a long journey since then," says a nostalgic Sushil, who is the third generation of one of the oldest Jain families in town.
Recalling how small the community was, Sushil said that there were just 20 Jain families when his ancestors first set foot in the city. "Families kept coming and going and no one really stayed here giving no scope for the community to expand. Then, one of our godmen asked us to construct a Jain temple here so that the community settles down here," he recalls. A Jain temple was built in One Town with the statue of Lord Sambhavnath and the community hasn't looked back ever since.
Growing exponentially in terms of business and community, most of them are currently well-established in businesses like electrical, jewellery, finance and cutlery -- most of the Jains prefer keeping the business within the family. Living in joint families, they are a relatively quiet community that likes keeping things subtle.
They have two major festivals — Mahaveer jayanti and Deepavali. Though they celebrate Deepavali on the same day as others, the festival holds a different significance to them. It is said that when Mahaveer Jain left the world, there was darkness everywhere. And to fight it, his followers started lighting up the world hence spreading the light of good.
Believers of the message of Mahaveer Jain 'live and let live', the Jain community of Vijayawada follows it in every aspect. With organizations like Vardhaman Vikas Organization that provides food and shelter to the poor and a vow that every family donates some of its profits to the poor, they are the messiahs of the economically backward sections of society.
But it isn't just this. They follow the principle of live and let live in their eating habits as well. "Our food is pure vegetarian and we don't eat leafy vegetables as well because there is a possibility of germs dying because of that. And over the years, we have infused some of the Telugu flavours too in our food," says Nilesh Jain, a financer in One Town area. And for those who would like to try Jain delicacies, most believe that Sharma's dhaba at Mangalagiri is the most authentic place down here.
Though they talk in their mother tongue, it would be hard to distinguish them from the locals based on their Telugu-speaking abilities. Though they remain very close to their roots in Rajasthan, they feel they belong to this place. "It would be fair to say that Vijayawada is our native place," Nilesh adds with a smile and a sense of belonging.