Neemuch, Sept 17: A well-educated Jain couple from Madhya Pradesh has decided to leave behind their three-year-old daughter and property “worth Rs 100 crore” to embrace monkhood.
Sumit Rathore (35), who has worked in London before managing his family business in Neemuch, and his wife Anamika (34), an engineer who was employed with a mining major, decided to renounce the material world recently.
Earlier this year, a Jain teenage boy from Gujarat, who had scored 99.99 percentile in the class XII commerce examination, took the vow of monkhood. The couple will be initiated into Jain monasticism at a ceremony to be held in Surat on September 23.
Their family members said the couple has been married for four years and have a daughter. At present, they have taken a vow of silence till they take ‘deeksha’ (vow) next Saturday. As per the monkhood tradition, their heads will be shaved and they will put on white robes for their entire life.
Anamika’s father Ashok Chandaliya, a former Neemuch district president of the BJP, said he would take care of his granddaughter. “I am not against my daughter Anamika becoming a nun,” he said.
Sumit’s father Rajendra Singh, who runs a factory manufacturing gunny bags for packaging cement, also echoed a similar view. Sumit announced his decision to take ‘deeksha’ at a function in Surat last month.
“However, the pontiff asked him to seek Anamika’s permission. She not only gave her consent but also expressed a desire to become a nun. Their families asked them to rethink, but the couple stood their ground,” Sandip said.
He said Anamika was the first student in Neemuch district to win a gold medal in her Board examinations for class VIII. According to a family member, Anamika completed her BE from Modi Engineering College in Rajasthan. She had worked with Hindustan Zinc before her marriage.
Sandip said Sumit holds a diploma in import-export management from a college in London, where he worked for two years before returning to Neemuch to look after his family business.
Welcoming the move Dr Arathi Krishna told coastaldigst.com that Indians stranded in any foreign country can utilize this facility. "Initially, I was approached by Mr Zakaria and Mr Sheik who wanted chartered flights to help their employees fly back to India. I asked them to write to the Indian Ambassador in Saudi Araia Mr Ausaf Sayeed. Then I requested the ambassador to forward the request to Joint Secretary Dr Nagendra Prasad, who is in charge of gulf division in the Ministry of External Affairs, and then to Secretary on charge of Gulf and then I requested Secretary of Economic Relations Mr T S Tirumurti who was also in charge of Gulf to follow this up," she said. 
Comments
They should have taken this action before the child was born.
I salute the couple for their sacrifice and dedication, such people would bring fame to the spiritual world unlike the Ram Rahims.
It is certain that the couple love each other too much. They r in search of Moksh but this search has made her daughter to suffer. they had a lot to do for the mankind if they r serious about service to God. What a great loss to our society !
First stir up all the dust with that Mining and Manufacture. next wear a face mask.
It is a tough choice i am sure. Leaving their young daughter and all the luxuries money could have brought. Most of our giant seers & gurus also renounced worldly pleasures, some early and others late. Without knowing the circumstances we should not comment but appreciate their decision, a rare one indeed. I don't believe anything bad can come out of such an immense sacrifice.
Selfish parents..destroying a childs' life.
Shame on you people
Should stop this practice. After 18 years old let them decide. till that age parents should not take rubbish decisions.
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