Harsha/Newindpress

Mangalore, Sep 12: ‘Dinachari, Manachari bareyeri chinna gelliri’ (keep a diary and win gold) -goes the Kannada slogan, a first of its kind initiative launched for members of Jain community by Ichalampady Bharatiya Jain Milan, near Puttur.

Jains irrespective of age and place, can enter into the unique contest by keeping a diary from October 1 and recording the hours they spent on ‘productive work’ (dinachari) and ‘thinking’ (manacari).

An entry should look something like this; “1/10/07: 5 hrs (Dinachari): 2 hrs (Manachari).” The diary with day-to-day record of hours spent under these two categories should be submitted to the forum after March 31, 2008.

“A diarist with highest number of hours spent on Dinachari and Manachari, would get gold for his or her efforts,” says Ichalampady Bharatiya Jain Milan president N Shubhakara Jain.

Seven hundred Jain Milans in the country including over 100 in the district, function like Rotary or Lions Club charting and implementing welfare schemes annually for members of the community.

Ichalampady Bharatiya Jain Milan led by Shubhakara Jain had hit on the brainwave of implementing a scheme without being saddled by geographical limitations.

“An individual can sum up hours spent at office or in college as productive work and spiritual activities like meditation as positive thinking,” Jain explains on what constitutes the dinachari and the manachari.

The exercise has many spin-off benefits to the contestants. Diary is a discipline by itself. By pausing and reflecting on hours spent in diary keeping puts ordinary diarists on path of self-realisation.

“The philosophy of our religion to be good and do good is effortlessly ingrained among all generations with this exercise,” Jain points out.

They are not worried about ‘Dishonest’ entries, “Every positive initiative, despite the best efforts had been abused. We are positive of our initiative and leave it to the conscience of members.”

They have made attempts to reach out the diaspora by getting articles printed in Jain community’s in house monthly magazines, ‘Gummata Vani’ published from Shravanabelogola and ‘Bhuvani Vani’ from Venoor.

The vernacular media hardly cared, he says adding that they would create awareness online by posting messages on community websites.

Shubhakara Jain can be contacted at 08251-253295.