In January 2015, Dilip R.Mehta of Rosy Blue and others, started a Facebook page for a Jain Study Group that would be devoted to the study of Jainism. Within less than six months, the FB page has already got over 9,000 member / friends, many of whom participate actively in the weekly discussions on different topics related to the Jain religion.

The group focuses on Jainism, the ancient religion that teaches that the way to liberation and bliss is to live a life of harmlessness and renunciation, and describes itself as a platform, open to people from all faiths to express their views and exchange information.

It objectives include:
* Research, understand & study the teachings of the religion; so as not follow it blindly
* To go beyond the 'rituality' and into spirituality
* Unearth the history & significance of the Jain archaeological sites
* Learn from scholars who have studied scriptures & manuscripts (Jain Art)
* Compare, co-relate & appreciate other religions/philosophies with Jainism

An eight-member Admin Panel has been formed who monitor the posts to ensure that they are focused on religious discussions. The group comprises Dilip Mehta, Amal Jhaveri, Rupa Bhansali, Nikita Paresh Kothari, Sunil Mehta, Vinay Kothari, Sunil Gandhi and Priti Mehta.

They describe the aim of the platform as being one that “offers our individual understandings and learning, not in the spirit of giving any Updesh or Adesh (teach or direct/order) to anyone but as Anekantvad, a major principle of Jainism that emphasises that there are many paths to the Truth and it is people’s prerogative to take these offerings and to draw their own conclusions.

They add, “What we strive for here, in this group, is to study, inquire, share what we have learned, and try to remove self ignorance”.
 
Two popular discussions were those related to the concepts of Karma and Ahimsa.

The Admin Panel has invited all interested members of Palanpur Online to join the discussions and give their inputs on the same.

To visit the Facebook page Click here