21st March 2012
Dear Members,
This year, 2012 marks the 40th Anniversary of the registration of Singapore Jain Religious Society.
It is a great achievement for a small society such as ours.
AGM – REMINDER – SUNDAY 25 MAR
Please be reminded that our Annual General Meeting (AGM) will be held this Sunday 25 Mar 2012 at 10.30 am at our Jain Sthanak. We would like to start the meeting at 10.30 am and therefore request everyone to come on time – before 10.30 am. We look forward to your full support and also welcome the attendance of our ladies. Lunch will be served after completion of the AGM.
AYAMBIL OLI (29 MAR – 6 APR)
This year Ayambil Oli starts on Thursday, 29 Mar and ends on Friday, 6 Apr. All members are encouraged to perform as many Ayambils as possible during this auspicious period. Ladies are requested to assist in the cooking and serving; and we strongly request volunteers to come forward to assist, throughout the 9 days.
If you’re planning to do an Ayambil on a particular day, please call any of the following ladies by latest, earlier that same morning.
Smt. Ushaben N. Doshi (Tel: 63443963)
Smt. Jyotiben J. Shah (Tel: 63452805)
You will appreciate that without prior advice, it’s very difficult for the ladies to estimate the cooking needed, and to avoid shortages, for unexpected large turnouts. We look forward to your understanding.
SENIOR WING VISIT TO HOME – 20 MAY
Members of the Senior Wing will be making a visit to the Sunlove Home (near Buangkok) on Sunday 20 May. All members (not only the seniors) are welcome to join them. Please inform Anusuyaben at 67410746 or Meenaben at 63451761, if you are interested.
FORTHCOMING EVENTS
Please take note of the following events and mark them on your calendar (details will be advised)
1) Mahavir Jayanti & 40th Anniversary celebrations – we are planning a 3 day program from 13 to 15 April 2012. A musical group is being specially invited from India, to lead the celebrations.
2) Shree Shrutpragya Swamiji is visiting Singapore from 27 April to 1 May. Special programs are being organised for all members
3) Harmony Games 2012 – Jainism has been given the honour of organising this year’s Harmony Games which will be held on Saturday, 26 May. This is an initiative under the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports (MCYS), to bring youths together from different religious faiths, in the spirit of promoting racial and religious harmony in Singapore. Young Jains of Singapore (YJS) is taking the lead to organise the games. If you are interested to volunteer, write to Avnish Desai at harmonygames2012@gmail.com
REGULAR EVENT – YOGA
There is now regular Yoga sessions at our Sthanak and all members are welcomed to join. The classes are held every Sunday from 6.45 to 8.15am and they are led by Jayshreeben K. Shah. You can visit her blog, www.getonthemat.com for more information on her yoga classes.
NEW MEMBERSHIP DIRECTORY
A new membership directory will be published this year, once we have cleared the member’s data base. We notice that there are many children of members, who are above 21 years old and also married, who have not become individual members. We will not be able to publish details of their spouses, if they are not individual members. We encourage all members who are above 21 years to apply for individual membership.
STHANAK MAINTENANCE
Members are reminded that the utilities bill at our Sthanak has continued to increase. While we are encouraged that more members are utilizing our facilities and coming for Darshan / Puja, we strongly urge ALL members to make a concerted effort to use lights/air-con only as needed. Please ensure that these are switched off once they are not being used.
Also maintaining the cleanliness of the toilets continues to be a problem. Please do not wet the toilets, instead use them as you would your own toilets at home.
The upkeep and maintenance of our Sthanak, facilities and equipment is NOT the sole responsibility of the caretaker and the MC. Every person who uses the Sthanak facilities is equally responsible. We request all of you to take extra care and also be vigilant and highlight to others around you. Parents need to educate our young children on the above. We need to maintain the same discipline and cleanliness that we would keep in our own homes. We look forward to everyone’s co-operation.
FOR YOUR INFO:
1) Earth Hour 2012 will take place on Saturday 31 Mar 2012 at 8.30 pm.
Our society supports Earth Hour and encourages all members to do their part by switching off all lights for at least one hour. Big or small, every action counts because together our actions add up.
2) Sign to our Sthanak – after much effort, we have managed to get permission to put a directional sign at the entrance of Lorong Sarina from Sims Avenue. Look out for the sign when you are passing by.
3) All members would have received the JAINA calendars which have been mailed by our society to all members, on the basis of one calendar per address. The calendars have been received with the courtesy of Shantiniketan Foundation Malaysia.
4) We are pleased to advise that as part of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations, the Queen has recognised Jainism as one of the nine major faiths in Britain. This historical event occurred on 15 Feb 2012. This is a proud moment for Jains in UK and the world over.
Jai Jinendra.
Shailesh Shah
Secretary
Singapore Jain Religious Society