‘A journey into wisdom'

Jyot is an exhibition, it is a journey into knowledge and a very rare opportunity to change the course of life, said Acharya Dev Yugbhushan Suriswaraji Maharaj Saheb, also known as Nana Pandit Maharaj, the inspirational source of the grand exhibition, while talking to DNA.

What is the kind of knowledge that will be presented at the exhibition?
The knowledge to be exhibited during the 11-day exhibition called ‘Jyot’ is stored in the Jain scriptures. However, there is a need to make these scriptures relevant to the modern times.

How did the idea of exhibition come to your mind?
The followers of Jainism believe in the concept of ‘Gyanpanchami’, which means worshipping knowledge. The exhibition too is nothing but worshipping knowledge. The idea came to me several years go, but there were no means to present it before the society in an effective way. A couple of years back, the idea was expressed to a group of enthusiasts. I also told them that to present knowledge in a scientific manner and along with proof is a big challenge. They took the challenge and started finding scientific proof to whatever knowledge is stored in the Jain scriptures.

Will the exhibition be relevant to the modern generation?
Everyone is facing problems, either at individual level or at community level. The main reason behind the problems faced by the young generation is misunderstanding and inappropriate actions at some point of time in the life. ‘Jyot’ provides a solution to such problems by giving a clear vision of life.

How will it affect the Jain community, and society as a whole?
The exhibition is based on the intrinsic knowledge stored in the religious scriptures. It is not just an exhibition, but a journey of mankind. It will change the life and vision of the visitors. As one progresses with the various section of the exhibition, one will be able to see a reflection of their own life. One must start the journey from the entry point and stop only where it ends. Those who will start from midway or drop it half way would not be benefit much as their journey of knowledge would remain incomplete. The exhibition will reinforce faith in one’s life and helps them tread the right path.

How many visitors are you expecting at the exhibition?
The exhibition is one of the biggest and will spread across an area of seven lakh square feet. It will take more than two and a half hours for a person to tour the entire exhibition. We are hoping that at least seven lakh visitors would visit the exhibition and benefit from it.

Do you have plan to take the exhibition to other cities in India?
We monks are aloof from the society. We have the ideas and concepts, but the society needs to provide the resources for implementing these ideas. Such exhibitions can be done for the good of mankind as and when the resources are provided such.

Is the world facing problems because of collective negativity?
The world is facing numerous problems, one of them is terrorism. The problems have been recurring because of frequent disruption in the world order. Just order is the only solution of these problems. Apart from collective negativity in the world, political issues are also responsible for the existing problems. Earlier, the world was colonised, then divided in bi-polar system. Now there is a multi-polar system. I believe there is a need to make the United Nations more democratic.