b. An offshore ISSJS campus at Mahidol University Bangkok Thailand
For the first time a four week ISSJS program in 2009 was conducted at Mahidol University in Bangkok Thailand. The program was inaugurated by India's Ambassador to Thailand. Also a month long exhibition of famous Jain temples in the world was organized there. Seventeen (17) participants from all over Thailand attended the program. The academic lectures and discussions were also supplemented with visits to local Jain temples and performing the pujas there. The program resulted in ISSJS2010 at the same university being organized there.
c. Inviting Jain scholars from ABROAD to teach at ISSJS programs.
Prof. P.S.Jaini (Professor Emeritus University of California Berkley USA), a distinguished Jain scholar, was invited to teach at ISSJS2009. He spent a fortnight at ISSJS2009 teaching for a full week and also conducting seminars at Delhi, Jaipur, Agra and Mumbai for Jain and academic communities. ISJS benefitted tremendously from his gift of time and knowledge.
Prof. Dipak Jain, ex Dean of Kellogg School of Business (North Western University Chicago, USA) and world famous academician and a management guru will be teaching the classes on 5th June, 2010 in New Delhi and also deliver public lecture for Jain community.
d. Establishment of Ecumenical and Research Centre at Varanasi, U.P. India
ISJS–PV Global Centre for Ahinsa and Indic Research has been established at Parshwanath Vidyapeeth Varanasi. Besides conducting research and education, the centre will facilitate Indian and overseas academicians to come, spend short periods of time and utilize the boarding-lodging library and academic ambience at Parshwanath Vidyapeeth for study, research, field work, write books and papers as well as interact with ISJS faculty for mutual benefit. More such centres at Mumbai, Moradabad, Hastinapur and Indore are in planning stages.
e. SIGNIFICANT ACHIEVEMENTS OF ISSJS alumni
Prof Natalia Zheleznova, ISSJS2007 alumnus was awarded (Rs 500,000) by Kunda Kunda Bharati, New Delhi on March 7th 2010. The award was presented by Ms. Sonia Gandhi for her research on 'Kunda Kunda'.
Dr Nathan Loewen, an alumnus of ISSJS2007, completed his PhD from McGill University. He is a faculty member at the same university and a local college. He returns to ISSJS2010 for further research; Dr Andrea Jain ISSJS2006, alumnus successfully completed her PhD and joins Indiana University of USA as a faculty'; Dr Pankaj Jain ISSJS2006, alumnus joins University of North Texas as faculty member.
Ms. Ellen Gough, ISSJS2008 alumnus, was awarded the best MA paper by SOAS of University of London, U.K. in March, 2010. She is now enrolled in PhD program at Yale University in USA.
Ms Kathleen Awahoshi, an ISSJS2007 alumnus, launched her CD on Navakar mantra.
Some ISSJS alumni are nominating ISSJS as their preferred centre of education for prestigious scholarships.
f. Miscellaneous
- American Institute of Indian Studies regularly brings large batches of Students and faculty from American universities to ISJS for a day long orientation on Jainism. This year two batches of 28 each from Universities of Colorado and North Carolina State benefitted from ISJS programs.
- Revised ISJS Study Notes with ten more papers (a total of about 600 Pages) are being published.
- In March 2010, ISJS cosponsored Conference on Jain Yoga at SOAS, University of London.
- European academicians and students evinced keen interest to get benefit from ISJS.
- Several journals, like Jin Manjari and Arhat Vachan carried special editions of papers by ISSJS alumni.
One hundred and eighty alumni from 20 universities of fifteen countries will be benefitted from ISSJS programs by July 2010. ISJS is getting recognized in the academic community world over for Jain Studies. We are continually striving for academic excellence.
ISJS looks for your continued patronage and enthusiastic support for its activities to make Jain principles of Ahinsa, Aparigraha and Anekanta make a positive contribution to humanity at large. This will be the biggest prabhavana of Lord Mahavira's doctrine.
