IN MEMORIAM

Inder Jit Jain

It is impossible to retain in words the influence that Guruji had on my father, Inder Jit Jain. My father came to this country as an engineering student and built a life for his family. But it was only when Guruji arrived to the United States, that my father found his religious purpose. My father always had close relationships with those destined to be highly spiritual.

In India, one of his childhood friends, who referred to my father as "Brother", became a highly respected Jain Monk, Shri Sumti Muni Maharaj. When Guruji arrived, my father and mother, Nirmal Kanta Jain, felt an immediate devotion to him. From that day forward, they were committed to advancing Guruji's vision of establishing a Jain community on the West Coast, ideally modeled after Guruji's Siddhachalam in New Jersey. That vision had taken many forms from an Ashram in Long Beach, California, which Guruji visited and stayed often, to recoccuring programs at community members' residences to an Ashram location in Corona, California.

No matter where, or in what format, the Ashram took place, my father never lost faith in the mission to establish a West Coast Siddhachalam. All of this was due to his unwavering faith in Guruji. As Chairman and President of the Ashram, he worked tirelessly to encourage members to always be present and participate in the Ashram. Guruji's influence continues to be felt, even for those who have not physically met him. Fortunately, we have Guruji's recorded chanting to listen, embrace, and meditate regularly. It is my hope that we, as a community, in the next generations, feel and experience that same devotion in order to continue this legacy.