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Acharya Hemchandra

Born: 1089 in Dhandhuka, Gujarat, India
Died: 1173 in Gujarat, India

Article by: J J O'Connor and E F Robertson

Hemchandra's mother was named Pahini and his father Chachadev. The name Hemchandra was one he took later in life and he was named Candradeva after he was born. The city of Dhandhuka where he was born is about 50 km south west of Ahmadabad the capital of Gujarat. Candradeva, when still young, was taken to a Jain temple where he became a monk and changed his name to Somacandra. He was instructed in religion, Indian philosophy, the sacred scriptures, logic and grammar. When Candradeva was ordained in 1110 into the Shvetambara (White-robed) sect of Jainism and he was given the name Acharya Hemchandra.

Gujarat at this time was ruled by the Solanki dynasty. Gujarat expanded to its largest extent under this dynasty and learning flourished, particularly in the economic and cultural fields. King Siddharaja made excellent use of Hemchandra's great skills, knowledge and learning in ruling Gujarat. King Kumarapala succeeded King Siddharaja and from 1125 he was advised by Hemchandra. Of course as a spiritual leader, Hemchandra was in a strong position to see that his ideas were put into practice and indeed this led to Gujarat becoming considerable more advanced in culture and learning. Hemchandra was a strong believer in non-violence and Gujarat flourished in peace for many years. He convinced King Kumarapala to bring in laws which not only prohibited violence between people, but also made it illegal to kill animals. Hemchandra convinced the King to make the Jain religion the official religion of Gujarat.

Hemchandra was an eloquent religious teacher, skilful political advisor, and a scholar of the highest standing ^[1] :-

A prodigious writer, [Hemchandra] produced Sanskrit and Prakrit grammars, textbooks on science and practically every branch of Indian philosophy, and several poems, including the Trishashtishalakapurusha-carita (Deeds of the 63 Illustrious Men), a Sanskrit epic of the history of the world as understood by Jain teachers. He was also a logician. Although derivative in many ways, his works have become classics, setting high standards for Sanskrit learning.

The book Deeds of the 63 Illustrious Men ^[2] mentioned in the above quote has now been translated into English by Fynes and published by Oxford University Press. The book recounts in a collection of fascinating stories historical myths of the Jain religion.

One might reasonably ask at this point why we have included Hemchandra in an archive of mathematicians. The answer lies in his contribution to the Fibonacci numbers which was made fifty years before Fibonacci wrote Liber Abaci with its famous rabbit problem. Kak, in ^[3], explains how these entered Hemchandra's writings. In a text written about 1150 he looked at the following problem. Suppose we assume that lines are composed of syllables which are either short or long. Suppose also that each long syllable takes twice as long to articulate as a short syllable. A line of length n contains n units where each short syllable is one unit and each long syllable is two units. Clearly a line of length n units takes the same time to articulate regardless of how it is composed. Hemchandra asks: How many different combinations of short and long syllables are possible in a line of length n?

Hemchandra then finds the answer explicitly. Suppose that there are f (n) possibilities for a line of length n. The line of length n either ends in a short syllable or in a long syllable. If it is the former than there remains a line of length n-1 which can be composed in f (n-1) ways and if the line of length n ends in a long syllable then there is a line of length n-2 remaining which can be composed in f (n-2) ways. Hence, argues Hemchandra,

f (n) = f (n-1) + f (n-2).

Before we rush to try to change the name of the Fibonacci numbers into Hemchandra number it is worth noting that Gopala had studied these numbers in about 1135 and Indian mathematicians as early as the 7th century had looked at sequences which are produced by the familiar Fibonacci rule.

source: here

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World's 1st ever Jain Radio Channel on the Internet JINVANI

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Just wanted to share this with you...

1st ever Jain radio channel - JINVANI (www.JainMediaLive.Com) on the Internet that will broadcast 24x7. Our aim is to relay various programs such as Abhishek, Pooja, Lecture (Pravachan), Bhakti, Aarti, Samayik, Pratikraman etc. Throughout the day. Every days program schedule will be published at least one week in advance. We hope that Jain radio channel will allow you to stay in touch with Jain teachings in todays busy world.

We request your support in spreading this message to your local Jain community members through local forums, via e-mail or newsletter and any other possible medium. Please take a moment to forward this message to all your Jain friends and relatives.

To learn more about Jain radio channel - JINVANI, please visit the website at www.JainMediaLive.Com

Jai Jinendra

The Family Clinic: 50 family physicians

A body formed by Gujarat-based doctors has come up with a novel plan to oust quacks and make healthcare services more accessible in Ahmedabad and other parts of the state.

The body, Gujarat State Family Physicians’ Forum (GSFPF), has persuaded 50 physicians, who run private clinics, to operate under an umbrella brand, ‘The Family Clinic’, and adopt same set of standards of medical practice.

For instance, currently only your family physician knows your medical history — i.e. the diseases you are prone to, the medicines you are allergic to and the treatments you respond to the most, among others.

Now, if your physician gets affiliated to ‘The Family Clinic’ brand, then your medical history will be accessible to doctors at all other member clinics. This, effectively, means that you can avail healthcare services not just in your area of residence, but anywhere in the city, without fretting over faulty diagnosis and inflated bills. 

50 family clinics to open today
There are more than 1,500 physicians in Ahmedabad. In fact, the 50 physicians who have agreed to operate under the same brand will reopen their clinics on Sunday. The clinics are located in Naranpura, Ghatlodia, Vastrapur, Maninagar, Sabarmati, Satellite and Shahpur, among other areas.

Sharing of medical records will enable better treatment
Vachharajani said that a software would be installed at all family clinics to enable sharing of patients’ medical records. All family clinics will follow a common protocol for treatment of diseases. They will run various check-up programmes, and will also share data on various diseases with the government and NGOs.
read full story here

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Booming Gujarat

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GUJARAT: 49 YEARS of SUCCESS
On August 8, 1956, the Central government merged Gujarat, Saurashtra, Kutch and Bombay with Maharastra. This triggered a major riot and many were killed in police firing. The Maha Gujarat Nagrik Parishad was formed to launch a movement for a separate Gujarat. Indulal Yagnik became the ‘mahanayak’ of this movement, lasting four years. Finally, the Central government split Maharashtra and Gujarat into independent states on May 1, 1960. 

GUJARAT: Facts n Figures

• Latitudinal Location: 23.00 N  Longitudinal Location: 72.00 E
• Quick Facts on Gujarat Total Area: 1,96,027 square kilometers
• Quick Facts on Gujarat Ecosystems: Gujarat exhibits a great diversity of ecosystems ranging from deserts, scrublands, grasslands, deciduous forests, and wetlands to mangroves, coral reefs, estuaries, and gulfs.
• Literacy Ratio: 61.29
• Best Time to visit: October to March
• Languages Spoken: Hindi, Gujarati, English
• Gujarat is one of the most prosperous states of the country, having a per-capita GDP 3.2 times India's average.
• The world's largest ship breaking yard is in Gujarat near Bhavnagar at Alang.
• Gujarat ranks first nationwide in gas-based thermal electricity generation with national market share of over 8% and second nationwide in nuclear electricity generation.
• An average income of a Gujarati family in North America is three times more than the average income of an American family.
• Gujarat is having the longest sea shore compared to any other Indian state
• Gujarat is having highest no. of vegetarian people compared to any other state in India.
• The first ALL VEG PIZZA-HUT was opened in Ahmedabad.
• Gujarat is having the highest no. of operating airports in India (Total 12)
• Surat is the fastest growing city in the world
• Gandhinagar is the Greenest Capital City in whole Asia
• Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad(IIMA) is Asia's 1 st management college located in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. 

JAMNAGAR: PETROLEUM HUB

      This region gave Indian cricket its dark knight. Decades later, Jamnagar has put Gujarat on the global refining map. Together Reliance and Essar refineries in Jamnagar have made Gujarat the world’s refining hub. While Reliance Petroleum Ltd. has put up the largest refining complex with an aggregate refining capacity of 12.4 lakh barrels of oil per day in any single location in the world and Essar has come up with 6.80 lakh barrels a day project.

SURAT: DIAMOND SPARKLES
    It was in the 1960s that famine drove Palanpuri Jains from north Gujarat to Surat. Gems and jewellery exports were then a miniscule Rs 5 crore. Patels from Saurahstra followed suit. In 1980s, as business grew, Gujarati diamantaires moved to diamond hub of Antwerp, where Jews controlled the trade. Today, India’s diamond exports are Rs 67,000 crore — majority of them cut and polished in Surat. Gujaratis control over 60% of trade in Belgium. 

PHARMA: HEALTHY NATION
    Starting with Alembic, makers of good old Glycodin, in 1907, Gujarat’s pharma sector today contributes the highest - 35 per cent - among all states, to India’s total output. Home to some of country’s pharma biggies like Zydus Cadila, Alembic, Cadila Pharma and Torrent Pharmaceuticals and close to 3,500 drug manufacturing units, the capital investment in Gujarat’s pharma sector has witnessed a CAGR of whopping 54 % in the last 3-4 years. 

MUNDRA & PIPAV: PORTS
    From Lothal in 2400 BC to Mundra in 2009 AD, it has a been successful voyage for Gujarat as far as port development is concerned. Two private ports - Mundra and Pipavav, country’s only two LNG terminals at Dahej and Hazira and a string of ports along its 1,600 km coast line, has enabled Gujarat handle at least 250 million tonnes cargo a year, the highest among all maritime states.

AHMEDABAD: WEAVING SUCCESS
    Within decades of Gujarat was born, its financial capital Ahmedabad emerged as the Manchester of the East. Legendary mahajans like Kasturbhai Lalbhai brought the city on the global map. The sector witnessed a decline in the 1980s, leaving thousands jobless. But, a revival was scripted in the late 1990s, with the city reclaiming its lost glory by turning into the denim capital -- manufacturing over 200 million metres of denim in a year.

ANAND: AMUL
    This billion dollar brand is Gujarat’s gift to Asia’s co-operative sector. Asia's largest milk brand, Amul’s foundation was laid in 1946 at Anand with inspiration of Sardar Patel. If Tribhuvandas Patel as chairman laid foundation of Kaira District Co~operative Milk Producers Union Limited, Father of White Revolution Verghese Kurien laid foundation of NDDB in 1965 and GCMMF in 1973. 13 dairies and GCMMF clock a collective turnover of Rs 10,000 crore. 

AHMEDABAD: NANO (world's most economic CAR)
    A landmark in the history of Gujarat’s business. Nearly a decade after General Motors drove in to Gujarat, the state changed gears with Nano. Investment of more than Rs 2,000 crore, Tata Motors shifting its small car project from Singur to Sanand helped the state wash away the taint of 2002 to some extent and paved way for Gujarat’s journey to become an auto hub.

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One man's waste is another's Resource

A creche, second home for toddlers, is recycling haven.

Keyboards on the ceiling, bicycle pedals to play with on the door and a second hand bath tub to splash in!

Mixed & matched odd-shaped pieces of Kota, Jaisalmer, Dholpur, Granite and mosaic to create a trendy flooring! these have been picked up from construction sites declared waste...

The floor also has motifs of Sub, Moon, Flora and Fauns while a dash of local mud  mirror craft makes a wall glitter!

The ceiling is a collage of glass bottles and clay bowls stuck into concrete while door has cycle parts, wheels, axles, chains, handle and pedals set in a grid of scrap iron bars.

A colorful rooftop pavillion is made od cloth rags and torn bamboo mats sandwiched in fiber reinforced plastic.

Fly ash bricks, a waste product of thermal power plants have been used in construction. They also keep the rooms Cool...

"We've tried to bring beauty with what was available" says Yatin Padya, architect and urban planner the master mind behind the Creche for slum dwellers in Ramapir no Tekro in Juna Vadaj, Gujarat, India.

Source: Report in TOI on 22 Apr 2009

Narendra Modi- Best Chief Minister of India for 2009

Image by World Economic Forum via Flickr

When it comes to politics, it doesn’t matter if you are a man or woman, illiterate or educated, urban or rural, old or young, Hindu or Muslim, upper caste or Dalit.
Everybody has an opinion and everyone believes he or she is right. Narendra Modi is not among the dozen or so men and women who barely conceal their prime ministerial ambitions but if a political version of “Indian Idol” were to be chosen, irrespective of these divides, the Gujarat chief minister is likely to win hands down.
Since 2002, when INDIA TODAY and pollsters AC Nielsen-ORG-MARG broadened the scope of the Mood of the Nation poll to assess the performance of chief ministers across the country, Modi has always been rated among the five best chief ministers in the country.
In our last three polls, he has held the number one slot and this year, with a nationwide approval rating of 20, Modi polled almost as much as the first and second runners-up, Sheila Dikshit (11) and Nitish Kumar (10), put together.
For the 15th Mood of the Nation poll, 12,374 voters in 19 states were asked to rate the performance of the chief ministers of their own states as well as their perceptions about the chief ministers of other states. Though chief ministerial writ does not extend beyond the boundaries of the respective states, some like Modi have come to acquire a pan-Indian image.
That Modi’s approval rating is a phenomenal 80 per cent in his home state should come as no surprise, but what is truly astounding is that across several states, he has got between 20 and 25 per cent of the votes.
Across the country, 12 per cent of voters who voted for the Congress in the last elections say they will vote for Modi if they get a chance. Proof perhaps that people believe in his development mantra.
The overwhelming endorsement is also a proof that despite the controversies that have surrounded Modi these past few years, people are by and large taken in by his image as an absolutely incorruptible politician, something that sounds like an oxymoron these days. Read full story here.

Narendra Modi says:

"For me whole Gujarat is SEZ - Spirituality, Enterprise and Zeal"

"IT+IT=IT Indian talent + Information technology = India Tomorrow"

"Desire + stability = ResolutionResolution + Hard work = Success"

HAVE A PLAN ~ Systematic Endeavor

Most of us don't practice concrete planning methodologies for our works, and that is why we fail. To write success in our life or business, we must follow a definite course of actions - long terms or short terms.

Long term plans can be easy to narrate, they are sensible and workable. For example, if we intend having a career, it is wise to work out a long term game plan for our respective industry or profession. And only then it is possible for us to foresee the progression, needed to make it to the position we aspire to hold. Work out what it takes to make those objectives. Work out what we seek in each step-gaining experience, handling responsibility, learning new skills, acquiring people management, understanding that sort of things. Work out how we can materialize each step, it doesn't take much to work out what we need to acquire that how. Finally, we have to have an end game - the final goal. But it should be realistic and in tune with our capabilities, no more no less.

On the other hand, Short term plan vary according to our time span and urgency. For example we have short term plans of this month, this year, five years etc. Our one month short term plan includes our current work projects, our one year plan schedules, projects which are being formulated, our five years plan lists, our dreams, ideas, wishes goals etc.

All these plans should be devised in the light of our own practical cognition, so that we can proceed to put this into action and make them happen.

Thumbs Up Gujarat

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• State to get 12 new Medical Colleges

At present Gujrat has 1655 seats which in two years time would go to 3300+ seats. Eight new colleges have been planned in Six cities: 2 each in Ahmedabad and Surat & 1 each in Valsad, Palanpur, Mehasana, and Nadiad. At present State has 12 medical colleges.

• Infrastructure: 3 more 4-Lane Highways

A move which will boost road connectivity & save fuel and time across the Gujarat of the road riders. The roads selected are Ahmedabad - Viramgam - Maliya, Halol - Godhra - Shamlaji and Rajkot - Jamnagar - Vadinar highways. As GRDC & L&T have signed agrrement, construction work will start soon and will be completed in 30 months. L&T will charge Toll on the highways.

• Farmers Cheer! 3 days & 12% Rainfall

Short fall in rains was sending shiverings to all spines here in Gujarat. But, the rainfall in last 72 hours benefited immensly as it was 12% of its annual average. Saurastra farmers are joyous as they will harvest 3 crops this year.

• Forensic Science Varsity at Gandhinagar

Gujarat govt. plans to start from next academic year next to Gandhinagar Forsenic Science Laboratory spread over 20,000 sq km. It was needed to filfill the shaortage of trained manpower.

• Library on Wheels by DPS (East) Ahmedabd

The idea behind the launch is to revive reading habit and bring books closer to the people, especially weaker sections of the society. On Wednesday, Shantibhai Patel, MJ Library's chief librarian said` it is essential for children to realise importance of books and Library on Wheels will go a long way in encouraging to read. It will also be an asset to those who have a desire to read, but don't have means.

• Special Relief Train for Bihar flood victims

Narendra Modi, CM of Gujarat flagged of a special train with all essentials worth Rs.4.7cr in countinuaton of Gujarat's tradition to support disaster-stricken people, be it Kanshmir, Andman Nicobar islands and Tamil Nadu. He louded Surtis for their noble act.

• Cellphone to solve your queries

'VoicePitara' as this new innovation is known, is a platform to connect people to various services using voice and keypad on mobile phones, according to its creators Vinay Modi & Mahesh Chopra. The technocrats are ably supported in their venture by the Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIIE) at IIM, Ahmedabad. The main advantage of our system would be communication in the local language without dependence on computers says its innovators.