Sadhvi Shilapiji She wears the simple white sari, having 12 years ago renounced the material world to enter the spiritual world of a Jain nun. Much of her days are spent in silence, in meditation, in prayer.
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The telephone on her desk rings, but her mobile phone is already at her ear as she gives instructions to one of the contractors working to build new school campuses. Much of her long days are spent in business meetings or bleary-eyed in front of a computer monitor, attending to a never-ending string of administrative details.
She has inspired thousands around the globe. Just by being
who she is, Shilapiji tends to attract many visitors from around
the world. When Mark Jacobs recently visited their work in Bhuj,
he had this three word summary: "Shilapiji radiates love."
On Wednesday, August 13th, we will have the opportunity to hear about
Sadhvi Shilapiji's personal journey and serendipitous inspirations
that led her to a life of service and interfaith spirituality.
This inspiring evening of dialogue and conversation is hosted in our
home and there is no cost to attend; please RSVP for more details.
Veerayatan: Compassion in Action Shilapiji's greatest pillar of strength is her highly revered teacher,
Acharya Chandanaji, the first woman in the 2500 year Jain tradition to
be granted the Acharya title.
Thirty years ago, Chandanaji founded
a humanitarian group called Veerayatan, which runs an important ophthalmology
hospital in Bihar that has performed over 100,000 sight-restoring
surgeries to indigent patients, free-of-charge. It also runs
orthopedic clinics, prosthetic-fitting camps, dispensaries, and
mobile health units for the underprivileged of Bihar, India's
poorest, most lawless state.
Following the devastating Kutch earthquake in January of
2001, Acharya Chandanaji -- often called the 'Mother Teresa of
North India' -- dispatched Shilapiji to Gujarat to survey the
situation and lead Veerayatan's participation in the relief effort.
Finding that many other Indian and international NGO's were dealing
with housing, food, water, clothing, and medical issues, Veerayatan
aimed its energies at helping to educate the thousands of school
children whose schools had been destroyed in the quake, and has now
become an eminent part of the Kutch development.
Shilapiji: Compassion Incarnate Shilapiji's interest and work in education is as deep as it is
broad. Only the relentless demands on her time and her incessant
desire to help others are preventing her from completing her doctoral
dissertation at Kings College, London. She has been instrumental
in establishing the Shri Chandana Vidyapeeth school of Jainism in
London, and is actively involved with religious education for Jain
youth around the globe. She has served as a representative of the
Jain religion at a number of international interfaith conferences,
has participated in academic symposia on issues of the relationship
between spirituality and worldly problems, and has written widely
on topics theological, historical, and service-oriented.
Shilapiji's intellectual brilliance, heartwarming compassion, thorough
dedication to service, and profound faith and spirituality will continue to
create ripples of inspiration this Wednesday.
[ Prayer Sung by Shilapiji ] (Audio)
It is hard to imagine that these are portraits of a single woman.
But then, Sadhvi Shri Shilapiji is no ordinary woman. Scholar,
leader, humanitarian, educator -- these are all suitable epithets
for this soon-to-be PhD nun, though not one of them
alone captures the depth of her intellect, charm, eloquence,
warmth, humility, or down-to-earth openness. While some may
see contradictions between her spiritual devotion and hands-on,
high-tech competence, it is really more a matter of versatility
for this thoughtful, masterful woman.
If Veerayatan defines its mission as "compassion in action," then
it is apt to call Shilapiji, like her mentor Acharya Chandanaji,
"compassion incarnate." Shilapiji has been the pillar of Veerayatan's
extraordinary relief work in the aftermath of the
earthquake, overseeing the education of more than 14,000 children
in earthquake-ravaged Kutch. In Bhuj, she administers an
extraordinary boarding facility for hundreds of children who were
orphaned in the disaster. She also runs an innovative vocational
training program for older students who have fallen by the wayside
of the formal educational systems.