The members of the Coimbatore Jain community came together to bid farewell to a 23-year-old B.Com graduate Shilpa Jain, who is going to be formally inducted as a Sadhvi (a female saint).

The granddaughter of Panaibai M Jain, and daughter of city-based entrepreneur Mukesh Jain and Sushila Devi is accepting sainthood by choice. A source close to the family stated that Shilpa wanted to be Sadhvi right from her childhood. It was her 85-year-old grandmother, Panaibai M Jain, who trained Shilpa on the dos and don’ts and prepared her to accept the life of a Sadhvi.

Father of three girls, Mukesh Jain tells us that the preparations began about four years ago. “We were preparing her to become a saint for the past four years and the auspicious time has come now,” Mukesh Jain, said. Shilpa will soon leave for her Deeksha ceremony, where she will be formally accepted as a Jain saint. The seven-day function is scheduled to begin on January 12 at Gurrgaon. Shilpa will leave Coimbatore tomorrow.

Choosing to become a saint is regarded as holy and it calls for celebrations. There were various events organized at the Jain temple and the Jain Samaj in Coimbatore for the past three days. Singers from Mumbai were flown in to perform songs on Jain saints. The family of the girl, along with the members of the Jain community, gave her a formal send-off.

As part of the grand finale today, Jain families gathered at the Jeerawala Parshwanath Jain temple to pay their gratitude to Shilpa Jain and her family. The young and old assembled to participate in a procession that was flagged off at the Big Jain temple located on RG Street. The procession touched the Sukrawarpettai Rajendra Suri Guru temple and the Terapanth Jain Samaj. It finally came to an end at the Jeerawala Parshwanath Jain temple.

Shilpa gave away her materialistic possessions to the needy. Once she is formally inducted as a Sadhvi, Shipla will live the life of a Jain monk. She will be required to travel extensively all over the country and preach the teaching of Lord Mahavir.