AHMEDABAD: A 24-year-old chartered account from a prosperous Mumbai-based business family has decided to renounce a fortune worth crores and seek salvation by dedicating himself to the Jain community.
Mokshesh Sheth, whose family owns
JK Corporation, which has interests in diamond, metal and sugar industries, will become a Jain monk at an elaborate ceremony to be held at Tapovan Circle on the Gandhinagar-Ahmedabad road on Friday morning.
Mokshesh, who has an enviable academic record, says he wants to “audit” the religion as a humble student instead of sifting through accounts books. “I was about 15 when I first thought of becoming a Jain monk. I craved internal peace which the material world would not have provided,” he said, adding that he wants happiness for all, instead of only himself.
His family originally hails from Deesa in north
Gujarat and has made Mumbai their home for over 60 years now. His father Sandeep and uncle
Girish Sheth still live in a joint family in Mumbai.
Mokshesh, the eldest of three brothers, went to Manav Mandir School in Walkeshwar and scored 93.38% in Class 10 and 85% in Class 12.
He subsequently went to HR College for graduation in commerce, simultaneously pursuing chartered accountancy, before joining the family’s metal business at Sangli. “Mokshesh was always spiritually inclined and first expressed his wish to become a monk some eight years ago. However, we convinced him to complete his education and experience the world first. In the 200-year-old history of our family, Mokshesh would be the first man from embrace monkhood even though five women have become Jain sadhvis,” said Girish Sheth.
Mokshesh said the decision to allow him to become a monk was made in January. His grandfather, 85, was inspired to join him but the senior monks asked him to serve the community while remaining in society.
