Lhana Distribution during Paryushan

During the festival of Paryushan Parva, the Shree Zalawadi Sthanakwasi Jain Sabha gives all its members an annual gift (Lhanas). As it is difficult to send the gifts to each members’ home across Mumbai, local representatives or Sthanik Pratinidhis have been appointed in all 33 centers from Kalyan to Bhayander and Virar. These Sthanik Pratinidhis have volunteered to serve their Zalawadi community by way of the Lhana Distribution Event during Paryushan every year.

During this time, each Sthanik Pratinidhi is provided with a folder of all the Life Members and Yearly Members of the Sabha in their area. It is their job to hand out the gifts to all Life Members after confirming their names in the lists. In the case of Yearly Members, the Sthanik Pratinidhis also need to confirm if the members wish to renew their membership for the upcoming year, and accept the fees for the same before furnishing them with the Lhanas. For the past two years, the Sabha has been involved in the process of upgrading its Member Database and has, therefore, tasked the Sthanik Pratinidhis with ensuring that all Member Information (Contact Details, Photograph, Personal Details, Occupation, etc.) is up-to-date.

This year, in a radical development for the Sabha, each member was also given a Smart I-Card which could be used for booking Sanatoriums and in many new features that the Sabha plans to soon roll out. This entire process was the brainchild of Mrs. Manishaben Mineshbhai Shah who, along with her team, painstakingly revived the Member database which has gotten out of date over for years. During Paryushan, this team went from centre to centre to help the Sthanik Pratinidhis and help solve their problems.

Sthanik Pratinidhis were given due recognition for their selfless hard work over their years in the form of interviews taken of their work and showcased to all members of the Sabha via the upcoming website, as a way to highlight their contribution to the community and honour them for the same.