Johnson Cherian.
An affluent Jain couple from Madhya Pradesh has adopted monkhood after renouncing property worth an estimated ₹100 crore and leaving their toddler daughter in the care of her grandparents, as they set out on the journey for salvation.
While Sumit Rathore (35), a businessman, was ordained in the Shwetambar (white-clad) order of Jainism at a ceremony in Surat on September 23, his wife Anamika (34) embraced monkhood on Monday after submitting an affidavit, as asked by the authorities, stating their three-year-old daughter Ibhya would remain with her maternal grandparents.
Sumit and Anamika, who hail from Neemuch in Madhya Pradesh, were granted “deeksha” by Sadhumargi Jain Acharya Ramlal Maharaj.
Plea to NHRC
However, the couple’s journey to monkhood was not without hiccups, especially over the future of Ibhya. A Neemuch-based activist had sought the intervention of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) to stop the initiation ceremony in the interest of the minor daughter of the couple.
