Mumbai IITian Gives Up Cushy Job & Family For ‘Diksha’

A chemical engineer from IIT-Bombay is surely going to live a lush and comfortable life. The same was the case with 29-year-old Sanket Parekh. His life was all about achievements and targets. With a well-paying job in hand, he was planning to pursue post-graduation from the United States of America. But he did not know when his life would turn around. The change came in the form of an online chat that Sanket Parekh had with a senior of his, Bhavik Shah. After the chat, nothing was the same and Sanket Parekh gave up his job and embarked on a path of peace for the soul, all set to receive diksha in a grand ceremony in Borivli, Mumbai, on January 22.

Sanket Parekh was born into a Vaishnav family and was introduced into Jainism by his senior Bhavik Shah, who took the diksha back in 2013. “I was an atheist,” said Parekh. “I would have got everything if I had decided to have a career, but my inner self would never have been at peace like it is today,” he added. Explaining his move towards Jainism, Parekh said: “I was chatting with Bhavik, who was in Canada doing an internship with the University of Alberta in 2010. Since I was in my final year, it was a normal chat, about what next for us. I don’t know how the conversation veered towards the concept of soul. It was the first time I was thinking about soul, mind and body. That was the trigger and I went deeper with my search and began reading more about Jainism.” Now, Parekh will leave behind all his gadgets, including the computer he used to chat with his friend.

In the group of 16 who will renounce the world, the youngest is 14-year-old Yashika Lodaya, who is taking diksha with her parents-Hemal and Pritesh-and the oldest, a 45-year-old businessman. Twins Khyati and Khushboo Dedhia are part of the group, so is Meeta Dedhia and her teenaged son Dharmil. There are two other teenagers, and the rest are mostly under 30.