AHMEDEBAD—I should preface this piece by offering my initial expectations for our family meal. I expected to have a simple meal, one that might even involve sitting on the floor eating less savory food since Jains adhere to an austere diet. I got exactly the opposite. Our group of ladies (Aarti, Sara, Rashmi and me) was pleasantly surprised with a lavish experience on Saturday night.
Our car pulled up to a house as a gate opened for us and a Labrador authoritatively trotted out. Pet canines in India are an anomaly and usually an indicator of wealth, since most dogs live in the streets. This lab was big and well-fed.
The white exterior of the house looked elegant from the outside and sleekly designed—not gaudy but definitely stylish.
We were greeted by high ceilings and art on walls. Out on a deck patio, chilled lemon water was served. Our host, Liza Shah, met us and spoke frankly about Jainism. Jain ideals encompassed all aspects of life, she emphasized, underscoring the fact that Jainism is more of a lifestyle than the western concept of religion. The Shah family’s religion informed even their house’s design and layout. The backyard was massive and manicured. The landscaping included a water collection and purification system built according to an ancient Jain practice that is still used in temples, like the Hutheesing Temple we visited two days before. Just to the right of the front door, there was a small room that served as an in-home temple, complete with a murti of Lord Mahavira. The founder of Jainism. Lisa gently informed us that women had to be “clean” (i.e. not menstruating) to go inside and pray.
Later, while discussing their spiritual practices, Liza said that the at-home temple made worship more practical with her busy schedule.
“We should go to the temple every day or several times a day,” she said. “I probably go only once or twice a week—we are so busy.”
Liza Shah (center) welcomes the class’s teaching assistant, Aarti Virani (far left), and India Yatra reporters Arielle, Rashmi and Sara (left to right) to her home for a traditional Gujarati dinner. Photo by Sara Aridi.
Liza is the mother of two boys, and her husband, Jigish, is a successful businessman in Ahmedabad’s booming real estate industry. This is not uncommon. Jains are known for controlling a majority of the business world in Gujarat despite being a religious minority. The Shah’s oldest son, Param, is studying civil engineering at the University of Illinois, and Liza made sure that we met him over Skype on her tablet. He is heavily involved with the Jain Students Association on campus and plans to return to India once he is finished with his degree, since practically speaking, there will be more jobs in a growing city like Ahmedabad than say, Chicago.
The Shah boys did not attend a Jain school growing up, though their parents made sure to instill traditional values of Jainism from a young age. Liza’s dissatisfaction with the Ahmedabad school options for her sons led her to start her own school, where she is currently a trustee. Her younger son, Arham, will be in the first graduating class. He seemed a bit lonely in such a big house, so far away from his friends. I asked him if he had them over often.
“Never,” he answered. And although I thought he was exaggerating initially, he explained that most of his friends lived about five or 10 kilometers away. His parents host guests regularly, however, including groups of Jain monks. Although the monks probably did not use the movie theater with plush recliners or the pool outside, they did stay and eat minimally like their vows mandate they do. Hospitality must be taken in small doses, but monks and nuns completely depend on the support of the Jain community to survive. Jainism requires monks and nuns to take vows to create a life of simplicity and, more importantly, complete dedication to their beliefs—no home or belongings, no lying, celibacy and non-violence are essential. Ahimsa (non-violence) and dietary practices extend to the Jain “laypeople” as well.
Even with an entirely vegetarian meal devoid of potatoes, onions and garlic, the dinner was easily the best one I had while in India. Jains commonly keep root vegetables out of their diet since the act of uprooting a vegetable is interpreted by some as an act of violence. Our hearty meal included homemade daal and parathas, or layered flatbreads, as well as a spinach and paneer curry, a cabbage stir-fry, Basmati rice and samosas. We were in culinary heaven, and we were asked multiple times if we wanted more of everything. The fresh herbs that featured in our meal, including mint and fenugreek, were homegrown in Liza’s garden, but it was not clear how much of the cooking she actually did, since two servants served us food and drinks the whole time.
Later, we realized what an honor and surprise it was that her husband, Jigish, was eating with us. He was running for a position on the board of directors of a prestigious country club he was a part of, and the elections were happening that evening. Even still, he dined with us and came in to eat a quick bowl of ice cream (there was also puréed mango, my favorite) as we relaxed in their sitting room after dinner.
We planned on calling an Uber to get back to the hotel, but our hostess laughed and insisted on taking us since she was headed out anyway, likely to a social event surrounding her husband’s impending election. She changed into an entirely new outfit, and we piled into her white Audi SUV. The ride was all of five minutes to the Ramada. This part of Ahmedabad, Thaltej, is the wealthier and newer part of the city, where undeveloped land can be used for sprawling residences, luxury hotels and malls. As we pulled up to the hotel, Professor Goldman and a few students climbed out of a rickshaw. Liza’s Audi pulled away, and we smiled at our luck.