Just recently, the results of Class 12 were announced and now every school pass-out will feel the heat of making a decision regarding the course they want to pursue as it will be the first step of their career. Those who have scored high won’t be having any problem as all the colleges will welcome them with open arms but the ones who have not scored so well may face problems in getting admission in the colleges of their choice.
A score of 99.9 percentile provides the student with an option to choose his college from the top colleges but there is one teenager who has decided to renounce the world after scoring 99.9 percentile. Unbelievable but true!
Varshil Shah (17) from Ahmedabad has taken the path of becoming a Jain monk and renouncing the world. On Tuesday, his uncle Nayanbhai Suthari said that Varshil would take ‘diksha’ on June 8 in Gandhinagar. ‘Diksha’ is a religious ceremony which marks the beginning of a new life of monks and nuns.
On May 27, when the results of Gujarat Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Board were out, Varshil was one of the toppers but there was not much celebration, as his family follows Jainism and remains away from limelight. His uncle was the one who interacted with media and he told what Varshil feels,
“The result is as per expectations, but to attain and maintain peace, I think renouncing the world is the only way.”
Varshil’s father Jigarbhai and his mother Amiben Shah are happy with their son’s decision. Both are employed in Income-Tax department and this middle class family follows Jivdaya, the Jain principle which teaches love and compassion for all the living beings. Varshil also has an elder sister whose name is Jainini.
The Shah family doesn’t use television and refrigerator and the use of electricity is minimal, especially at the night time when kids study because they believe that in the process of power generation, aquatic animals may lose their lives and it is against the principle of ‘Ahimsa’ (non-violence).
Varshil’s uncle told that Varshil might be starting his spiritual journey now but he started walking on the spiritual path when “he came in contact with Surat-based Munni Shri Kalyan Ratna Vijayji three years ago. He was only waiting to complete his school (before taking Diksha).”
He met some monks in 2016 before the school session and got help from them in focusing better.
We hope that Varshil plays an important role in the development of mankind!