“Religion is not restricting, rather liberating...there are no rules, only guidances,” says Abhay Firodia on Abhay Prabhavana

A-first-of-its-kind knowledge center based on philosophy of Jainism was inaugurated on 5^th November by Union Minister Nitin Gadkari at Maval, on the outskirts of Pune in Maharashtra. Established by Abhay Firodia, Chairman Force Motors, a Pune based leading automotive company, this Museum represents a significant milestone in preserving and promoting India’s spiritual legacy as seen through the lens of Jain philosophy. 

An alumnus of Scindia School, this “Museum of Ideas”, dedicated to Jain values  was inaugurated on Abhay Firodia's 80^th birthday. The inauguration was graced by Jyotiraditya Scindia, Union Minister and Maharaja of Gwalior, Justice Dalveer Bhandari, International Court of Justice, The Hague, Maharaj Kumar Lakshyaraj Singh of Mewar; Padma Bhushan D R Mehta, Founder of BMVSS; and Padma Bhushan Anna Hazare, Gandhian leader, Smt. Maneka Gandhi, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Environment and Forests, Government of India. The event received spiritual blessings from Padma Shri Gurudevshri Rakeshji (Dharampur), Padma Shri Acharya Chandana Ji Maharaj (Veerayatan), and Siling Tongkhor Rinpoche, representing The Dalai Lama

Namrata Kohli in an exclusive conversation with Abhay Firodia

Congratulations on creating this marvel which can inspire couple of upcoming generations with Jainism and Indic values. While you were researching and putting this mammoth project together, what were some of your biggest learnings about religion and spirituality that touched your heart?

Religion does not make rules. There are only guidances but the rest you need to develop yourself. Rituals are only one part of religion and they have a role in keeping the society together. But the core is values. I must tell the youth that religion should never be a burden, it has to be liberating – it frees you.

The basic tenet of Jainism is not ahimsa- in fact it permits himsa for certain things. I would go to the extent of saying that Chapter 2 of Gita is exactly what Jainism says. Sometimes himsa is your dharma and if you are a soldier defending your country, then that himsa is permitted.

The world knows of Mahavir but there are 24 Tirthankars and the first one is Rishabh Dev. His son was Bharat, after whom ‘Bharatvarsh’ is named. Rishabhdev’s important, enduring and seminal civilizational inputs, form the backbone of our culture. He was the first person who spoke about the importance of trade and skills and everything which makes for a holistic society. Our hope is that this center will inspire people to explore and connect with the ten ideals of Indian civilization, as expressed through Rishabhdev: Asi (Tools and weapons), Masi (Ink and communication), Kasi (agriculture and animal husbandry), Vanijya (Trade and commerce), Shilp (Professional skills), Vidya (Knowledge (mathematics, Cosmology, Medical sciences etc.), Ahimsa (Non-violence and non-injury through thought, speech and actions).

Nowadays one hears every other person say that I am spiritually inclined but not so much of a religious person. What would you tell those people about what they should expect from the museum?

Look, there are no quickies. You can't take a tablet and become a spiritually enlightened person. It's not happening. It never happened and not happening now also. One attempt is made here is to explain how to look at life from different angles... How people have explained how to look at life... And one has to learn for himself. One of the most important sentences of Bhagwan Mahavira is Panna Samikh Dhammam. Panna is pradnya which is inner understanding. Samikh is samiksha. Dhammam is dharma. So, you can only understand the dharma with your own examination. If somebody tells you this is the Dharma tool with which you will go to heaven, then he is taking you for a ride. If you understand, if you have examined, if you are convinced that this works, then you may have the possibility of finding the salvation. But your understanding is important. That is what this museum says. Learn how to look at these values. Maybe you begin to appreciate them, maybe you begin to follow them but there is no guarantee. The museum encourages you to explore for yourself the quest for truth and personal reflection. 

What kind of research you undertook before building this private museum?

Before building this or starting the real core activity in this project, I visited virtually every important museum in every continent. I went to Japan, spent a week in China. Then visited Europe, Berlin, London, Paris, Netherlands, in the United States, in India, in Singapore. Wherever there are museums of this nature we went and saw. We learnt and even received help. The University of Berlin gave us a lot of support and advice on museum manual and how to do a large museum. What kind of space and what kind of facility should exist.

By the way, I don't think you know that Nalanda University had an operations manual. What should a building be like? What should be the ratio of student to teacher? What should be the space per person? What should be the structure of the building and enclosed spaces. There was a detailed fact operations and maintenance manual. A copy of it is available in Tibet which has recently been accessed, it is being translated and it is found that this has been followed in every aspect in building both Cambridge and Oxford. So, this knowledge existed in India and there is a whole knowledge and science about it. So, we tried to learn this in our own way from Indians as well as foreigners on what a museum should be like.

At what point you decided to do something that then what drove you?

That's a question I always try to avoid. I am very attached to Padma Shri Acharya Chandana Ji Maharaj (Veerayatan). She is the first Jain sadhvi created Acharya in the entire history of more than 2600 years of Jainism. An outstanding woman, she runs the world's largest rural eye hospital in Rajgir which is close to Patna. She has built schools and hospitals in Bihar and was beaten up by local gundas but she withstood her ground. Imagine that she could build schools in Naxal areas. And in the beginning, they had trouble but then later the Naxals came and said, Mata ji, you our making our children human. You will not get into a problem. And today the school runs beautifully. I am inspired by her and she wanted me to do something. So that's how it started. But that was just a germination. For it to take this shape, it took me several years to conceptualize, find the right partners. This building is built by my son-in-law's company Panchshil Realty. And they helped us design and build this. And then we used our own wealth and resources to sponsor this.

What is the total expenditure of this project?

I do want to name a figure, but it is 100s of crores. Approximately 400 Crores. I decided in the beginning, that we will not beg others for money. I am very fortunate that I have trusts created by my ancestors. They have the resources and the objectives to do things which are good for society like this. And we have used our personal wealth.  

How did you choose this location and why in Pune?

It is here because I live in Pune. This is on Bombay Pune highway. From Bombay it is two hours, from Pune it is one hour. Sadly Pune lacks such institutions and many parents and relatives of IT people in Pune, when they come here, they don’t know what to do. Also many foreigners come to Pune and they can spend time here even in a day trip. It’s a full day spend with a lovely food court, an outstanding outdoor area and a children's museum with a children's play area is being built. So, the whole family, young and old can spend time and learn many things.