BHOPAL: A three-year-old terminally ill child in Indore became the youngest to ‘embrace death’ through the Jain practice of Santhara. She passed away on March 21 minutes after the ceremony ended.Santhara or Sallekhana is a voluntary practice of fast unto death, which is undertaken when the end is imminent.But since patient Viyana Jain was just three, she couldn’t have taken the decision voluntarily. It was her parents Varsha and Piyush Jain, both techies, who took the call following advice from Jain guru Rajesh Muni Maharaj.Significantly, Santhara was declared illegal by the Rajasthan High Court in August 2015. The court made it punishable under Section 306 of the IPC (abetment of suicide).The order had triggered massive protests by the Jains, who argued that while suicide was a sin, Santhara was a religious practice for self-purification. A month later, the Supreme Court suspended the HC order.Viyana was diagnosed with brain tumour in December last year and underwent surgery in Mumbai in January. “After surgery her condition improved, but a couple of months later, it started deteriorating following relapse of the brain tumour. We took her to our Jain guru on March 21.He told us her end was near and recommended Santhara,” said Varsha over phone.Varsha claimed that the guru holds a PhD in Santhara and had helped 107 individuals undergo Santhara. “We agreed with a heavy heart. Within 10 minutes after the Santhara ritual chanting of mantras, Viyana breathed her last,” she recalled.“I keep visiting orphanages. She loved feeding cows and pigeons, we’re continuing it. It’s my dream to undertake a major tree plantation in her memory in future,” Varsha said.
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