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Mumbai: For the first time, three-year-old Ariha Shah, who has been held in German Foster Care, was granted permission to celebrate Paryushan. The Jain community had launched a campaign during Paryushan, wherein over 2.5 million prayers of Namaskar Mantra and more than 15,000 fasts by community members were dedicated to the young Jain girl.
On behalf of the Jain community, Param Vinamramuni Maharaj Saheb, a disciple of Namramuni Maharaj Saheb, corresponded with the German Embassy in New Delhi and the German Foreign Ministry in Berlin for the past year about bring Ariha back to India. The Jain monk has also been trying to ensure that she receives the opportunity to learn about her religion and the Gujarati language while in Germany. After a year of relentless efforts, the German Foreign Ministry succeeded in convincing the German Child Services to allow Ariha to celebrate the sacred Jain festival.
To facilitate Ariha in observing the festival, 22-year-old Dhruvi Vaid, a Jainism teacher holding a B2 level proficiency in the German language, traveled from Mumbai to Berlin. This was the first time in three years that Ariha met any Indian apart from her parents. The child services allowed two days of one-hour visits each, in which Ariha was taught the foundational prayers of Jainism, including the Namaskar Mantra, ‘Tass Micchami Dukkadam’, and ‘Jai Jinendra’. Stories of Girnar and Palitana pilgrimage were recited to Ariha, and was introduced to Lord Mahavir and Lord Parshvanath through pictures.
During Paryushan, the Jain community launched a new campaign, in which over 2.5 million prayers of Namaskar Mantra and more than 15,000 fasts were dedicated to Ariha by the community members living across the globe.
“The Jain community is making every possible effort to bring their little girl back to India and is committed to securing her future. Not only in India, but the Jain community in countries such as the UK, USA, Malaysia, Singapore, Nairobi, Australia, and Belgium has also expressed their displeasure by sending letters to the German Embassy in their respective countries. Our Ministry of External Affairs has been trying for a long time to bring Ariha back to India, but the German Child Services are unwilling to release her,” said a statement by Sakal Jain Samaj Mumbai.
Ariha was only seven-months old in September 2021 when she was sent to a foster care by the German authorities. Her parents Bhavesh Shah and Dhara Shah were accused with charges of child sexual abuse after she receieved injuries on her outer genital area, which her parents claimed to be an accidental injury. The charges were later dropped and changed to negligence. The case was finally dropped in February 2022 however the child continues to remain in the custody of German authorities who have filed a civil custody case to terminate the parental rights. The case is being legally challenged by the child’s parents who currently reside in Thane’s Mira Bhayandar.
After Thane’s member of parliament Naresh Mhaske took up the issue in parliament, the Ministry of External Affairs assured of the government’s ongoing legal proceedings to bring the child back to India. Foreign minister S Jaishankar said through a letter dated August 16 that the German Youth Welfare Authorities did not challenge the court’s decision allowing visitation rights for the parents after India’s diplomatic efforts. He also claimed of raising the issue with his German counterpart emphasising on bringing the child back to India.
