Bal Patil
Encyclopedia
Bal Patil (in Hindi - बाल पाटील) (in Marathi - बाळ पाटील) was a Jain scholar, journalist, social activist and Jain minority status advocate from Mumbai
, Maharashtra
. He was appointed as a member of State Minority Commission by the Govt. of Maharashtra from 2001 to 2004. He was the Secretary-General of All India Jain Minority Forum, New Delhi—a position he held till his death—and was an ardent advocate of minority status for Jainism. The Jain minority cause gained prominence when he petitioned the Supreme Court of India for the recognition of Jain religious minority status on par with other Indian minorities as per the two recommendations by the National Minorities Commission. He was also the first non-medical President of the National Society for the Prevention of Heart Disease & Rehabilitation, Mumbai. He has also authored many books on Jainism
and presented several papers at various seminars and conferences.
Jain family originally from Karnataka
on 19 November 1932 at Sangli
, Maharashtra. He graduated with honours in English literature with German as his second language. Bal Patil was married to Mrs Vimal Patil, aged 70, for 54 years. He is survived by his wife, three children and two grandchildren. His eldest child is a daughter, Rohini Dilip Mangsule, who is a textile designer. Her husband Dilip Mangsule is the District Government Pleader of Kolhapur.
His second child is a son, Rahul Bal Patil. He is a Chartered Accountant working in a Finance Company. His youngest child is daughter, Dr Sujata Rao, who is a leading ENT surgeon in Mumbai. She is married to Raj Rao, who is web entrepreneur. He has two grandchildren, Rohit Dilip Mangsule, who is a fourth year law student, and Anushka Raj Rao, who is in the 5th grade.
He has also participated and presented papers:
He was interviewed by Times of India, on the occasion of the publication of their sesquicentennial issue. * http://www.flickr.com/photos/balpatil/2891069515/sizes/l/in/photostream/
He was acknowledged as one of the most prolific letter writers to the Times of India, from 1954 onwards.
Sham Lal, the longest serving editor of TOI once commented that he rarely had to edit Bal Patil's writings.
As a Newspaper columnist for Economic times, he wrote many articles, some of which are:
Mr. Patil was a keen Gandhian and has written extensively on Gandhian philosophy and his assassination. Some of his articles on Mahatma Gandhi are:
, Bertrand Russell
, Socrates
, Jawaharlal Nehru
, Indira Gandhi
and Lata Mangeshkar
, Lal Bahadur Shastri
and Kamaraj among others. He was also a keen photographer.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/balpatil/show/with/4973058900
to direct the Government of India to declare the Jains as national minorities in accordance with the recommendations of the National minorities commission. However, in 2005, the Supreme Court declined to issue a writ of Mandamus towards granting Jains the status of a religious minority throughout India. The Court however left it to the respective states
to decide on the minority status of Jain religion.
In one of the observations of the Supreme Court, not forming part of the judgment, the Court said:
The Supreme Court also noted: " … that the State Governments of Chhatisgarh, Maharashtra
, Madhya Pradesh
, Uttar Pradesh
and Uttarakhand
have already notified Jains as 'minority' in accordance with the provisions of the respective State Minority Commissions Act."
This cast a doubt on the independent standing of Jain religion. Scholars in the Jain tradition, as well as several groups amongst the Jain community protested, and emphasised that Jain religion stands as a religion in its own right. While Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism and Sikhism have a similar mode of living, and common cultural background and social customs, traditions and practices, but all four of them are different, distinct religions. Further, it is extremely disrespectful to Jainism, Buddhism and Sikhism to club them under the Brahminical religion, also known as Hinduism. While all four religions are Indian in origin, each one of them has its own entity, identity and distinctness. Hence, it is unfair to disregard their sovereignty and uniqueness and sweep their existence under the carpet. This judgement was also criticised by many noted politions and jurists. Dr. L. M. Singhvi
, Indian Jusrist noted that the judgment of three judges goes against the judgment of 11 judges and many previous judgments of larger benches on the basis of which Jains must be recognised as a distinct religious minority, distinct and reparate from the Hindus.
Mr. Patil was also critical of the Supreme Court judgment and issued a press note noting that:
(former Attorney General of India) in an article in Times of India as it hurt the sentiments of Jain community. The case went to press council of India and Mr. Sorabjee tendered an apology. Mr. Patil was also highly critical of controversial Freedom of Religion Bill passes by Gujarat assembly which sought to club Jains and Buddhists under Hindus. Mr. Patil noted that “The amended Freedom of Religion Bill passed by the Gujarat assembly classifying Jains and Buddhists as Hindus is an unwarranted assault on the distinct religious identity recognised by the Constitution itself.” Ultimately on 31 July 2007, finding it not in conformity with the concept of freedom of religion as embodied in Article 25 (1) of the Constitution, Governor Nawal Kishore Sharma returned back the Gujarat Freedom of Religion (Amendment) Bill, 2006. The Governor held that Jainism and Buddhism are recognised as religions rather than denominations of Hinduism, something that the Amendment Bill sought to wrongly convey. A press release issued by Raj Bhawan, said “the proposed amendment would amount to withdrawing the protection against forceful or inappropriate religious conversions, particularly in case of Jains and Buddhists”.
Owing to the unceasing efforts of Mr Patil and some others, Jains have now been declared as religious minority in many states of India. However, the Jain community still awaits recognition as a National Minority.
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
, Maharashtra
Maharashtra
Maharashtra is a state located in India. It is the second most populous after Uttar Pradesh and third largest state by area in India...
. He was appointed as a member of State Minority Commission by the Govt. of Maharashtra from 2001 to 2004. He was the Secretary-General of All India Jain Minority Forum, New Delhi—a position he held till his death—and was an ardent advocate of minority status for Jainism. The Jain minority cause gained prominence when he petitioned the Supreme Court of India for the recognition of Jain religious minority status on par with other Indian minorities as per the two recommendations by the National Minorities Commission. He was also the first non-medical President of the National Society for the Prevention of Heart Disease & Rehabilitation, Mumbai. He has also authored many books on Jainism
Jainism
Jainism is an Indian religion that prescribes a path of non-violence towards all living beings. Its philosophy and practice emphasize the necessity of self-effort to move the soul towards divine consciousness and liberation. Any soul that has conquered its own inner enemies and achieved the state...
and presented several papers at various seminars and conferences.
Personal life
Bal Patil was born to Mr B.S. Patil, a Civil Judge and Mrs Champavati Patil, in a DigambaraDigambara
Digambara "sky-clad" is one of the two main sects of Jainism. "Sky-clad" has many different meaning and associations throughout Indian religions. Many representations of deities within these traditions are depicted as sky-clad, e.g. Samantabhadra/Samantabhadrī in Yab-Yum...
Jain family originally from Karnataka
Karnataka
Karnataka , the land of the Kannadigas, is a state in South West India. It was created on 1 November 1956, with the passing of the States Reorganisation Act and this day is annually celebrated as Karnataka Rajyotsava...
on 19 November 1932 at Sangli
Sangli
Sangli is a city in the state of Maharashtra of India. Sangli is known as the Turmeric city for its vast production of Turmeric. Sangli is situated on the banks of river Krishna and is the largest market place for Turmeric in Asia and houses many sugar factories, which it is also noted for...
, Maharashtra. He graduated with honours in English literature with German as his second language. Bal Patil was married to Mrs Vimal Patil, aged 70, for 54 years. He is survived by his wife, three children and two grandchildren. His eldest child is a daughter, Rohini Dilip Mangsule, who is a textile designer. Her husband Dilip Mangsule is the District Government Pleader of Kolhapur.
His second child is a son, Rahul Bal Patil. He is a Chartered Accountant working in a Finance Company. His youngest child is daughter, Dr Sujata Rao, who is a leading ENT surgeon in Mumbai. She is married to Raj Rao, who is web entrepreneur. He has two grandchildren, Rohit Dilip Mangsule, who is a fourth year law student, and Anushka Raj Rao, who is in the 5th grade.
Scholar and writer
Mr Bal Patil is author of many books on Jainism and has written and presented several conference papers at various academic seminars in Great Britain, Japan, USA and India. He was an eloquent speaker on various issues related to Indian history, Indian politics and the social anthropology of the Jain community. He has also translated books of Jain scholars from German and French to English. Following is the list of books written or translated by him:- Caillat, Colette, A. N Upādhye, and Bal Patil (1974) Jainism. Delhi: Macmillan Co. of India. OCLC: 2654850
- Patil, Bal (1980) Supreme Court's Volte Face on Constitutional Amendments Mumbai: Government of Maharashtra
- Alsdorf, Ludwig, Willem Bollée, and Bal Patil (2006) Jaina Studies: Their Present State and Future Tasks. Pandit Nathuram Premi Research Series, 1. Mumbai: Hindi Granth Karyalay. ISBN 978-81-88769-13-1. OCLC: 255450182
- Patil, Bal (2008) Jainism: An Eternal Pilgrimage. Ed. Manish Modi & Tony Whittington. Pandit Nathuram Premi Research Series, 23. Mumbai: Hindi Granth Karyalay. ISBN 978-81-88769-34-6. OCLC: 276487115
- Alsdorf, Ludwig, Bal Patil, Nichola Hayton, and Willem B. Bollée. (2010) The History of Vegetarianism and Cow-Veneration in Ancient India London: Routledge. ISBN 9780203859599. OCLC: 430678942
- Patil, Bal (2011) Jainism: An Eternal Pilgrimage. Ed. Manish Modi. Pandit Nathuram Premi Research Series, 23. Mumbai: Hindi Granth Karyalay. ISBN 978-81-88769-54-4.
He has also participated and presented papers:
- Evolution of the Sramanic Jain Tradition and Its Impact on Indic Civilisation and Religious Fundamentalism in the XIXth World congress of the International Association for the History of Religion, Tokyo, Japan, 24–30 March 2005. http://www.uni-tuebingen.de//uni/aid/Jaina%20WS.pdf
He was interviewed by Times of India, on the occasion of the publication of their sesquicentennial issue. * http://www.flickr.com/photos/balpatil/2891069515/sizes/l/in/photostream/
He was acknowledged as one of the most prolific letter writers to the Times of India, from 1954 onwards.
Sham Lal, the longest serving editor of TOI once commented that he rarely had to edit Bal Patil's writings.
As a Newspaper columnist for Economic times, he wrote many articles, some of which are:
Mr. Patil was a keen Gandhian and has written extensively on Gandhian philosophy and his assassination. Some of his articles on Mahatma Gandhi are:
- Mahatma Gandhi: Truth, Non-Violence And Jainism
- Gandhi’s Philosophy Of Industrial And Economic Prosperity
- Could Gandhi be saved: RSS role in Gandhi Assasination
- UN General Assembly Resolution Declaring Mahatma Gandhi Birthday, 2nd October, as International Day
Social activist
Besides being a scholar, Bal Patil was an active social activist advocating the cause on not only Jain minorities, but also taking part in legal, political and health care issues affecting Indian society.Photography and Sketching
Bal Patil drew many pen and ink sketches of noted personalities such as George Bernard ShawGeorge Bernard Shaw
George Bernard Shaw was an Irish playwright and a co-founder of the London School of Economics. Although his first profitable writing was music and literary criticism, in which capacity he wrote many highly articulate pieces of journalism, his main talent was for drama, and he wrote more than 60...
, Bertrand Russell
Bertrand Russell
Bertrand Arthur William Russell, 3rd Earl Russell, OM, FRS was a British philosopher, logician, mathematician, historian, and social critic. At various points in his life he considered himself a liberal, a socialist, and a pacifist, but he also admitted that he had never been any of these things...
, Socrates
Socrates
Socrates was a classical Greek Athenian philosopher. Credited as one of the founders of Western philosophy, he is an enigmatic figure known chiefly through the accounts of later classical writers, especially the writings of his students Plato and Xenophon, and the plays of his contemporary ...
, Jawaharlal Nehru
Jawaharlal Nehru
Jawaharlal Nehru , often referred to with the epithet of Panditji, was an Indian statesman who became the first Prime Minister of independent India and became noted for his “neutralist” policies in foreign affairs. He was also one of the principal leaders of India’s independence movement in the...
, Indira Gandhi
Indira Gandhi
Indira Priyadarshini Gandhara was an Indian politician who served as the third Prime Minister of India for three consecutive terms and a fourth term . She was assassinated by Sikh extremists...
and Lata Mangeshkar
Lata Mangeshkar
Lata Mangeshkar is a singer from India. She is one of the best-known and most respected playback singers in India. Mangeshkar's career started in 1942 and has spanned over six and a half decades. She has recorded songs for over a thousand Hindi films and has sung songs in over thirty-six regional...
, Lal Bahadur Shastri
Lal Bahadur Shastri
Lal Bahadur Srivastava Shastri was the second Prime Minister of the Republic of India and a significant figure in the Indian independence movement.-Early life:...
and Kamaraj among others. He was also a keen photographer.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/balpatil/show/with/4973058900
Public positions held
- First non-medical President of the National Society for the Prevention of Heart disease & Rehabilitation, Mumbai
- Jt. Hony. Secretary and Founder-Member of the Committee for the Advancement for Legal Literacy formed under the auspices of the High Court at Bombay under the Presidentship of Justice P.B. Sawant
- Former member of the Legal Cell to Supervise Important Litigation constituted by the Government of Maharashtra 1981-82.
- Member of the Media Expert Committee on Health & Family Welfare of the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Govt. of India during 1994-96.
- Chairman of the Jain Minority Status Committee, Dakshin Bharat Jain Sabha.
- Member of the Maharashtra State Minorities Commission, Government of Maharashtra representing Jain community in Maharashtra State during 2001-2004.
The Bal Patil Judgement case
The Jain minority cause gained prominence when Bal Patil petitioned the Supreme Court of IndiaSupreme Court of India
The Supreme Court of India is the highest judicial forum and final court of appeal as established by Part V, Chapter IV of the Constitution of India...
to direct the Government of India to declare the Jains as national minorities in accordance with the recommendations of the National minorities commission. However, in 2005, the Supreme Court declined to issue a writ of Mandamus towards granting Jains the status of a religious minority throughout India. The Court however left it to the respective states
States and territories of India
India is a federal union of states comprising twenty-eight states and seven union territories. The states and territories are further subdivided into districts and so on.-List of states and territories:...
to decide on the minority status of Jain religion.
In one of the observations of the Supreme Court, not forming part of the judgment, the Court said:
The Supreme Court also noted: " … that the State Governments of Chhatisgarh, Maharashtra
Maharashtra
Maharashtra is a state located in India. It is the second most populous after Uttar Pradesh and third largest state by area in India...
, Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh , often called the Heart of India, is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal and Indore is the largest city....
, Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh abbreviation U.P. , is a state located in the northern part of India. With a population of over 200 million people, it is India's most populous state, as well as the world's most populous sub-national entity...
and Uttarakhand
Uttarakhand
Uttarakhand , formerly Uttaranchal, is a state in the northern part of India. It is often referred to as the Land of Gods due to the many holy Hindu temples and cities found throughout the state, some of which are among Hinduism's most spiritual and auspicious places of pilgrimage and worship...
have already notified Jains as 'minority' in accordance with the provisions of the respective State Minority Commissions Act."
This cast a doubt on the independent standing of Jain religion. Scholars in the Jain tradition, as well as several groups amongst the Jain community protested, and emphasised that Jain religion stands as a religion in its own right. While Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism and Sikhism have a similar mode of living, and common cultural background and social customs, traditions and practices, but all four of them are different, distinct religions. Further, it is extremely disrespectful to Jainism, Buddhism and Sikhism to club them under the Brahminical religion, also known as Hinduism. While all four religions are Indian in origin, each one of them has its own entity, identity and distinctness. Hence, it is unfair to disregard their sovereignty and uniqueness and sweep their existence under the carpet. This judgement was also criticised by many noted politions and jurists. Dr. L. M. Singhvi
L. M. Singhvi
L. M. Singhvi लक्ष्मीमल सिंघवी was a, Indian jurist, parliamentarian, constitutional expert, scholar, distinguished diplomat...
, Indian Jusrist noted that the judgment of three judges goes against the judgment of 11 judges and many previous judgments of larger benches on the basis of which Jains must be recognised as a distinct religious minority, distinct and reparate from the Hindus.
Mr. Patil was also critical of the Supreme Court judgment and issued a press note noting that:
Other causes
Mr. Bal Patil took an objection to an inaccurate and misrepresentative observation made by Soli SorabjeeSoli Sorabjee
Soli Jehangir Sorabjee is an Indian jurist.-Biography:Soli Sorabjee was born on March 9, 1930 in Bombay, and after an education at Government Law College, Bombay, was admitted to the bar in 1953...
(former Attorney General of India) in an article in Times of India as it hurt the sentiments of Jain community. The case went to press council of India and Mr. Sorabjee tendered an apology. Mr. Patil was also highly critical of controversial Freedom of Religion Bill passes by Gujarat assembly which sought to club Jains and Buddhists under Hindus. Mr. Patil noted that “The amended Freedom of Religion Bill passed by the Gujarat assembly classifying Jains and Buddhists as Hindus is an unwarranted assault on the distinct religious identity recognised by the Constitution itself.” Ultimately on 31 July 2007, finding it not in conformity with the concept of freedom of religion as embodied in Article 25 (1) of the Constitution, Governor Nawal Kishore Sharma returned back the Gujarat Freedom of Religion (Amendment) Bill, 2006. The Governor held that Jainism and Buddhism are recognised as religions rather than denominations of Hinduism, something that the Amendment Bill sought to wrongly convey. A press release issued by Raj Bhawan, said “the proposed amendment would amount to withdrawing the protection against forceful or inappropriate religious conversions, particularly in case of Jains and Buddhists”.
Owing to the unceasing efforts of Mr Patil and some others, Jains have now been declared as religious minority in many states of India. However, the Jain community still awaits recognition as a National Minority.
Awards
In 2010, Bal Patil was awarded the "Jewel of Jain World" award presented by the Jain World Foundation. The award was presented to Mr. Patil for his vision and life time dedication to Jainism.External links
- Jainism by Caillat, Colette, A. N Upādhye, and Bal Patil
- The Jaina And The British - Tuebingen University International Workshop - Bal Patil : Jain Minority Issue
- http://www.flickr.com/photos/balpatil/2891069515/sizes/l/in/photostream/
- http://www.jaina.in/site/
- http://www.herenow4u.net/index.php?id=cd773
- Bal Patil's Biodata
- http://www.worldcat.org/title/jainism-an-eternal-pilgrimage/oclc/276487115&referer=brief_results
- http://www.worldcat.org/title/history-of-vegetarianism-and-cow-veneration-in-india/oclc/430678942&referer=brief_results
- http://www.worldcat.org/title/jainism/oclc/2654850/editions?referer=di&editionsView=true
- http://www.worldcat.org/title/jaina-studies-their-present-state-and-future-tasks/oclc/85833537&referer=brief_results
- http://www.worldcat.org/title/jaina-studies-their-present-state-and-future-tasks/oclc/717598258&referer=brief_results
- http://www.worldcat.org/title/jainism-an-eternal-pilgrimage/oclc/755976157&referer=brief_results
- http://www.worldcat.org/title/correspondence-with-johan-thorsten-sellin-1979/oclc/243693680&referer=brief_results
- http://www.worldcat.org/title/jaina-and-the-british-bal-patil-speech-tubingen-university-international-jain-workshop-19-20-feb-2010/oclc/724423014&referer=brief_results
- http://www.worldcat.org/title/review-of-jainism/oclc/478478415&referer=brief_results
- http://saujanyabooks.com/details.aspx?id=20006&ISBN-8188769541/Jainism_An-Eternal-Pilgrimage
- http://saujanyabooks.com/details.aspx?id=20005&ISBN-8188769134/Jaina-Studies_Their-Present-State-and-Future-Tasks
- http://www.maansu.com/9788188769131
- http://www.maansu.com/jainism-an-eternal-pilgrimage-pandit-nathuram-premi-research-series-volume-23-bal-patiledited-by-manish-modi-and-tony-whittington-book-9788188769346
- http://www.booksnessence.com/Book/Product-Detail/31866/8188769134/Jaina-Studies-Their-Present-State-and-Future-Tasks-Volume-1.htm
- http://www.gohgk.com/servlet/Detail?no=5
- https://jaina.site-ym.com/store/view_product.asp?id=299637
- http://www.herenow4u.net/fileadmin/v3media/downloads/pdfs/Bal_Patil/Century_Old_Jain_Minority_Demand.pdf
- http://balpatil.sulekha.com/blog/post/2011/02/why-should-jainism-be-designated-a-minority-religion.htm
- http://balpatil.sulekha.com/
- http://balpatil.sulekha.com/blog/posts.htm
- https://profiles.google.com/bal.patil/about
- http://www.jaina.in/site/index.php?q=node/58
- http://balpatil.sulekha.com/blog/post/2011/03/representation-for-notification-of-jains-as-a-minority.htm
- http://bal-patil.blogspot.com/2010/10/to-hang-or-not-to-hang.html
- http://independent.academia.edu/BalPatil
- http://independent.academia.edu/BalPatil/Papers/176050/The_Rise_Decline_And_Renewals_Of_Sramanic_Religious_Traditions_Within_Indic_Civilisation_With_Particular_Reference_To_The_Evolution_Of_Jain_Sramanic_Culture_And_Its_Impact_On_The_Indic_Civilization
- http://independent.academia.edu/BalPatil/Papers/182153/CAN_INDIA_AFFORD_TO_PASS_THE_NUCLEAR_LIABILITY_BILL_AFTER_THE_BHOPAL_TRAGEDY_HAVOC
- http://independent.academia.edu/BalPatil/Papers/176046/BAL_PATIL_SPEECH_TUEBINGEN_UNIVERSITY_INTERNATIONAL_JAIN_WORKSHOP_19_and_20TH_FEB.2010_THE_JAINA_AND_THE_BRITISH_JAIN_MINORITY_ISSUE
- http://independent.academia.edu/BalPatil/Papers
- http://www.slideshare.net/balpatil
- http://www.countercurrents.org/gl-patil220207.htm
- http://www.countercurrents.org/gl-patil220207.htm
- http://balpatil.wordpress.com/2010/09/03/appreciation-of-bal-patil%E2%80%99s-review-of-prof-gunnar-myrdal%E2%80%99s-asian-drama/
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jesD6_UU5zE
- http://indiankanoon.org/doc/502741/
- http://www.youthforequality.com/supreme-court-cases/50A.pdf
- http://www.herenow4u.net/index.php?id=82050
- http://www.writesight.com/writers/balpatil/
- http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/Bal_Patil?action=profile
- http://www.flickr.com/photos/balpatil/show/with/4973058900