The Indian diamond heiress relinquished those prospects when she was initiated as a nun of the strict Jain faith\u2014which involves renouncing all worldly pleasures.<\/p>\n
Local media outlets reported<\/a> that Devanshi\u2014whose family established and owns the Sanghvi and Sons<\/a> diamond manufacturer\u2014took diksha, the vow of renunciation, in the presence of a Jain monk and thousands of witnesses.<\/p>\n Sanghvi and Sons, cofounded by her grandfather, Mohan Sanghvi, in 1981\u2014is based in Surat, a city in western India known as Diamond City due to its huge diamond industry. The business, which is now co-owned by Devanshi\u2019s father and another relative, claims to be<\/a> India\u2019s largest diamond exporter. <\/p>\n According to news agency AFP<\/a>, the business is worth 5 billion rupees ($61 million).<\/p>\n Devanshi is the oldest of two sisters, and it\u2019s reported she attended 367 diksha events before her own.<\/p>\n \u201cDevanshi never watched TV or movies, and never went to restaurants or attended marriages,\u201d a source who knows the Sanghvi family told the Times of India<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n Images and footage distributed by local media showed Devanshi arriving at her own four-day diksha ceremony in a carriage pulled by an elephant. Processions were also held in Mumbai and Antwerp, Belgium, the BBC reported on Monday, where the Sanghvis also do business. <\/p>\n As she bid goodbye to material possessions, the 8-year-old is reported<\/a> to have had all of her hair removed before trading her elaborate clothing in for a simple white outfit.<\/p>\n Since taking her vows, Devanshi has been living in an Upashraya, a Jain monastery, according to the BBC.<\/p>\n \u201cShe can no longer stay at home, her parents are no longer her parents, she\u2019s a Sadhvi [a nun] now,\u201d Kirti Shah, a Surat-based diamond merchant and family friend, told the BBC on Monday<\/a>. \u201cA Jain nun\u2019s life is really austere. She will now have to walk everywhere, she can never take any kind of transport, she\u2019ll sleep on a white sheet on the floor and cannot eat after sundown.\u201d<\/p>\n Jainism, one of the world\u2019s oldest religions, has upwards of 4 million followers<\/a> who are largely concentrated in western India.<\/p>\n The strict religious order has a value system that preaches nonviolence above all else, with Jains believing that bad karma is caused by harming living beings. <\/p>\n Its principle of nonviolence is so strict that it includes doing no harm to plants and nature as well as humans and animals. Followers of Jain adhere to a strict form of vegetarianism that does not allow the consumption of root vegetables as removing the root would kill the plant.<\/p>\n <\/span> RAVEENDRAN\/AFP via Getty Images<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Just 0.4% of the Indian population identifies as Jain, according to data from the Pew Research Center<\/a>, making it the smallest of the country\u2019s six major religions.<\/p>\n Jains are more educated than Indians overall, according to Pew\u2019s statistics, with many of the religion\u2019s followers coming from wealthy backgrounds.<\/p>\n Life as a Jain nun, however, involves depending on charity for food<\/a> and basic necessities\u2014although the religion\u2019s monks and nuns can only accept food if it has not been specially made for them.<\/p>\n In complete dedication to the concept of nonviolence, high-ranking Jain nuns and monks avoid swatting mosquitoes<\/a>, and some cover their mouths<\/a> with fabric to prevent themselves from accidentally swallowing insects.<\/p>\n It is uncommon for children as young as Devanshi to take diksha, and the act has gained opposition from activist groups in the past.<\/p>\n In 2004, lawyers and a child protection group<\/a> issued a notice to Jain officials for a violation of child rights after a 9-year-old girl became a nun. Religious spokespersons responded by arguing that concerns for the girl were misplaced.<\/p>\n A report was later submitted<\/a> to the Bombay High Court, arguing that allowing a child to become a nun violated their rights.<\/p>\n According to local media<\/a>, several bills aimed at banning children from taking diksha have been submitted to India\u2019s Parliament since the 1950s, but all have failed.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Learn how to navigate and strengthen trust in your business with The Trust Factor, a weekly newsletter examining what leaders need to succeed. Sign up here.<\/a><\/p>\nWhat is Jainism?<\/h2>\n
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<\/span><\/p>Why child Jain nuns are controversial<\/h2>\n