Jain studies: In a major move to bridge ancient ethics with modern global challenges, Indian American philanthropists Drs. Jasvant and Meera Modi, alongside Dr. Namrata Patel, have pledged a $1 million endowment to California’s Arihanta Institute. The gift establishes the Tīrthaṅkara Śreyāṃśanātha Endowment for Professorship in Vegan and Animal Advocacy Studies, marking the online institution’s very first endowed professorship since it launched in 2022.
Housed under the institute’s Vegan Studies Initiative, the role will spearhead academic research and teaching that connects the core Jain philosophy of ahimsa (nonviolence) with pressing contemporary debates on animal welfare, climate change, and environmental sustainability. It represents a growing, powerful effort by the South Asian diaspora to bring classical Eastern values into mainstream Western academia.
Ancient Philosophy Meets Modern Crisis
The newly created professorship aims to formalize a field of study that is becoming increasingly critical as the planet faces climate and biodiversity crises. By anchoring veganism and animal advocacy in the deeply rooted philosophical frameworks of Jainism, Arihanta Institute is creating a unique academic space.
The curriculum under the Vegan Studies Initiative isn’t just theoretical; it explores practical, real-world intersections of:
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Animal Ethics: Evaluating our moral obligations to non-human animals.
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Food Systems: Analyzing the environmental and ethical footprints of global agriculture.
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Ecology & Biodiversity: Studying how human dietary and lifestyle choices directly impact habitat loss and climate change.
“The initiative empowers individuals to practice empathy in everyday life toward all living beings,” noted Dr. Jasvant Modi, highlighting that the family’s vision blends practical vegan education with the broader academic advancement of Jain studies.
A Legacy Built on Purpose
The driving force behind this endowment, Dr. Jasvant Modi, has a life story deeply intertwined with the values he now funds. Born in Godhra, Gujarat, to a schoolteacher, his early life was shaped by an environment of strict discipline and profound religious values. After migrating to the United States, he and his wife, Dr. Meera Modi, built a highly successful medical and healthcare management career in Los Angeles, overcoming the unique hurdles often faced by immigrant professionals.
Having accumulated significant success, the Modis have chosen to view their wealth through a lens of stewardship rather than ownership. To date, they have contributed more than $30 million to philanthropic causes spanning the United States and India.
Mapping the Modis’ Philanthropic Footprint
| Region | Focus Areas | Key Initiatives |
| United States & Europe | Higher Education & Community | Endowed academic chairs, university fellowships, research programs, and the expansion of Southern California Jain temples. |
| India (Gujarat) | Infrastructure & Social Welfare | Student hostels, schools for girls, educational facilities, and rest houses (upashrayas) for wandering Jain monks. |
Expanding the Scope of Engaged Jain Studies
For Arihanta Institute, which operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit educational institution, this $1 million gift is a foundational milestone. Up until now, the institute has grown its reputation through public programs, online courses, and speaker series featuring an interdisciplinary mix of scholars and activists.
Prem Jain, the chair of the institute’s fundraising committee, emphasized that this endowment permanently secures a platform for lifestyles focused on compassion toward animals and the environment.
Dr. Parveen Jain, founder and CEO of Arihanta Institute, summarized the ultimate goal of the new professorship: to ensure that the ancient, timeless wisdom of South Asia is not preserved as a stagnant relic, but actively utilized as a living, breathing tool to solve the ethical dilemmas of the 21st century.
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