Eight years old billionaire pikin wey reject 'worldly tins' to become nun

Eight-year-old Devanshi Sanghvi bin get di opportunity to run multi-million dollar diamond business but she no follow dat path.

Devanshi Sanghvi wey be di daughter of wealthy Indian diamond business man dey live a simple life now with no luxuries.

She go dey wear ordinary rough white saris, waka barefoot without shoes and dey go from door-to-door to beg for alms (dat na money, food and help).

Dis na because last week, Devanshi officially abandon worldly tins as she become a nun.

Devanshi na di eldest of di two daughters of Dhanesh and Ami Sanghvi.

Di Sanghvis family dey among 4.5 million Jains wey dey follow Jainism.

Jainism na one of di oldest religions for di world wey begin from India more than 2,500 years ago.

Religious scholars say di number of Jains wey don declare to abandon di material world dey increase more-more ova di years.

Although cases wey involve children as young as Devanshi no dey common.

Plenti pipo attend di ceremony for Surat city, western state of Gujarat, where Devanshi take "diksha" (vows of renunciation) in presence of senior Jain monks.

Di papa and mama of Devanshi follow her for back as she waka go di venue for di city Vesu area wey di ceremony take place last Wednesday.

She wear fine silk and plenti jewelries plus one diamond-studded crown wey dey for her head.

Afta di ceremony, she stand with oda nuns, and wear white sari wey also cover her head wey dem shave.

Devanshi come hold broom wey she go dey use take brush away insects from her path to avoid make she no accidentally step on dem.

Since then, Devanshi don begin stay for wetin dem call Upashraya – dat na monastery where Jain monks and nuns dey live.

"She no go fit stay for home, her parents no longer be her parents, now she be Sadhvi - dat na nun," Kirti Shah, wey be Surat-based diamond merchant tok.

Kirti Shah na also friend of di family and local Bharatiya Janata Party politician. E continue to add say;

"Di life of Jain nun dey really hard. She go now gatz to trek go everywhere, she no go ever take any kind of transport, she go dey sleep on white sheet for floor and no go chop afta sundown."

Di Sanghvis belong to di only Jain sect wey dey accept child monks – di oda three dey accept only adults.

Devanshi parents dey known to be "extremely religious" and Indian media don bin quote friends of di family wey say di girl "like spiritual life from small pikin".

"Devanshi never watch television, movies or waka go malls and restaurants," di Times of India report.

"From young age, Devanshi don dey pray three times a day and even perform fast for di age of two," di paper add.

One day before her renunciation ceremony, di family bin organise big celebratory procession for Surat.

Thousands of pipo watch di event as camels, horses, ox carts, drummers and turbaned men wey carry canopies waka di streets, with dancers and performers on stilts wey dey provide entertainment.

Devanshi and her family sitdon for one chariot wey elephant dey move, while crowds of pipo dey shower dem with rose petals.

Dem also organise processions for Mumbai and di Belgian city of Antwerp, where di Sanghvis get businesses.

Even though support dey come from within di Jain community for di practice, Devanshi renunciation don lead to serious debate.

Many pipo dey ask why di family no wait for her to reach adulthood before making dis kain important choice on her behalf.

Oga Shah, wey dem invite to di diksha ceremony no gree attend because di idea of a child wey dey renounce di world dey uncomfortable to am.

E insist say "no religion suppose allow children to become monks".

"She be pikin, wetin she understand about all dis?" e ask.

"Children no fit even decide wetin dem wan study for college until dem reach 16. How dem go fit make decision about something wey go affect dia entire life?"

Wen pipo begin worship small pikin wey renounce di world and di community dey celebrate, at first e go look like big party to di pikin.

But Prof Nilima Mehta, wey be child protection consultant for Mumbai, say di "difficulty and deprivation wey di pikin go pass through dey plenti".

"Life as a Jain nun dey very very tough," she tok.

Many oda community members don also express dia worries as e be say di pikin go dey separated from her family for dis young age.

And since di news break, many pipo don enta social media to criticise di family, and accuse di Sanghvis say dem violate dia pikin rights.

Oga Shah say di goment must get involve and stop dis practice of children renouncing di world. But e no dey likely to happun.

Our tori pesin reach out to di office of Priyank Kanungo, chief of di National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR), to ask if di goment go do anything about Devanshi case.

Im office say e no wan comment on di mata because na "sensitive mata".

Still, activists say Devanshi rights don dey violated.

To those pipo wey dey tok say di pikin renounce di world "out of her own free will", Prof Mehta clarify dem say "small pikin consent no be consent in law".

"Legally 18 na di age where someone fit make independent decision."

"Until then any decision on her behalf na from adult  – like her parents - wey gatz consider weda di decision na for her best interest."

"And if dat decision block di pikin not to get education and recreation, then na violation of her rights."

But Dr Bipin Doshi, wey dey teach Jain philosophy for Mumbai University, say "you cannot apply legal principles for di spiritual world".

"Some pipo dey tok say small pikin no dey mature enof to take dis kain decisions, but children dey wey get beta intellectual capabilities wey fit achieve more than adults for young age.”

"In di same way, children also dey wey like spiritually life, so wetin dey wrong if dem become monks?" e ask.

Besides, Dr Doshi insist say, dem no harm Devanshi in any way.

"She fit dey blocked out from di traditional entertainment, but e really dey necessary for everyone?

"And I no agree say she go dey deprived of love or education – she go receive love from her guru and she go learn honesty and non-attachment. No be dat one beta pass?"

Dr Doshi add say in case Devanshi change her mind later on and think say "she bin take wrong decision under di mesmerising effects of her guru", she fit always return to di world.

Den why not let her decide wen she become adult, Prof Mehta ask.

"Young minds dey dey easily influenced and in few years, she fit think say dis no be di life she wan live," she tok,

E add say cases like dis don happpun before where women change dia mind once dem grow up.

Prof Mehta say few years ago she deal with di case of one young Jain nun wey run away from her centre because she dey so traumatised.

Anoda girl wen take dis same decision for di age of nine, cause one kain scandal for 2009 afta she reach 21 years, she run and marry her boyfriend.

In di past, pipo don file petitions for court, but Prof Mehta say any social reform na challenge because of di sensitive feeling wey dey involve.

"E no just dey among Jains; dem dey marry Hindu girls to deities and dem go become devadasis [upon say dem don ban dis pratcice for 1947] and little boys dey join akhadas [religious centres]"

"For Buddhism, dem dey send children to go live for monasteries as monks."

"Children dey suffer under all religions, but if pesin challenge am, e go be blasphemy," she tok.

She add say families and societies need to dey educated to sabi say "pikin no be your possession".