An Indian family with assets worth about $4 million have renounced worldly goods to become Jain monks, pledging to spend their lives without basics such as footwear or soap.
Turning their backs on their fortune, they expect to survive on alms, or religious donations.
Pharmaceutical magnate Bhupendra Daklia, his wife Sapna, sons Devendra and Harshit and daughters Mahima and Mukta have shunned material possessions in the pursuit of salvation.
The family from Rajnandgaon in central Chhattisgarh state have swapped their bungalow, cars and business worth 300 million rupees ($4m) for the ascetic lives of monks.
Their strict Jain faith requires them to walk barefoot, visit temples and monasteries, wear white robes and carry handmade wooden bowls to eat food.
They must not bathe, make no permanent home, and never use modern technology such as the internet or mobile phone in accordance with the tenets of Jainism.
Jainism is one of the world's oldest religions and followers keep to five principles that include non-violence and non-possession.
Followers observe a strict vegetarian diet, do not eat root vegetables and particular fruits and abstain from eating greens in certain months.
Those who choose to follow the faith to monkhood are expected to accept austerity in all aspects of their lives.
The Daklias are in their 40s, and their children are aged between 16 and 22. They had a thriving business but led a simple life even before renouncing their wealth, Naresh Daklia, an uncle, said.
The family took the life-changing decision in November and were initiated on January 27. A family video showed the Daklias dancing in colourful outfits before their initiation.
The family had their last meal together before the five-day-long ceremony where they vowed to live an austere life. The members also pulled out their hair as part of the rituals.
“They did have a big house but his wife was always religious and believed in simple living. The family had no ceiling fan or air conditioners or even a refrigerator at home,” Naresh Daklia told The National.
“Their youngest son had first shown interest in becoming a monk. They had all the resources. It is a big decision, and one needs a big heart to embrace monkhood. They will never touch money and will walk barefoot,” Mr Daklia said.
Jains are a religious minority but a largely affluent community. There are fewer than five million followers in India.
In recent years, the faith was criticised for practices such as Santhara, an act of penance in which a person fasts to death.
In 2016, a 13-year-old Jain girl died after fasting for 68 days as part of the ritual.
A timeline of the Historical Dictionary of the Arabic Language
- 2018: Formal work begins
- November 2021: First 17 volumes launched
- November 2022: Additional 19 volumes released
- October 2023: Another 31 volumes released
- November 2024: All 127 volumes completed
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Sting & Shaggy
44/876
(Interscope)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
'Saand Ki Aankh'
Produced by: Reliance Entertainment with Chalk and Cheese Films
Director: Tushar Hiranandani
Cast: Taapsee Pannu, Bhumi Pednekar, Prakash Jha, Vineet Singh
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Warlight,
Michael Ondaatje, Knopf
Our legal advisor
Ahmad El Sayed is Senior Associate at Charles Russell Speechlys, a law firm headquartered in London with offices in the UK, Europe, the Middle East and Hong Kong.
Experience: Commercial litigator who has assisted clients with overseas judgments before UAE courts. His specialties are cases related to banking, real estate, shareholder disputes, company liquidations and criminal matters as well as employment related litigation.
Education: Sagesse University, Beirut, Lebanon, in 2005.
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
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WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
Trump v Khan
2016: Feud begins after Khan criticised Trump’s proposed Muslim travel ban to US
2017: Trump criticises Khan’s ‘no reason to be alarmed’ response to London Bridge terror attacks
2019: Trump calls Khan a “stone cold loser” before first state visit
2019: Trump tweets about “Khan’s Londonistan”, calling him “a national disgrace”
2022: Khan’s office attributes rise in Islamophobic abuse against the major to hostility stoked during Trump’s presidency
July 2025 During a golfing trip to Scotland, Trump calls Khan “a nasty person”
Sept 2025 Trump blames Khan for London’s “stabbings and the dirt and the filth”.
Dec 2025 Trump suggests migrants got Khan elected, calls him a “horrible, vicious, disgusting mayor”
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbo
Power: 240hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 390Nm at 3,000rpm
Transmission: eight-speed auto
Price: from Dh122,745
On sale: now
Timeline
1947
Ferrari’s road-car company is formed and its first badged car, the 125 S, rolls off the assembly line
1962
250 GTO is unveiled
1969
Fiat becomes a Ferrari shareholder, acquiring 50 per cent of the company
1972
The Fiorano circuit, Ferrari’s racetrack for development and testing, opens
1976
First automatic Ferrari, the 400 Automatic, is made
1987
F40 launched
1988
Enzo Ferrari dies; Fiat expands its stake in the company to 90 per cent
2002
The Enzo model is announced
2010
Ferrari World opens in Abu Dhabi
2011
First four-wheel drive Ferrari, the FF, is unveiled
2013
LaFerrari, the first Ferrari hybrid, arrives
2014
Fiat Chrysler announces the split of Ferrari from the parent company
2015
Ferrari launches on Wall Street
2017
812 Superfast unveiled; Ferrari celebrates its 70th anniversary
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
