Cracking the IIT is a dream wished upon a star by many starry eyed kids but achieved by a handful. This is the story of four people, out of which two are  IITians working in plush jobs, minting money and giving up their worldly desires to attain 'moksha'. Meet Viral Dedhia, Dharmil Dedhia, Sanket Parekh, and Chandresh Poladia who are all set to embrace monkhood.

© TOI

Sanket is a chemical engineer from IIT Bombay and has a well paid job with a super comfortable life. He was even planning to shift to the US to pursue a master's degree. He was an atheist but all that is changing now. Speaking to TOI (https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/mumbai-iitian-gives-up-cushy-job-family-for-diksha/articleshow/62515335.cms), he explained what influenced this change. 

“I would have got everything if I had decided to have a career, but my inner self would never have been at peace like it is today. I was chatting with Bhavik, who was in Canada doing an internship with the University of Alberta in 2010. Since I was in my final year, it was a normal chat, about what next for us. I don't know how the conversation veered towards the concept of soul. It was the first time I was thinking about soul, mind and body. That was the trigger and I went deeper with my search and began reading more about Jainism,” he said.  

© YouTube(Representational image)

Parekh pays a tax that amounts to around 12 lakhs per annum, so that gives you an idea of how much he might be earning. It was hard for him to convince his family but they eventually understood. He has been training under Acharya Yugbhushansurji to learn about all the rituals. 

Around 16 people are going to take 'diksha' in a ceremony that will take place in Borivali, Mumbai, on January 22. 14-year-old Yashika Lodaya, who is also taking 'diksha' with her parents-Hemal and Pritesh, is the youngest in the group. Another 16-year-old who is all set to embrace Jainism is Dharmil, who used to spend hours on his phone watching funny videos. He was instantly drawn when he first heard the sermons and decided to spend more time in studying Jain texts. 

The growing trend among many educated people to renounce the materialistic pleasures of the world explains how important it is for them to attain a life rich in quality. “The more educated one is, better is the understanding about the core of religion, "says Maharaj Satvabhushanji, a Harvard scholar and who is now a disciple of Acharya Maharajsaheb.