Bhanwarlal Doshi, the son of a small merchant, commenced with a mere Rs 30,000 and established a Rs 600 crore business, but later chose to relinquish it all to embrace the life of a monk.
The ex-billionaire Bhanwarlal Raghunath Doshi achieved the extraordinary feat of abandoning his immense wealth to lead the life of a ‘Sanyasi’ or monk. Once renowned as the ‘Plastic King’ of Delhi, Doshi astonished the nation when he resolved to relinquish his Rs 600 crore business empire to become a Jain preacher.
In 2015, Doshi made the surprising decision to forsake a life of abundance and embrace an ascetic existence. His father, a small textile merchant in Rajasthan, had provided him with the initial capital of Rs 30,000 to start his international trading house, DR International.
Amidst a grand ceremony held in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, Doshi became the 108th disciple of Jain Acharya, witnessed by a multitude of people, including Adani Group’s chief Gautam Adani, who was reportedly present at the event.
He became a monk under the guidance of Surishwarji Maharaj, becoming the 354th initiate. Reports suggest that transitioning to a monastic way of life wasn’t a sudden decision for Doshi but something he had been contemplating since 1982 when he was drawn towards spirituality after attending Jain lectures. After more than three decades, he finally took the momentous step.
The ceremony marking Doshi’s transformation into a monk was immense, with approximately 500 hotel rooms accommodating attendees, and 1,500 bearers serving food during the event. Apart from nearly 1.5 lakh samayiks or spectators, almost 1,000 sadhus and sadhvis were also present. The size of the assembly hall was an enormous 3.25 lakh square feet, while food, water, and sherbet were distributed in an area of 35,000 square yards.
